A diner in California on a dark blue day,
Tonight, there’ll be storms on the bay,
It’s night shift, she stares at the empty tray,
If it wasn’t for the children, she’d never stay.

A trucker comes by asking for his coffee,
Reinvigorated, her smile as sweet as toffee,
“Would you like some sugar and milk with that?”
She asks preparing herself for some chit chat.

Two children is all what she has to hang on to,
She hates working nights, with them all alone,
They’ll take good care of each other, that’s true,
But he’ll be back, threatening them with a stern tone.

If he was to use the belt on the boy,
She’d rather be there to take it instead,
Her only worry is him hitting on the head,
She’ll blush explaining a blue eye, she’ll be coy.

She prepares some more coffee, just in case,
She sobs gently, with her hands, hiding her face,
She’s in the wrong time, in the wrong place,
If only she could vanish without a trace.

In the mirror, she looks at her shiny tag,
In the diner’s backyard, she smokes a fag,
“Millie”, a persona she wears, like an apron,
Dressed as a waitress, the show must go on.

As the daylight breaks, she becomes a mother again,
Chuckie is about to turn three today, he wants a train,
She’ll prepare a chocolate cake, wishing it is not in vain,
He’ll have an outdoor party, she just hopes it won’t rain.

A million miles away, she’ll be another Millie,
One who is childless, single and still a girlie,
But two kids depend on her to be strong,
She can’t fail them, she has to play along.

“Happy birthday to Chuckie, happy birthday to you”
He’s having the time of his life, his dreams coming true,
The woman from the toy store wrapped the train tastefully,
It’s a sunny day, the children will enjoy their time fully.

“Children, look at the camera and say cheese”,
Behind the lens Millie makes them at ease,
Towering over Chuckie, his older sister feigns a smile,
This staged happiness, a photo makes it last for a while.