by S. L. Baum
“I know,” Doc said with a wink.
Pete threw his hands up in the air. “I know too. It’s easier said than done.”
“If it is easier said, then just say it!” Krista urged.
Pete shook his head. “That was a bad use of that phrase. How about, it’s harder than it looks? … than it seems?”
Krista placed her hand on Pete’s shoulder. “Just tell Opal how you feel about her.”
“Can we get to work now?” Pete asked. “I’ve had enough councel this morning.”
“I’d love for you to get to work,” Doc said. “Dan and Sherine are bringing baby Ella in for a check-up. They’ll be here soon. And Charlie Newland called a little while ago. The darn fool drove a nail through his hand this morning. I had to convince him to come in so I can look at the wound. He sounded surprised that I answered the phone, since he called before we open.”
Pete laughed. “I’m sure that was done on purpose.”
“Quite true. Charlie said he just wanted to know if he should pour alcohol or peroxide on it.” Doc exhaled with exasperation. “It took a few harsh words on my part, but the stubborn mule finally promised to come to town. I expect he’ll take his sweet time doing it, just to prove a point.”
“Who’s Charlie Newland?” Krista asked, still not acquainted with many of the neighboring residents.
“He’s a recluse. Likes to say he’s off the grid, but his wife insists they keep a phone line for emergencies,” Doc explained. “He hates it, and I’m quite sure she had to threaten him somehow to get him to make the call. I’d better have a tetanus shot ready to go as soon as he walks in the door. I looked in my records and it’s been about nine years since I gave him the last one. I probably won’t get another chance, so I’m going to stick him with it before he knows what happened.”
“I’ll make sure rooms one and two are prepared for them,” Krista told him.
“And I’ll get the shots ready for both Ella and Charlie,” Pete added.
Krista motioned for Doc to follow her into the exam room and waited for him inside.
“What is it?” Doc asked in a whisper as he closed the door behind them.
“Marlene’s trust kicked in today. I told you it would happen at some point, and, well, it happened. The good news is I know she’s going to let me help her,” Krista told him.
“What’s the bad news?”
“Her heart is going to get worse, and she will go downhill faster than normal. My presence and my connection to her will quicken the process. Death wants its original host. It’s almost like it will try to take her before I can take it,” Krista explained. “I just thought you should know.”
“Did you tell her everything?”
“Not yet. But I will very soon.”
Doc stroked his white Santa beard. “Her cardiologist will want to admit her if he sees her failing.”
“I’ll make sure both Marlene and Ben understand that she must stay here, with me, if she wants to survive. Anything you can do to help that process along will be appreciated.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Doc promised.
“Thanks, Doc. Do you want Ella in here and Charlie in room two?” Krista asked him.
“Sure. That’s fine,” Doc responded, his face still perplexed. “Do you think I’ll ever be able to wrap my head around everything you keep telling me?”
“Probably not until you see it happen.”
“When will that be?”
“Soon.”
They heard Pete call out a greeting to Dan and Sherine, and Doctor Baker slipped out of the room.
Baby Ella was a sweet little girl. Her parents declared that other than desperately wishing for her to sleep in longer stretches, Ella was a perfect baby. The little one barely cried during her immunizations. Charlie Newland, on the other hand, let out a loud yelp when Doctor Baker stuck him with a needle. Charlie refused stitches, to lessen the scarring, and insisted Doc just throw some glue on it and bandage it up good. Krista was happy when it was time to print out Charlie’s aftercare instructions and get the man out the door.
It was an otherwise uneventful day at the CCMC, and by four in the afternoon Doc decided they should “close up shop,” as he put it. That gave Krista and Pete enough time to go home and change before meeting back at the diner. Krista was thankful that Doctor Baker didn’t care for the traditional medical scrubs. He wanted his patients to feel like they were visiting a friend, so they all dressed in semi-casual clothes. Krista had put on a nice pair of jeans and a light sweater that morning, so all she needed to do was change out her top for something that smelled a little fresher; she always felt funky after a day at work.
When Pete got to his home, he did the exact opposite. He showered, restyled his hair, put some cologne on, and changed into an entirely new outfit. Looking his best in front of Opal was paramount. He wanted to impress her, to look like someone who matched foxy Opal Stone… because she was worth the effort.
When Krista got to the diner, Pete was already there, sitting at the front counter. His whole body was leaning forward toward Opal, who was standing on the other side. She was bent down, with her arms resting on the countertop, and a wide smile was on her face. “Miss Vita has arrived.” Opal waved at Krista as she approached the counter.
“The fun can begin,” Krista said with a smile. “Are you and Jim working alone tonight?”
Opal winked at Pete. “You were so right.”
“I told you,” Pete said with a smug look upon his face.
“Goodness. It is nothing. I didn’t see his car at Abe’s so I was just wondering where he is,” Krista told them.
“Ummhmm,” Opal hummed. “He’s in the back.” Opal twisted around and looked through the order window. “Sam, Krista’s looking for you.”
“I’ll be right out.” Krista heard Sam’s reply.
“He’ll be right out.” Pete nudged Krista.
“Yeah. I heard him,” Krista told her friend. “Opal, did Pete tell you he loves that you smell like pie?”
“That’s not exactly what I said. I said that I love the way you smell,” Pete corrected Krista’s statement.
“Among other things,” Krista mumbled.
Pete kicked her under the counter.
“What?” Opal looked at Krista.
“I said, among other things,” Krista repeated in a louder voice.
Opal looked at Pete, her eyes open wide. “Oh yeah? What else do you love?”
Pete knew he was cornered. Either tell a lie, because he was nervous, and risk missing the opportunity to let Opal know his feelings for her… or tell her right then, and risk her not feeling the same way about him. It was time to put it out there, to take a chance.
“Could we go outside? By ourselves? For a few minutes? In private?” Pete asked in stunted sentences. His brow instantaneously moist from nervousness.
“I guess we could,” Opal told him. “Sam, I need you to come out front. Now,” she ordered, as she walked around to the front of the counter. Pete stood up, took her hand, and they walked out the front door together.
“What’s going on there?” Sam asked as he came through the swinging door.
“Pete’s finally telling Opal that he loves her. At least he’d better be!” Krista told him.
“Are we spectating?”
“Absolutely!” Krista turned around on her stool so she could look through the front windows. “This is the good stuff in life. Fairy tale, movie stuff.”
“Or, everyday life stuff. Cedar Creek stuff.”
“Shhh,” Krista hushed him. “I’ve never seen it in person before.”
“What?”
“Two people falling in love. It’s kind of cute,” she sighed, looking out the window.
Sam had leaned forward, and Krista could feel his breath moving her hair as he talked. “You’ve never been in love, I take it.”
“Not really. In lust, in infatuation, in like… but not in love. How about you?”
“I thi
nk so. First love, anyway. I dated my high school girlfriend through our first year of college until she left me for a Psych major. Bad break-up. It tore my heart out. So, yes, I guess I’d call it love.”
“If it tore you up, then I’d call it love too. Are you completely over it now?” Krista turned around to look at him.
“I was completely over it within three or four months. Her loss. Look,” Sam pointed outside. “Opal looks happy.”
Krista turned to look out the window again and saw Opal throw her arms around Pete’s neck and lock her lips with his. Opal did look happy. Krista suddenly felt like she was intruding. She turned back to Sam.
“So never in love, but in lust, huh? You brazen hussy. Have you no shame?” Sam teased. “Abe says that to the TV quite often. I thought I’d try it out.”
“Next you’ll be polishing your penny loafers and brushing off your letterman’s sweater. I think you could actually pull off that look.”
“Of course I could,” Sam insisted.
“What are they doing now?” Krista asked, not wanting to turn around to look for herself.
“More of that hugging and kissing junk,” Sam told her. “It’s disgusting,” he added with an overabundance of sarcasm.
The door bells chimed and Ben Richardson walked in.
“Hey, Ben,” Sam called out in greeting.
“How’s Marlene been today?” Krista asked him.
“Actually, I came here to thank you. Doc said you and Pete were planning on being here tonight so I took a chance. I probably would have driven over to Abe’s if I hadn’t found you here. I just really wanted to thank you, in person.” Ben gripped his hands together and then stuck them in his pockets. He shifted his weight, looked around the room, and felt silly that he hadn’t prepared more to say to her.
“Thank me for what, Ben?” Krista asked.
“For whatever you said to Marlene today. She’s happier than I’ve seen her in weeks. She seems at peace, but not in a defeated way, in an I’m looking forward to the future way, if you know what I mean. She said you and her had a nice talk after your walk this morning, and she said that we should still think about Charleston. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.”
“That’s great. I told her not to give up, that her heart wasn’t going to fail her,” Krista offered up the parts of her conversation with Marlene that she was willing to reveal.
Ben dug his hands down further in his pockets. “It may be false hope. But at this point, just to see that smile on her face again, I’ll take it.”
“It’s not false hope, Ben. It’s just hope. Everybody needs to have a little hope. Don’t you agree?”
“I guess I do. And thank you.”
Krista smiled. “You are very welcome.”
“Sam, I want to get Marlene some dinner. She hasn’t had much of an appetite lately, but today she said she was craving a grilled cheese sandwich and Jim’s creamy tomato basil soup. So I’d like an order of that to go.”
“Coming right up,” Sam told Ben as he wrote out the ticket.
“You should walk with us tomorrow,” Krista told Ben. “Maybe you can go in a little later. If not tomorrow, then soon.”
Ben shook his head. “Can’t tomorrow, sorry. Sheriff Tucker has to go to Greenville to file some papers with the county office in person, and Wilson has the day off. Maybe the day after.”
“Whenever you can,” Krista said. “Just soon.”
“I will. I promise.” Ben leaned down and gave Krista a hug. “She told me that you’re something special. I think she’s right.”
Krista hugged him back. “Your constant care and devotion to your wife… that’s something special.”
When Ben left, with Marlene’s food in hand, Opal and Pete finally came back in. They were holding hands. Opal grabbed a coat, told Sam and Jim that she was going out for a walk, and the two left again.
“Thanks for giving him a push,” Opal whispered as she passed Krista.
Sam gave a slow whistle as he wiped the counter down. “Look at you, and all your admirers. I can’t think of a person in Cedar Creek that hasn’t succumbed to your charm. Everybody thinks Miss Vita is wonderful.”
“Except you?” Krista asked.
“Somehow you managed to win me over, as well. You do seem to have a talent for it. I think that deserves something special,” Sam said as he tore a slip from his order pad.
“What do I get?” Krista asked.
“Patience,” Sam told her and turned around so his back was to her.
“What are you doing?”
“I said patience.”
“Fine, I’ll wait. But when you turn around, I’d like a glass of water, with a lemon. Your serving skills are quite poor, I’ve been here forever and you haven’t even offered to get me a drink.”
“I’ll get you your water. Almost finished.”
“Finished with what?” Krista leaned to the side, trying to see what Sam was doing.
Sam sensed her movements and angled his body away from her. “You really suck at patience, don’t you?”
“Apparently,” Krista admitted.
Sam turned around and placed a tiny folded piece of paper in front of her and then went to fill up a glass of water. Krista picked up the paper and placed the little folded bird in the palm of her hand. “That’s so cool. When did you learn to do that?”
“When I was a kid.” Sam set her glass of water with lemon on the counter. “Mom bought me an origami book for my birthday. We learned how to do the swan together. I taught myself a few more, but Mom and I would make swans for each other. She said that the swan would remind me to strengthen my relationships, and make new ones with people that I admire.”
“I thought the swan was a symbol of love.”
“It seems that a lot of people are showing you some love today,” Sam told her. “Food is love too, right?” He picked up his order pad and gave her a smile. “What can I get you to eat?”
Color flushed into Krista’s face. She wasn’t sure if he was flirting or not, but she’d found herself actually wishing he was. “A Monte Cristo, please, with a side of fruit.”
“Are you going to stick with water?”
“Yeah, water’s fine. So, how’s school going, college boy?”
Sam clipped the order slip up for Jim. “Good. I got an A on my last paper.”
“Oh, wait.” Krista held a finger up and then grabbed for her purse. “I have a reward for you, for being such a good boy.” She dug around the bottom and pulled out a cellophane wrapped, green lollipop. “Good job!”
Sam’s eyes widened. He clapped his hands together in exaggerated excitement. “For me! Yay!” He pulled the wrapper off and stuck the sucker in his mouth. “Mmmm. Sour apple.”
“It’s the best.” Krista shrugged.
The bells clanked against the front door and Krista turned to see Abe and Eli walk in. They waved at Sam and Krista as they made their way to their usual table. It was chess time, Krista noted with a smile. She loved how the two men were creatures of habit. If they were going to eat at the diner, they were going to play chess, plain and simple.
The bells rang again, and then a minute later, yet again. The dinner rush had begun. “I’ll be back,” Sam told her. “Your sandwich should be up in just a few.”
Sam went to his uncle’s table and confirmed that the two men wanted their usual sweet tea, and then he moved to the other two tables to see what he could get everyone to drink. He checked in on the man who’d been quietly reading a paperback at the end of the counter since Krista had arrived, and then got back behind the counter to fill everyone’s drink orders. As he went from table to table, setting down glasses, Opal and Pete returned.
“Oh my word, it got busy in here fast,” Opal declared and rushed to Sam’s side to see what needed to be done.
Pete sat beside Krista. A huge grin was plastered on his face.
“I’m going to guess you two had a nice walk,” Krista whispered to Pete.
“It was most satisfactory, indeed.”
“You are a strange bird, Peter Venkman Jones.”
“It was great. Is that better?”
Krista bumped her shoulder into his. “Much better. Because from the kissing and the handholding I saw, I would have guessed something much more than just satisfactory.”
“It’s mutual,” Pete whispered.
“As I knew it would be,” Krista whispered back.
The bell on the counter dinged. “Order,” Jim called out and then disappeared into the kitchen again.
“Here you go, darlin’,” Opal smiled as she placed the plate in front of Krista. “Pete, what can I get you?”
“I’ll take the special,” Pete told her, pointing to the chalkboard behind her.
“Chicken and dumplings, coming up.” She placed her pad on the counter to write down Pete’s order and drew a big heart at the bottom. She tapped at the heart, making sure Pete saw it, and smiled as she ripped the sheet off. “Something to drink?”
“Iced tea, please,” he told her, reaching across the counter to brush his fingers over the back of her hand. They stared at each other as if time had stopped for a moment, with that new-love electricity coursing between their bodies. It was a powerful thing, and they both looked a little blown away by it.
The bell dinged. “Order.”
Opal didn’t turn. Sam moved behind her and grabbed the plate. “Chili cheese fries for Abe and Eli,” he called out as he moved toward their table.
“I should get that tea for you,” Opal said, her voice deflated from its normal sweet and cheerful tone. She didn’t want to move her hand and break contact. Pete slowly retracted his fingers, his reluctance as plain to see as hers was.
Krista laughed quietly as she picked up her sandwich. “You two are cracking me up. It’s alright to let go… your emotional connection will not be broken.” She took a bite. “I promise,” she added.
“Miss Vita. Manners,” Opal scolded. “No talking with food in your mouth.”
“Yeah, you untamed heathen.” Pete poked her shoulder.
“Whatever,” Krista mumbled through the mouthful. “Your open display of affection in the workplace is slightly unprofessional.”
“It’s my diner. I’ll do what I want,” Opal sassed back.