The Heavenly Grille Café

by J. T. Livingston

  Amanda cleared her throat and finally found her voice. She managed to choke out a response to her mother’s question. “What? Who? What are you talking about?”

  Her mother’s mouth opened as if to speak; however, before the words came, her image began to slowly vaporize.

  “Oh, no!” Amanda screamed, “Don’t leave, Mama! Please, don’t leave me...” It was too late. Her mother’s image was gone and Amanda began to panic when her father’s image began to shiver and blur. She reached upward in a vain attempt to keep him with her. “Daddy, no…please…not you, too! Please stay with me. I miss you so much...” Tears once again flowed freely down Amanda’s cheeks.

  Her father’s eyes misted over and he whispered back to her as his voice and image grew dimmer. “I miss you, too, Amanda, but you’re going to be fine, Princess, trust me; but, you need to remember what your mother said and be watching closely today so that you’ll be ready to help this person. I’m sorry, Princess…I have to go now. Remember what your mother said; it’s very important…keep your eyes, and your heart, open.”

  Amanda was crying openly now, tiny wails and gasps seeking escape from deep within her heart. “Please don’t go, Daddy...”

  Her father’s image was almost gone when she glimpsed one final smile and heard him whisper something to her. “I love you, Princess...”

  Amanda bolted straight up in bed just as the radio alarm blared for the second time. She had the station set to one that played non-stop country oldies. Patsy Cline, her father’s all-time favorite country singer, was wailing that she was “falling to pieces” and Amanda couldn’t help but think that she knew exactly how she felt.

  The dream had shaken her to the core and she didn’t know quite what to make of it. It had all seemed so real, but it had been a dream, and dreams weren’t real. She threw her legs over the side of the bed slowly and twisted up her shoulder-length blond hair, clamping it with a hair clasp she kept on the bedside table. She reached for the pack of cigarettes that she also kept on the table before remembering Bertie’s strict rule that no smoking was allowed in the apartment. Amanda stared at the cigarettes with a bit of longing, but it seemed too much of an effort to go outside this early in the morning to smoke. Suddenly, with no real understanding of why she was doing it, she picked up the pack of cigarettes and took them into the bathroom with her. She looked into the small mirror situated above the sink and saw her wet cheeks. She wiped one cheek to verify the tears were real.

  The dream suddenly came back to her. She closed her eyes, remembering everything about the dream, trying to recapture the image of her parents. They were together…at last.

  She looked at herself in the mirror, looked at the pack of cigarettes in her hand, and smiled back at the young woman staring at her in the mirror. “You didn’t mention the cigarettes, Daddy, but I know how you felt about them. If it’s any consolation, I don’t think I ever actually inhaled any of them…”

  She lifted the toilet lid and, one by one, broke the remaining cigarettes in half and flushed them. She closed her eyes, trying to recapture the blissful image of her parents, together once again…in HEAVEN! There was no doubt in her mind that it had been more than a dream. Her parents were definitely trying to tell her, or to warn her, about something or someone. Her father had always been there for her when he was alive, and he was still with her today. She smiled as she thought of the two of them together again. Her mother was even more beautiful than the pictures Amanda had constantly looked at while growing up.

  She pulled off the baggy tee-shirt she always slept in, one of father’s old shirts, and stepped into the shower. She hummed along as Patsy Cline crooned the last verse of her father’s favorite song. “Okay…I promise to keep my eyes, and my heart, open,” she whispered as the song came to an end. “You tell me to find someone else to love, someone who’ll love me, too; the way you used to do; but each time I go out with someone new, you walk by and I fall to pieces...”

  Fifteen minutes later, Amanda was dressed in her blue and white uniform, complete with the halo hair band. She laughed at herself as she adjusted the hair band, remembering how she had pleaded with Bertie not to make her wear it on her first day at work at the café, almost three weeks ago. She wobbled her head from side to side, causing the halo to bounce around. “I still don’t like having to wear this silly thing, but, hey, what the heck. The kids always get a kick out of it.”

  She took a last look around the tidy studio apartment that was situated above the left side of the café. Her twin bed was actually a day bed that doubled as a sofa in the day time. The kitchen was extremely compact but had all the basic essentials for sustaining life, especially for someone who did not cook for a living. The apartment was always well lit with natural light even though it only had two, tiny windows. One was above the kitchen sink, overlooking a serene, wooded forest behind the café. The other was a tall, narrow window, to the left of the front door, which faced the front parking area. There was also one other door located at the far back right of the apartment. It didn’t lead outside, but it did connect to another studio apartment located on the top right side of the café – Doug’s apartment.

  Amanda locked her apartment and stepped outside into a day that had not yet fully awoken. The morning sky was still relatively dark; however, the glow from the floating halo above the café offered a golden hue that illuminated every step down the staircase.

  Amanda used the café key that Bertie had issued her and breezed through the front door. She turned and locked the door behind her since the café didn’t normally open for customers until seven o’clock. She closed her eyes and smiled as the angelic chimes welcomed her inside. After only three weeks, this place felt like home to her. She knew that her stay was only temporary, until she got on her feet financially, but she had not felt this safe and secure since her father was alive.

  The smell of thick-sliced, pepper bacon and buttermilk biscuits immediately invaded her senses. She opened her eyes and inhaled the simple, yet enticing, aromas of Max’s country breakfast. She closed her eyes again, savoring the image of butter melting slowly between the thick, fluffy biscuits. She blushed considerably when she opened her eyes again and discovered Max and Doug grinning at her from the kitchen.

  “You’re early, as usual,” Max laughed. “Come on back here, girl, and fix yourself a plate. I know how you love a good breakfast.”

  Amanda grabbed one of Bertie’s frilly, white aprons off the wall and danced into the kitchen. She lifted the lid off the huge stainless steel pot and closed her eyes. “Aww... I knew it! I knew you would make cheese grits this morning, Max! I love your grits! I don’t suppose you made any sausage gravy to pour over them, did you? You know how I like it…a layer of cheese grits, at least two scrambled eggs on top of the grits, and then smother it all with the sausage gravy. Yep, that’s the best! Of course, I’ll take a couple of biscuits to sop up any gravy that might be left behind…”

  Max and Doug shared a smile while Doug teased back, “You love any kind of food, Amanda. I don’t think I’ve seen you turn down anything Max has cooked up here these past few weeks.”

  Amanda smiled at his good-natured teasing. “I know, I think I’ve gained five pounds already. Oh, by the way... I know neither of you, or Bertie, are big fans of smoking, so y’all will be glad to know that I tossed the cigarettes this morning. Yep, sure did… flushed them right down the toilet!”

  “Well, now,” Max nodded his approval. “This is a great start to a great day, I do believe it is. By the way…I did make a small pot of sausage gravy just for you this morning. I may have to add it to the menu, permanently. You’ve talked about it so much to the customers; they want to know why they can’t have some, too.”

  Amanda filled her plate with the cheese grits, eggs, and gravy. Almost as an afterthought, she grabbed four slices of peppered-bacon. “Hey, Doug, wanna toss me a couple of those biscuits there, please? I’ll need some butter for those, too…if you don’t mind.” She pulled
a stool up to an empty counter and began savoring the scrumptious breakfast. She couldn’t remember ever tasting food this good. Half-way through the meal, she patted her slim belly and looked over at Max. “Yep, I do believe you’re right, Max. This is going to be a great day.”

  Max turned to look back at her and winked. “That it is, Princess...that it is. Just keep your eyes and your heart open, for whatever awaits you this day...”

  Amanda almost choked on the buttermilk biscuit she had just bitten into. Her mouth was full and she couldn’t say anything, but when she glanced quickly at Doug she saw that he winked and smiled back at her.

  He raised his eyebrows and laughed at her inability to say anything with a mouthful of food. “Ditto...” he grinned and winked again before leaving the kitchen to unlock the front door for several truckers who had just pulled into the parking lot.

  CHAPTER 8

  Amanda Meets Kris

  The Heavenly Grille Café was open for business six days a week, Monday through Saturday, from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Amanda’s normal shift at the café was from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with an hour off for lunch. Once she began working this shift, Bertie had changed her own hours, usually coming in around 9:00 AM and staying most evenings till around 6:00 PM. Max was at his stove every morning at 5:00 AM, preparing the day’s menu. Amanda never knew what time he actually left the café; she often thought that he worked the entire 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM work day because he always seemed to be there. Doug’s shift was usually 4:00 PM to closing time, but he, too, always seemed to be there. She had commented on it to him a couple of times and his response was that he wanted to learn as much as he could from Max so that he could open up his own restaurant one day. Something about his explanation always seemed to nag at her, because Doug just didn’t look the type to work in a restaurant, much less own one. Amanda thought he looked more like the mercenary, soldier-of-fortune type, travelling from one country to the next seeking adventure. She often wondered what he would be like if he lost his temper; but, she didn’t think she really wanted to be around if that ever happened. Given his obvious physical strength, she felt sorry for anyone on the receiving end of his anger. No, the more she thought about it, the harder it was to visualize Doug flipping pancakes and burgers for the rest of his life.

  The day sped by for Amanda. She had lost track of how many customers she had waited on, how many she had stared at and performed her own internal analysis to determine if he/she was the one she was supposed to help that day. Her mother and father, in her dream, had told her to keep her eyes and heart open, that there would be someone today who needed her help.

  Amanda checked the large clock, designed in the shape of angel wings, that hung on the wall above the counter. It was 3:45 PM and every stool at the counter was filled, mostly with truckers sopping up their chicken and dumplings with Max’s famous southern cornbread. She watched as Bertie flitted around taking care of the customers at the twelve tables and six booths scattered throughout the café. Amanda wondered why she had been hired because it was obvious Bertie could handle a full restaurant by herself, with energy to spare. The sound of Bertie’s laughter brought a smile to Amanda’s face; she shook her head every time Bertie stopped and punched one of the customers on their shoulder.

  “No one...” Amanda sighed, unaware that she had spoken out loud.

  Doug was passing by her on his way to the kitchen and stopped. “What did you say, Amanda?”

  His deep, masculine voice startled her. “What?”

  Doug smiled at her and Amanda thought, not for the first time, how extraordinarily handsome the man really was. It would have been perfectly normal for his good looks to stir more intimate thoughts inside her brain, but for some reason that she couldn’t explain, she found that she had never been drawn to Doug in that way. Her attraction bordered more toward genuine affection, almost.... brotherly. She was more than a little surprised at her feelings toward him because she knew he would be a great catch for someone. A really great catch!

  “I thought you said something,” Doug smiled down at her, placing a hand upon her shoulder.

  The sensation was immediate, just like that day in the parking lot when she had tripped over him and he had helped her up. She shivered involuntarily as a wave of emotion shuddered through her at his touch. It wasn’t so much a physical reaction to his touch as it was an emotional one. She always felt an immediate sense of calmness when he touched her like that.

  She shook her head as she stared at the clock again. “Ummm... oh, I, uh... you’ll think I’m crazy.”

  Doug winked and shook his head. “Too late…I already think you’re crazy.”

  His good-natured humor seemed to settle her brain cells into a weak semblance of normalcy. She smiled at him as she turned to get the coffee pot. “You’re probably right. It’s just that, well, I had this dream last night. Well, actually, I guess it was really this morning, just before I woke up.”

  The café was packed with customers, and Amanda knew that Doug was getting things ready to start his night shift. However, she felt the need to tell someone about the strange dream. She needed someone to tell her she wasn’t as crazy as she felt - waiting all day for someone to walk through the door…someone who would rush to her and say “You’re the one! Help me, please!”

  “Want to tell me about the dream?” Doug asked.

  Amanda looked up at him and wrinkled her nose. She sat the coffee pot back on the burner. “Yeah…what the heck, you already think I’m crazy, so why not. You see…I dreamed about my mom and my dad. They were together, in Heaven, I think. They’re both dead, you know that, but in the dream, they were together, so I figured they must have been in Heaven. Anyway, the last thing they told me was…well, they told me that I needed to keep my eyes, and my heart, open today because there would be someone who needed my help. I’ve been here all day and not one person has showed up who seems to need my help.”

  Doug continued to listen but offered no immediate response.

  “You know,” Amanda went on. “You and Max pretty much said the same thing to me this morning when I first came in. Do you remember? About keeping my eyes and my heart open?”

  Doug nodded his head. “I do remember, yes.”

  “And Max called me Princess. My Dad was the only one who ever called me that.” Amanda shook involuntarily. “Anyway,” she shrugged, “I’ve been looking at every customer who has come in today, wondering if he, or she, was the one I was supposed to help. How the heck am I supposed to know?” She felt Doug’s intense green eyes boring down upon her. She looked up at him and shrugged again. “Well, at least now you have good reason to think I’m crazy, huh?”

  Doug put his arm around her. One of his gifts, as an angel, was the ability to bring a sense of peace and order to any situation or surrounding. He knew that his touch did this instantly for Amanda. He could feel her tense muscles relax beneath his touch. “You’re not crazy, Amanda.” He hugged her to him and grinned. “And…besides, the day’s not over yet, is it? There’s still time for you to come to someone’s rescue. Hang in there, Princess.”

  Amanda watched as Doug made his way back into the kitchen. She saw him leaning close to Max. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but when Max looked up, he was staring directly at her. She saw him smile at her and, once again, that sensation of calmness came over her. She shook the cobwebs from her brain and grabbed the coffee pot again. It was time for one final round among the truckers before calling it a day.

  Amanda hung up her apron at 4:15 and was getting ready to leave when Bertie stopped her.

  “Hey there, Princess! I hate to ask since it’s quitting time for you, but I need a huge favor,” Bertie bellowed while she grabbed Amanda in a bear hug.

  “Sure thing,” Amanda smiled, trying to catch a breath beneath Bertie’s embrace. “There doesn’t seem to be anything on my agenda for the rest of the day, so what can I do for you, Bertie?”

  “Can you make a quick run to Sam’s and get u
s six large cans of spaghetti sauce? Max has to leave for a few hours and Doug needs to whip up some extra sauce while he’s gone. There aren’t enough hours left to make Max’s special sauce, so we thought we could doctor up the canned stuff and hope that not too many customers will notice the slight.” Bertie reached in her apron pocket and handed Amanda a twenty dollar bill. “That should cover it, I think. But we need it PRONTO! I hate to ask. I know it’s been a long day and you’re probably tired.”

  “No, actually, I’m not tired a bit, Bertie. I’m a little keyed up right now so the ride will do me good… give me time to unwind and think about some things. You got it, no problem!” Amanda replied. “Just let me run upstairs and grab my car keys and pocket book. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

  Bertie grinned. “Haven’t heard too many young folks use that expression lately.”

  It was Amanda’s turn to grin. “It was something my Dad use to say. Guess it kind of stuck with me.”

  Bertie nodded in agreement. “Yes, our Father’s words do have a way of sticking with us, don’t they?” She punched Amanda’s shoulder and said, “Thanks a lot, Princess. Now, go… scoot! But drive safe now, you hear!”

  The drive to Sam’s Warehouse was a relatively short one, less than thirty minutes away, and the drive really did allow Amanda time to reflect on the day. She tried to remain upbeat, but it didn’t take long for disappointment to take over her normally happy outlook on life. She sighed and said, “Well, Lord...it looks like nobody needed my help today after all. I tried to keep my eyes and my heart open, really I did, but maybe I missed a sign or something. Maybe whoever it was who needed my help slipped by unnoticed today. I’m sorry if I let you down. ..”

  Amanda pulled into Sam’s parking lot, ran inside, and quickly made her purchase. She had just exited the door and stepped off the curb into the road when one of the sauce cans tipped slightly and fell out of the box she used to carry them. She reached out and tried to stop it with her foot, but it seemed to have a mind of its own as it quickly rolled toward the picnic table where the store employees usually sat during their breaks.