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Leslie sweated with anticipation. The thought of what she was about to receive drove her nearly mad. She had nothing else that made her feel this way in the world. Not even the joy she felt being part of city council or the parks department could match what she felt at this moment.
JJ’s diner was her favorite place in the world. No matter what time of day JJ was always there to serve Leslie’s needs. As she sat bouncing in her booth she looked around at all the bright citizens of Pawnee. Though a little overrun with diabetes, they were all wonderful people. Except for Jean Ralphio and Orin they were in their own special category.
The most wonderful person though, who happened to be sitting across from her, was Ben Wyatt. He knew just what she wanted and her wish was about to be fulfilled.
JJ walked out of the kitchen and made his way over to their table with their orders. Leslie was tempted to run up to him and take the plate from him, but she restrained herself.
Ben had been talking to her but as soon as she saw the sight of those golden, fluffy waffles, all bets were off. A look of pure joy glowed off her face and Ben stopped talking as he figured out what she had spotted.
When her plate was finally set in front of her she didn’t dive right in like she usually would. Instead, she admired the crispy edges, the perfect golden hue and the mound of whipped cream on top which JJ knew was Leslie’s favorite way to eat waffles.
Leslie grasped the bottle of maple syrup, savoring the warmth that radiated off of it. Methodically, she poured the viscous, brown liquid over her waffles, making sure to fill each square equally with the syrup. Once she was satisfied, she set the bottle back down in between her and Ben.
“You have made me the happiest person in the world.” Leslie said.
Ben looked up from his calzone. “You make me happy too.” She hadn't realized she had said her thoughts out loud.
She looked up at Ben and smiled, placing her hand on top of his. “I was talking to the waffles but, don’t worry, I still love you.”
“Oh” Ben was disappointed but he no longer had Leslie’s attention. Her eyes sparkled as she looked down at her favorite breakfast food. She would have eaten waffles all day, every day. In fact, she wondered why she didn’t.
Without further ado, she made the first cut into the waffles with her knife, picked up the piece and placed it in her mouth. Her eyes rolled back into her head in amazement. JJ’s waffles could not have been made any better by Joe Biden. The only way they could have been better is if Joe had stood naked in front of her and fed them to her.
The food rolled around on her tongue as she took in the sweetness of the syrup and the lightness of the waffle. The two complimented each other so well. She took bite after bite, each better than the last.
When she finally got to the mountain of whipped cream, she scooped up some of the heavenly cream and popped it in her mouth. The amount of sugar in the white fluff would have been enough to give someone a heart attack, just the way she liked it.
She cut another piece of her waffle and this time dipped it into the whipped cream. The addition had fireworks exploding in her eyes. She chewed the waffle and a moan rumbled low in her throat.
She was over half way done with eating her waffles and tears threatened to fall from her eyes. She never wanted this to end. JJ was nowhere to be seen so she couldn’t order another round. She looked around furiously and Ben noticed the erratic behavior of his wife.
“Is something the matter, Leslie?” He asked with concern.
She looked back at him and hesitated to tell him her dilemma. She sighed and came clean. “I really wish that I had more waffles. They are just so good.”
Ben nodded and got up to go find JJ. Leslie felt herself fall in love with him all over again. New tears formed in her eyes for how lucky she was.
Ben finally found JJ in the kitchen. He wasn’t allowed back there but he decided to brave the walk in.
“What are you doing back here?” JJ asked Ben. He looked slightly mad with his hands on his hips and his body facing fully towards Ben. Ben felt the intimidation but thought about Leslie and how happy she would be.
Ben squared his shoulder to make himself look bigger. “I need another order of waffles for Leslie… and another calzone. You really do know how to make-“
JJ stopped him and pointed to the door. “Fine, it will be out in a few. Just get out of here.”
Ben walked back to his seat and sat down. “They will be out in a few minutes.” Ben said.
“Ben you are the best.” She had finished her waffles and pushed them to the side so she could place her hands on his arm. “I am going to remember this day forever. I will call it Ben and Leslie’s waffle anniversary.”
“You really don’t need-“
“No I insist. In fact, I already got you a present.” She pulled out a wrapped gift from her purse which was coincidently shaped like a waffle.
“How do you even do that…” He mumbled to himself. He took the gift and sat it next to him for him to open later.
Before Ben could gather his thoughts he heard Leslie shout; “Yay! Waffle round number two.”
Ben knew he had lost her at that point. Unlike the first round, Leslie had already had two pieces stuffed in her mouth and she was mumbling how great the waffles were. Ben’s second calzone was set in front of him and he followed Leslie’s example and dove in.
The couple sat in JJ’s diner until well past noon, enjoying their food and letting their stuffed bellies rest. Leslie thought about how blessed she was and how lucky it is that waffles existed. Whoever said that breakfast food was gross is horribly wrong and she would have to set them straight.
Later though, her tummy was too stuffed to do anything but sit and think about parks, her friends and, best of all, waffles.