Mike walked across the street to the bakery after his shift ended Wednesday evening. As he entered the quaint shop, the smells of fresh baked bread wafted over him. Lou was leaning on the glass case that displayed cookies and cupcakes, smiling at him. She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail and she wore her usual white apron that simply stated, “I’m the Boss Around Here”. It was splattered with colors of dark brown, cherry red and lemon yellow. Beneath the apron, she wore a dark blue, short sleeve t-shirt. He shook his head.
“You know it is getting cold out there,” he stated as he approached her.
“It’s hot in here,” she did not move but kept smiling.
“You are telling me,” Mike slyly grinned back.
“Hmmm,” she stood and crossed her arms as Mike took her place leaning on the display case. He watched as she leaned back against a counter behind her on which her cash register rested. Next to it was a coffee maker and it was not like the one he had in his store. It was a Bunn 12 cup, with two 2 upper warmers, one lower warmer with a hot water faucet Coffee maker with an attached water line. The coffee pot was empty.
“Why in the world do you ever come across the street and have my coffee?” he asked her again.
This had become their routine. He watched Lou shake her head, turn her back toward him and reach back to untie the apron. She moved it above her head and flip her ponytail, placing the apron on the counter beside her. She fumbled with some thing in front of her and when she turned, she held two plates that held his favorite treat ever, cheesecake!
“Wow,” Mike exclaimed in surprise. “What is the occasion?”
“Does there have to be an occasion?” she replied setting down the plates on the display case and handed him a fork.
“No. Of course not,” he said as he took the fork from her and carefully pushed it through his treat. He raised it slowly, examining it and carefully put it into his mouth.
Louise watched this display, waiting for a comment from the blue-eyed man before her. Those eyes closed as he seemed to be savoring his first bite of cheesecake. When they finally opened, those eyes were smiling and the mouth below it slowly smiled, too.
“Good?” she asked. She took her fork and joined him in eating cheesecake.
“That is the best cheesecake ever. Did Louis make it?” he teased her.
“No,” she put her last forkful into her mouth.
“Millie? I did not think she knew how,” he placed his fork on the empty plate before him.
Lou smirked at him as she took the plates from the countertop, turned, and walk to the far end of the counter where she placed them in a buss tub that was hidden from view. She continued around the side of the case and walked to where he was watching her.
“I knew you made it the whole time,” he said.
“Sure,” she leaned her hip against the case as she stopped before him. “Are you looking forward to your Mom coming home?”
“Yes, I am,” he answered. “I just am not sure what she is up to, you know.”
“What do you mean?” she continued questioning him.
“I don’t know. It’s just a feeling,” he answered.
“Where’s your shadow?” Lou asked as she stepped closer to him
“I don’t know,” he said as he mimicked her by leaning his hip on the case. “Robert Fuller came by right before I came over here and she walked away with him.”
“Really?”
***
It was Friday morning and Pastor Paul Brown is walking from his front door on the path to his car sitting in his driveway. The air is chilly on this late November morning. The sky was beginning to brighten and ii is a bright, clear blue. He had just finished his morning routine with a little different train of thought, he had a purpose. He had been silently laughing inside as he recalled the week past. His friend, James, consistently harassed him about his “date” with Kristy. He did not give him a ghost of a clue, either. But now, here it was, the big date. He chuckled as he pulled open the car door, sat down and placed his Bible on the passenger seat, and closed the door. He placed the car key into the ignition, turned it forward, and the engine rumbled to a start. He almost jumped when he remembered that he was going to have a passenger in the passenger seat. He took the Bible from it, half-turned and placed it in the back seat. He then placed the car in reverse and eased out of the driveway.
As he approached Kerls’ Gas Station and Mini Mart, he saw her standing on the corner. The hood to her yellow jacket was pulled over her head and she was hopping from one foot to the other. At that moment, she turned her head and instantly waved at him. He began to brake, slowing the car to a roll as he steered into the mini mart lot. Kristy stepped to the car, opened the door, and settled into the seat beside him.
“Good morning!” she exclaimed. “It is a beautiful day. Thanks so much for asking me to come with you.”
“I do appreciate you coming and everyone at Mary’s Memory Care will appreciate it, too. Everyone loves Christmas Concerts,” he responded to her as he placed the car into first gear, eased off the clutch, and steered the car back onto the road.
“Well, I love to sing,” Kristy said. “It is a good thing you are doing with the residents, Paul. There is not many of them who have family nearby. They are alone in more than one way.”
“Sometimes, I wonder though,” he replied somberly. “I wonder of it matters.”
“Of course, it matters, Paul,” Kristy turned in her seat to look directly at him. “Everything matters. Everything you do in this life determines your next life. Trust me.”
He turned his head and looked at her for a moment before speaking, “Okay. I think I do. I do trust you, but I don’t know why.”
She turned back to face forward and looked out as Paul turned left on the next road. They drove silently for what seemed an eternity to Paul.
“I look forward to seeing Marvel again,” Kristy said breaking the silence.
Paul looked at her a second time. “How did you know we would be seeing her again, Kristy?”
She turned her head at him and just grinned.
As they looked out the front window, Mary’s Memory Care could be seen on the right. Surrounding the building was a wooded area with a small pond behind the facility, and a small parking lot stood on the side of the rectangular structure. Paul turned on his turn signal to enter the parking area.
“Paul,” Kristy quietly said. “Can we travel down the road for just a bit before we go to Mary’s?
He slowed and without looking at her, he steered back onto the road. He drove and passed Mary’s Memory Care building turning the vehicle on a slight curve toward the left.
“Stop and pull over here, Paul,” Kristy instructed.
He did so and when the car stopped, she opened the door, and looked at him. She grinned again and nodded for him to follow her. He turned the ignition to off, opened his door and exited the car. Kristy was waiting for him on the other side and she started toward the nearby woods. He fell in behind her when she stopped and waited for him to catch up.
“Have you ever heard this poem,” she said to him. “I don’t know who I am quoting, or if it is even a poem at all, but it goes like this: Do not follow me for I may not lead. Do not lead me for I may not follow. Walk beside me and be my friend.”
She reached out her hand to him. Paul stepped forward and took it. She squeezed and they walked on.
“Where are we going?” he asked her as the came upon the edge of the wood.
“You mean, you really don’t know what is in here?” she asked raising her feet as she walked.
“No, I don’t know,” he replied stepping in the same manner as she was doing.
“Well then,” her voice brightened a tad. “I will not spoil the surprise.”
Hand in hand, they continued deeper into the wood but instead of the trees getting thicker, they were thinning out so Paul could see a clearing in the distance. To his astonishment, he was beginning to see a small ring of makeshift tents surrounding a small fire with smoke rising into the air.
“Who are they?” Paul asked her as they drew closer to the group.
“I am not sure. Shall we find out together?” she remarked as they stepped into the center of the ring and stopped next to the fire. “Hello?”
A tent flap of the dwelling closest to Paul slowly raised and dropped again. A woman stepped through the tent opening and she was followed by a small child. She was wearing a red, hooded sweatshirt, zipped to her neck but the hood was down. She had tangled auburn hair, and sad, dark brown eyes. A dark blue, calf length skirt emerged from the bottom of the sweatshirt and she wore tennis shoes that were untied. The child held on to the bottom of the skirt and they could now see that it was a little boy. When she stepped out, other people emerged from other tents that surrounded the circle. A stirring of leaves from beyond the circle revealed a few men walking toward them.
“I’m Kristy and this is Pastor Paul,” she introduced themselves. “How can we help you?”
“What do you mean?” the woman asked guardedly.
Paul stood there speechless as Kristy continued to speak for them. “I think it is obvious that you need help.”
“What do you want from us?” a man asked from behind them.
“Nothing,” Kristy turned to face him. “we just want to help you. Right, Paul?”
Paul looked at Kristy struggling to know what to say so he offered a drastic prayer in his head – oh God, help me – when he spoke, “Right, we just want to help. What do you need?”
As they exited the woods, Paul and Kristy walked back to the car silently. When they sat inside and closed the car doors, a conversation began.
“How can we help with all of that?” Paul asked her. “What did you get me into?”
“Don’t worry, Paul. You will make it happen.” Kristy replied. “You will come up with a great idea. Shall we go sing?”
Paul looked at her incredulously, turned the key and started the car. He pulled the gear shift into first gear and turned the car around to return to Mary’s Memory Care facility. They turned left into the parking lot and turned into the space closest to the front door. As they left the car and began to walk to the front doors, they resumed their conversation.
“It is going to be a great idea, Paul,” Kristy reassured him as Paul continued looking at his feet.
“Really,” he stopped in his tracks causing Kristy to stop, too. “What might that idea be?”
“Well,” she grinned at him. “I certainly don’t know. It is your idea silly.”
His face fell in astonishment and they stood looking at each other.
“Excuse me,” Marvel’s voice interrupted them. “Are you going to come inside?”
“Yes!” Kristy squealed and wrapped her arms around the woman who had asked the question. “I am so excited to see you!”
Paul simply stared as the two women began to talk to each other as if they were best friends. They seemed to forget all about him, and he followed them inside the building.
Paul was sitting in the back of the great room where the residents participated in activities, ate their meals. He was listening to Kristy sing and lead them in a Christmas Concert. The idea came to him early in the concert and his mind raced through details throughout the celebration. He went through the motions of having punch and cookies afterward and he hurried Kristy through the parking lot and into the car.
“What’s going on?” Kristy asked him. “Did you enjoy the concert?”
“I have an idea!” he cried in response. “What? Yes, I enjoyed the concert, but I have an idea!”
Kristy smiled at him and quietly said, “I knew you would. What is it?”
“Not yet,” Paul returned the smile she gave him back to her. “Too much to do. I need to talk to some people first.”
“People?” she asked as they turned into Kerls’ Gas Station and Mini Mart.
“Let me buy you a drink,” he offered as he turned off the vehicle
They entered the building together wearing smiles and looked up to find Mike, Lou and Father Dooley huddled at the counter, looking toward them.
“Good,” Paul stated, still smiling. “You are all here. I need to tell you about my idea!”
To be continued…
My First Stories 