After the Storm (Chambers of the Heart Book 3)

by C D Cain

  “I’m going to Ms. Delicate Flower you. Her name is Gentry. Gentry Bell. Actually, she really isn’t very big at all and does have delicate features. She has the tiniest little nose with these big, expressive eyes and heart-shaped face. She’s about my height, fairly thin. She’s pretty cool too. She really doesn’t have much to say and is fine if you don’t either. She’s not nosey or pushy to try to get you to talk.” Sam thought of Gentry and the things she had most found appealing about her. “Oh, and she has a beautiful voice. I caught her singing one night behind the motel. She was sitting outside, playing her guitar, and singing. All alone and perfectly comfortable. In fact, she stopped the minute I came up. Says she only plays when she is alone. I don’t know, Vi. That struck me. It’s like she lives for herself and no one else. Yet, she’s warm and nice at the same time. And she left me a letter. Did I tell you that?”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “She did. She left it for me at the diner the morning she left. It was very sweet. Thoughtful even.”

  “Mmmmm hmmmm. I see.” Violet hummed into the phone.

  “You see? What do you see?”

  “I see that she sounds like just what the doctor ordered. Is she a lesbian?”

  “It’s not like that, doctor, so put your prescription pad away. I have no idea if she is or isn’t. And it doesn’t matter anyway because it is not like that at all. Hear me? At all.”

  “I’m just saying.”

  “I know what you’re just saying but you can stop. The last thing I need right now is another woman.”

  “Come, dear. Women are always needed.” Violet drank the last of her water, slipped her clogs back on, and stood up. “I need to run so I can finish up and get the hell out of here. But I’ll leave you with one final thought on this conversation. A little pearl of wisdom if you will.” She loosely tucked her scrub shirt back into her scrub pants. “The best way to get over somebody is to get under somebody.”

  Sam huffed, “Ha,”

  “Say what you will. It’s a scientific proven fact.”

  “The only scientific fact here is that you’re a damn nut. Get back to work.”

  Violet blew kisses into the phone. “Love you honey. Do everything I would do.”

  “That’s a lot.”

  “You’re damn right it is.”

  Gentry stifled back a yawn as she looked in the review mirror at the red Mercedes following her. She didn’t sleep much the night before with thoughts of what this woman could possibly have to do with her own journey. How in the hell did she really end up taking that exit at that time anyway? If she had been five or ten minutes earlier or later, they may have missed each other entirely. True she had given up fighting the universal path laid out for her because it only ended in learning harder lessons. Yet she couldn’t help the questions as they flowed in how her and Sam’s journey could possibly be connected. Then again, maybe she’s just following her this leg of the trip and not necessarily destined to develop any kind of connection. Long ago, she had made the conscious choice to have no connections with anyone. Not that her childhood had found her with many true connections. Certainly as an adult, she knew she wouldn’t let anyone close enough to hurt her again. Her childhood didn’t define who she was but it was definitely a mold. A vision of a woman with bleached-blonde hair who smelled of stale tobacco and beer flashed in her mind. She shook the vision from her head and turned up her music.

  “Not today,” she said to herself. In the darkest or weakest of her times, she would let those flashbacks play back sometimes. Sometimes, most times, those memories would be the reminder she needed to overcome the hardest of times. They reminded her of what was never to be again. But, not today. She wouldn’t let them in today. She pressed the gas pedal harder and smiled at the thought of her next destination.

  She watched as Sam’s car sped up closer behind her. She had been on the phone earlier and was still smiling from the conversation.

  “That’s what did it,” Gentry mumbled. “That smile of yours.”

  Sam had these perfectly shaped lips that were impossible to ignore when she smiled. As if that wasn’t enough to chip at Gentry’s wall, she also had these incredibly sad eyes void of any happiness. Perhaps the sadness is what connected her to Sam. Something or someone had hurt her…still hurts her. A sadness that deep leaves a person incapable of focusing any attention on others, much less strangers. Gentry felt safe around Sam. She didn’t worry Sam would try to push her to give or be more than she wanted. How could she when she was trying to find function again herself?

  Gentry slowed the bus to a stop at the railroad tracks of Juliette, Georgia. She felt a brush of wind from the speeding train against her arm as it rested across the open window. With great excitement, she anticipated what she would see when the last of the cars passed. She played scenes over in her head, including the one with the infamous train. It was her heart to smile first as the small white building with brick columns on its porch appeared. Immediately, she looked in the rearview mirror to see if Sam recognized it too. Unfortunately, she only saw a confused expression on her face. No matter; she would get it soon. She shifted the bus into first and crept across the train tracks.

  “What is this place?” Sam asked as she got out of her car. “Where are we? I don’t recognize anything. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a cute little town. Quaint but nice. And it was a pretty drive. But clue me in. Why did you want to come here?”

  “It’s Juliette, Georgia.”

  “Ummmm. Yep. Got that from the road sign. But why are we in Juliette, Georgia?”

  “I’m hungry. Aren’t you?”

  “Starving would be a better description.”

  “Good. Then this is the perfect place for us to be.” Gentry walked along the side of the old, white building and motioned for Sam to follow. She could smell the dirt kicked into the air with each footstep she took.

  Gentry leaned against a brick column of the front porch. She propped one foot up on the natural wooden steps. “Do you get it now?”

  Sam nodded. “No. Sorry. Should I?” She started to walk up the steps.

  “No, wait. Don’t come up. Walk with me to the front of the building to see the sign over the porch. Then you’ll get it,” Gentry said as she walked to the front of the building. “I want to see if you recognize where we are before we go in. I want to see your face.”

  Sam was beyond confused. She didn’t understand how she could possibly recognize somewhere she had never been before but the smile on Gentry’s face made her want to play along. She walked to where Gentry stood and looked up at the sign above the porch.

  “No fucking way,” Sam said.

  “Yes way.” Gentry proudly extended her arm and announced “I give you, the Whistle Stop Café.”

  “This is too cool.” Sam bounced on her toes so high that she kicked dust into the air.

  Gentry found it incredibly childlike and full of real emotion. Exactly what she had hoped to see.

  “I am too excited,” Sam called over her shoulder as she sprinted toward the steps. She stopped on the last step and turned to Gentry. “I didn’t even know this was a real place. I lived in Atlanta how long? And never, ever knew this was here. How did you know?”

  “I didn’t really. Not at first. I came across it when I was researching the route. I knew I had to stop the minute I saw it.” She ran her fingers over the painted lettering on the window that proclaimed Fried Green Tomatoes Served Hot. Over and over, she had watched the movie and escaped into the lives of the characters. Of course, she knew they weren’t real people. Real people would have been unpredictable. In the movie, she knew every action they would take. This was not so true of real life. Rarely, did she ever know what would happen to her night to night. For some reason, this movie gave her hope that there would be something beyond what she was living then. She tapped the lettering one last time before turning
to go in.

  Sam grabbed the door handle and said, “Thank you for inviting me. This is perfect. Absolutely perfect.” She pushed open the door.

  “It is, isn’t it? It’s almost like waking up from a dream to find something truly exists.”

  As if a vacuum had been released, the scent of home cooking wafted over the two women. Both of their eyes widened. The scene from the movie had given them a visual of the Whistle Stop Café. Although, it was nothing compared to the feel, smell, and sound of the place. The waitresses buzzed around the tables with each step making a distinctive tap on the old, plank floor.

  “Y’all sit anywhere,” a woman called out from behind the cash register.

  “It’s just like the movie,” Sam said as they headed to a booth. “I even think they’re the same booths.”

  “It is.” Gentry looked around the place. “I know she’s totally make-believe but I swear I feel like Idgie is going to walk from that kitchen any minute.” Gentry sat down at the booth. “That character was fiercely determined to make her life exactly what she wanted it to be. And damn the world if it tried to interfere.” She laid her palms flat against the table and felt the unpolished knots in the wood. “This is the perfect beginning.” She looked across the table at Sam, her completely unplanned addition.

  Sam marveled at the expression on Gentry’s face. She hadn’t seen such life in her eyes before today. It made the green of her eyes brighten.

  “It is,” Sam said as she looked around the restaurant. Memorabilia of pictures, taxidermized fish, newspaper clippings, and old metal advertisement signs adorned if not crowded the walls.

  “Isn’t it?” Gentry replied. She glanced over at the U-shaped bar area in the middle of the room. The sides were for sitting with stools made of straw seats. The front was a glass showcase of more knick-knacks. “I particularly like that little guy.” She pointed to the ceramic rooster sitting at the edge of the glass case.

  “Totally. He’s priceless.” Sam patted the table to get Gentry’s attention. “Thank you for bringing me with you.”

  Gentry noted a lightness to Sam’s expression when she looked at her. It may have even had a glow to it. Not one from the light hanging above their table nor from the sun streaming in through the window. This was one radiating from the inside. She had made Sam happy and that made her happy. Maybe too happy.

  Gentry held her menu up. “I want one of everything. Is that bad?”

  “Hell no. I do too.”

  “Well, we do have a refrigerator steps away. We could get the leftovers to go.”

  “Truth.”

  The women finally settled on fried green tomatoes and the daily special of fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, biscuits, and fresh peach cobbler for dessert.

  “Fried green tomatoes,” Sam and Gentry said together when the waitress set the plate in front of them. She had brought them out first.

  The waitress smiled at them. “Ah, I see. Looks like I’m serving Idgie and Ruth for lunch today.”

  Sam and Gentry smiled.

  Gentry raised her plate to her nose. “They smell delicious.”

  The waitress smiled “They better be. Don’t let me stop you. Dig in.”

  “Oh my God.” Sam’s eyes rolled back in her head. “These are so good.”

  The waitress winked at her. “Is that what brings y’all to these parts? Fried Green Tomatoes?” she asked them.

  “Kind of,” Gentry replied. “It’s why I planned the detour.”

  “Oh? Where you two headed?”

  “I’m headed up north for work,” Gentry said and looked over at Sam as she cut off another bite of tomato.

  Sam bit the side of her bottom lip and thought for a second. “Honestly, I have no idea where I’m headed after this.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe for a second helping of these?”

  “You better wait to see if you have room after the rest,” the waitress said and then gave Sam a quizzical look. “Hmpf. I had my mind set you two were here together. But alrighty then. Your lunch should be out in a few. Enjoy,” the waitress said and stepped over to another table.

  “When do you think you’re going to decide where you’re going?” Gentry asked.

  “When I get there,” Sam said playfully. She didn’t see a shared expression of play on Gentry’s face. “Honestly, I don’t know. I guess I’m hoping it’ll just come to me when I least expect it.”

  “Ah.”

  “Can I ask where you’re actually headed? I only know north and to work with the National Park Service. Beyond that, it’s a mystery. Pretty much everything about you is.”

  “Yet here you sit.” Gentry took another bite. She watched Sam do the same. “Were you nervous following me?”

  “Hell yes I was. My best friend has your license plate number, just so you know. If you have any plans of snuffing me out, you might want to think about it first.” She pointed her empty fork at Gentry.

  Gentry laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Seriously though, can I ask where it is exactly you’re headed?”

  “Yes, you can.”

  Sam waited for the rest of Gentry’s response. “Well,” she darted her eyes back and forth, “are you going to tell me?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you ask? You asked if you could ask me and I said yes you can.”

  Sam chuckled with the returned playfulness. “I see what you did there. Touché.” She realized her laugh was louder than she intended when she saw the table next to them turn back around. “You make me laugh,” she said in a quieter tone. “At this point in my life, that’s a damn hard thing to do.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that. I’ve heard you laugh a few times. I even saw you laughing while you were on the phone.” Gentry shuffled her napkin and looked down at her lap. “It looks good on you, by the way.”

  “What does?”

  “Your laugh. Happiness.”

  “Thanks,” Sam said shyly and looked out the window.

  “Here you go, ladies. Got two lunch specials for you.” The waitress looked at the empty plates in front of the woman. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say you liked the fried green tomatoes.”

  “They were so good.” Gentry leaned back against the booth to make room for the waitress to pick up their empty plates and set down their lunch.

  “Don’t forget to save room for dessert.” The waitress set the plates on the table.

  The smell of fried chicken made Gentry’s stomach feel a twinge of nausea followed quickly by a sense of hunger. She rubbed her stomach and thought of the baby inside. Whatever was she going to do about that? The timing of her choices was ticking away. Again, she shook the thought from her head. She had an uncanny ability to do such a thing. She took a bite of the mashed potatoes as she watched Sam dig her fork into the chicken. She hardly knew this woman at all. What on earth caused her to invite her here of all places? More importantly, why did she feel a sense of wanting to share anything about herself with her.

  Oh hell. Here goes anyway. She thought to herself before speaking out loud. “I’m headed to Arcadia National Park in Maine to work as a park ranger.”

  Sam looked up at her, surprised by Gentry’s tone. It almost seemed serious but why she didn’t understand. She was only telling her where she was going. It’s not like she was giving her private information. “That’s so cool. I mean like seriously freaking cool.”

  Gentry smiled. “I think so.” She stared out the window and took a couple more bites of her food. She looked back at Sam who was looking around the place as she ate. Gentry felt another roll over her stomach. “You’re the first and only person to know that.”

  Sam snapped her head toward Gentry. “Really?”

  “Yes.” Gentry tucked her hair behind her ear.

  Sam caught the meaning behind the seriousness
in her voice. She rested her fork on her plate. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Sam sat back and let the words sink in. No one. No one knew where Gentry was going. No one knew if she would get there safely. Anything could happen to her on the road and no one would know. She at least had told Violet. She had comfort knowing that Violet would be looking for her if she didn’t call her tomorrow. But with Gentry, no one would know where to look. Those are the stories you hear about. She would be the Jane Doe. That thought made her incredibly sad.

  “Why a park ranger?” Sam wanted anything other than that lingering thought in her head.

  “I’ve wanted to work in a national park for as long as I can remember.” Gentry turned her head from gazing at Big Blue, or so she called her bus, to look at Sam. “I went to college for Earth and Natural Sciences and took several courses in Park and Recreation Management. I probably could’ve minored in it but didn’t. The degree or degrees wasn’t really my goal but more the learning of it. I’ve been preparing for this day for a long time. A decade or two. That bus out there took me too long to finish but she’s paid for. I owe nothing and no one. This job was the final piece of the puzzle to put me on my way.” She took a bite of her green beans as she watched Sam silently eating and listening intently to her. The expression in her eyes showed the honest interest in everything she was sharing with her. It added to Gentry’s comfort around her…with her. “There was a time when I really didn’t think I would be here. Nothing about the bus was going right.” She snickered. “I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.” She thought about her banged-up and bruised fingers when she was fumbling her way through the renovations. “I’m shocked as hell, I didn’t break a bone or lose a finger when I first started. Power tools are no joke, let me tell ya.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “But, as I’ve learned, we are where we are because we’re supposed to be there. That was no truer than when Lou found me out there one day cussing to high heaven because I had bitten off more than I could chew. He took me under his wing. Together, we got Big Blue up and running. I was meant to be at the Pelican Motel at the very time I was there.”