Chapter 15

The narrative shifts to a roadside diner on Route 66, detailing its slot machines, jukebox, counter, and the routines of Mae the waitress and Al the cook. The place thrives on trucker trade, which Mae courts warmly, while she remains wary of wealthy travelers who complain and condescend.

A rich couple stops for sodas, embodying entitlement and dissatisfaction, then leaves disdainfully. Soon two truck drivers arrive, banter with Mae, and share a grisly account of a luxury car causing a fatal wreck among overloaded migrant travelers. Their talk highlights the surge of westbound families and the hazards they face.

An exhausted migrant family pulls in for water. The quiet, insistent father asks to buy a loaf of bread for a dime. Mae hesitates, citing shortages, but Al forces the decision, and Mae sells the fifteen-cent loaf for ten. Seeing his sons’ awe at the candy case, the father spends his last penny on two sticks, which Mae quietly prices as two-for-a-cent.

The family departs, and the truckers, recognizing Mae’s reluctant kindness, overpay—leaving two half-dollars—effectively covering the loss. Afterward, routine resumes: Al triggers a slot machine payout and tends the stew; Mae scans the road for more truckers as traffic whistles past.

Through these encounters, the diner becomes a microcosm of the road: tourists’ contempt contrasts with working people’s solidarity, and small acts of generosity circulate among those with the least power.