by Susan Stoker
“Yes. There are too many to count,” the man told her. “At the last reunion, there had to have been at least twenty of them running around.”
“There was a time when I babysat thirteen kids at once,” the woman said.
The man looked at the woman with an unreadable look on his face, then said hesitantly, “You told me.”
“I did?” she looked confused for a moment, then said, “Oh yeah, silly me. Sometimes I’m a bit forgetful.”
The man patted her hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry about it.”
They came to a section of the boardwalk that forked. The path to the right went down to the beach. The path to the left went around a smaller building which held restrooms then wound around to a large building known to locals as “The Establishment.” It had apartments inside, a cafeteria, a small bowling alley, and a movie theater exclusively for the residents of the building. It specialized in older, classic movies.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
“What?”
“Food. You want to go to lunch with me? My treat.” He smiled down at her.
She looked confused for a moment, as if she didn’t know what she should say.
“I’m married, remember?” the man asked quietly, holding up his left hand and showing her the band on his finger. “I’m tired and figure you might be too. We can have lunch then go our separate ways.”
She nodded then. “All right. But I can’t stay too long. I…I need to be somewhere.”
“Of course,” he agreed immediately, turning them to the left. “The food here is excellent. I think you’ll enjoy it.”
She looked up at the large building as they approached and relaxed against him. “I’m sure I will,” she said quietly.
The man led them up to the front doors and into the lobby. A few people greeted them respectfully, but he didn’t stop. He walked them into the restaurant and the hostess at the front smiled as they approached.
“Good afternoon. Table for two?” she asked politely.
“Yes please,” the man answered.
Without another word, the woman led them to a table which overlooked the boardwalk they’d just been walking on and the ocean on the other side. He thanked the hostess and she told them their waitress would be with them in a moment.
“It’s beautiful,” the old woman breathed as she caught her first glimpse of the view. “How’d you know I love to look at the ocean?”
With a small smile, the man said, “I had a hunch.” He helped her sit and took his own chair on the other side of the small table.
As soon as they were seated, a waitress came over to their table. She put two glasses of water down in front of them and handed them a one-page laminated menu.
“Hello. My name is Jessie. I’ll be your server today. The special today is baked chicken, green beans, and potatoes au gratin.”
“And dessert?” the man asked.
The waitress chuckled as if she’d heard his question, asked just as eagerly, before. “German chocolate cake.”
“One of my favorites,” the man told her and winked at the young lady.
She chuckled. “I’ll be back in just a moment to get your order. Take your time.” She patted the man on the shoulder, then walked away.
“She was nice,” the woman noted absently. With a far away look in her eyes, then said, “One of the kids I used to babysit was called Jessie.”
“Really?” the man asked. “What a coincidence.”
“Uh huh.”
“Want to make it easy and get the special?” he asked.
“What? Oh. Sure. I like chicken.”
“Good.”
As soon as they put down the plain menus, Jessie was there.
“We’ll both have the special, Jessie. Thank you,” the man told her.
“Two specials, coming right up,” she said efficiently, then left them alone once again.
“Tell me what your favorite memory of your husband is,” the man asked, thinking of his own wife as he did.
“My favorite memory,” she mused. “That’s a hard one. I have so many. Let’s see…I think it was dancing to our song on our wedding day.”
The man smiled wide. “That’s one of my favorite memories of my wife too.”
She hummed a few bars of a song the man recognized.
“That’s an unconventional wedding song,” he noted.
She nodded. “It is. But it fit us so well. I had the hardest time choosing a song. It drove me crazy. But the first time I heard that song, I knew it was meant for us.”
“It’s lovely.”
She nodded in agreement. “What’s your favorite memory of your wife?” she asked.
“I can’t pick one,” the man said immediately. “From our second meeting, I knew she was mine.”
“Your second meeting? Not your first?” she asked eyebrows raised.
“As she liked to rub it in, the first time we met, I didn’t really notice her. But thank God I had a second chance.”
The woman laughed. “She sounds like a forgiving sort.”
“Oh she is,” the man reassured her. “But she’s not a pushover. Not at all. She’s one of the strongest women I’ve ever met in my life, and I’ve met some strong women in my time. She’s selfless and giving and kind. You asked what my favorite memory of her is, and I lied when I said I couldn’t pick one. It’s the look of her peaceful face, asleep in our bed, then the look of love that would shine in her eyes when she opened them and saw me lying next to her. That’s my favorite memory.”
The woman’s brow furrowed and she moved her gaze to the ocean in the distance. The man looked out too and saw a group of men running down the beach in shorts and gray t-shirts.
The woman’s eyes lit up. “Oh look. Here come the soldiers!”
They watched in silence as the squad of men suddenly stopped and began to do pushups in the sand. Then they moved to their backs and did a series of sit-ups. Then they all jumped up and began to run again. Both the man and woman turned their heads and watched their progress down the beach. A hundred yards later, they dropped to the sand again to start the pushup and sit-up process over again.
“They do that every day you know,” the woman said knowingly. “Without fail. Every day.”
“They must be disciplined,” the man noted.
“Of course. They couldn’t become the world’s best soldiers if they weren’t.”
“What do you know about it?” the man asked genuinely curious as to her answer.
The woman turned to him, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”
He threw his head back and laughed just as Jessie came back to their table with two plates piled high with food. “Two specials. You’re in luck, the cook just took the rolls out of the oven, so they’re piping hot. Be careful though, don’t burn yourselves.”
“Thank you, Jessie,” the man said. “Everything looks delicious.”
“Oh my, this is a ton of food,” the woman exclaimed, looking down at her plate in consternation.
“Don’t worry, whatever you can’t finish, I’m sure the handsome gentleman at your side will be happy to,” the waitress said with a smile. Then she left after saying, “Let me know if I can get anything else for you. I’ll bring dessert out when you’re ready.”
“She’s very nice,” the woman observed.
“She sure is,” the man agreed. “Shall we?” he asked, pointing to the food in front of them with his chin.
They ate in silence for a while. The man looked over and saw that the woman was merely picking at her green beans. “You should eat those, you know. They’re good for you.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t really like them.”
He shrugged. “At our age, we need all the vitamins we can get.”
She smiled, “That’s true.”
“I’m sure your husband wants to have you around for a good long time yet.”
“True,” she nodded. “He wo
uld expect me to clean my plate.” Then she picked up her fork and speared several of the green vegetables on it. She ate the mouthful, chewing carefully and almost daintily.
“Is your wife a good cook?” she asked when she’d finished chewing.
He shook his head fondly. “It wasn’t ever one of her favorite things to do. She did it, of course, and I always ate whatever she made for us. But now we usually eat out. Why spend time doing something neither of us enjoys. Life is too short.”
“I agree. You look like you can put a lot of food down. My husband would eat us out of house and home if I didn’t keep on top of our groceries.”
The man smiled. “My wife always used to accuse me of that.”
They grinned at each other, then continued to eat in a companionable silence.
Just when they were finishing up their lunch, Jessie reappeared with two slices of chocolate cake. A smaller one for the woman, and a larger piece for the man.
“How’d you know this one was of my favorites?” he asked, not taking his eyes off of the sweet dessert.
“Maybe it was the drool on your face when you asked what we were serving for dessert,” Jessie teased.
The man mock-scowled at her while both the waitress and the woman across from him laughed.
“I’m teasing. But you look like a man who likes sweet things.” Her eyes glanced over to the woman on the other side of the table, before meeting his again.
“My wife always says so,” he responded calmly, not reacting to the waitress’s blatant matchmaking attempts.
She took the hint, and told them to enjoy their dessert and left them alone once more.
The woman managed to eat half of her piece of cake, and the man was quick to ask if he could finish it off for her. As if they’d done it many times before, the woman didn’t say a word, but pushed her small plate across the table and allowed him to finish it for her.
Jessie brought out two cups of tea and set them on the table, saying, “There’s nothing like a good cup of tea to finish off a meal.”
The woman took a sip, then exclaimed softly, “Earl Gray. It’s one of my favorites!”
“Imagine that,” the man said, hiding his smile behind the cup as he took a sip of his own tea.
Several moments went by. Moments where the woman’s eyes were once again drawn to the ocean as if compelled somehow.
“What do you see when you look at the water?” the man asked quietly, genuinely curious.
“It’s not anything I see. It’s a feeling.”
“What do you feel?
“Safe.”
“Why?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she replied immediately. “It’s not something I can explain. But when my husband used to be away from home, I’d go to the ocean and pray for his safe return. Knowing he was out in the world somewhere, maybe swimming in the very waves I was looking at, comforted me.” She shrugged. “It’s silly, but being by the ocean always makes me feel closer to him.”
“It’s not silly at all,” the man told her, tears glistening in his eyes. “Did you ever tell your husband that?”
She shook her head. “No. He worried enough about me when he was away from home. The last thing I ever wanted to do was add to that worry. Better he think I was busy and not worrying about him while he was gone.”
“I doubt he ever thought you were too busy to think about him.”
“Perhaps not,” she answered thoughtfully.
“Today is my fiftieth wedding anniversary,” the man told her out of the blue.
Her eyes came to his. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you. I’ve been blessed with fifty years with the love of my life.”
“Do you have plans to celebrate?” she asked, taking another sip of her tea.
He shook his head. “Not really. We have friends visiting, but that’s about it.”
“Not even a cake?” she teased.
“Maybe a german chocolate cake,” the man told her teasingly.
She chuckled. “Well, if it’s as good as the one we had today, she’s in for a treat.” She frowned suddenly, then whispered, “I can’t remember how long I’ve been married to my husband.”
Taking a chance he’d spook the woman, but wanting to comfort her in her distress, the man put his hand over hers on the table. “It’s not the years that count, but the time spent together.”
She nodded. “You’re right. Besides, I’m sure my husband is keeping track. He’s smart like that.”
“He has to be smart. He snagged you, right?” the man teased.
“Hell yeah,” the old lady responded snarkily.
They both laughed.
Then she yawned.
“You look tired,” the man observed. “You know, there’s a great quiet room here. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you took a nap before you continued on with your day.”
“I don’t know,” she wavered.
“Come on, let me show you. Then you can make a decision,” the man cajoled.
“Okay. But I’m not staying if I don’t want to.”
“Of course not. No one could make you do anything you didn’t want to. I can tell that about you.”
The man stood up, repressing a groan as his joints complained at the movement, but he held out his hand to the woman, not letting on that he was in pain. The woman took hold of his hand and allowed him to assist her to her feet.
“Would you like to take a cup of tea with you?” the man asked.
“I don’t think so, but thank you for asking.”
“You’re welcome.”
They headed out of the restaurant and the hostess wished them a good afternoon. The man led the woman through the old-fashioned lobby, down a long hallway with doors on either side, to a door at the end. The word “library” was on a plaque on the door. He opened it and they stepped into the room.
He led the woman past a table where an older couple was playing cards. Past a sitting area with a small television and four people sitting around on chairs and a couch watching. Past three tall shelves filled with books and a small table with a large comfortable looking office chair to an armchair in an alcove. It was sitting next to a large window, once again facing the ocean.
“Oh, how lovely,” the woman exclaimed.
The man smiled. “I thought you might like this spot.”
“I do, it’s wonderful. And that chair looks divine. Well used and comfortable.”
“Imagine that,” the man murmured. Then louder he said, “Have a seat.”
She nodded and he helped her ease herself into the comfortable leather chair. The cushion engulfed her slight frame and she settled back as if she’d done it a thousand times before.
The man leaned over and pushed a footstool closer to the chair, then lifted the woman’s feet until they rested on the leather cushion.
She groaned in ecstasy as she leaned back into the chair and closed her eyes. “This feels wonderful,” she said quietly.
“Go ahead a take a nap,” the man told her.
Her eyes popped open. “Oh, but I need to get home and make sure dinner is on the table for my husband.”
“I’m sure you’ll be up in an hour or two. You’ll have plenty of time to get home to your husband.”
She nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll feel so much better when I wake up I’m sure.”
“Sleep well,” the man told her softly.
“Ummm,” was the woman’s response. She’d turned her head and was gazing out the window at the waves rolling onto the beach once more.
The man backed up, not taking his eyes from the woman in the chair. He went around the corner and sat down at the small table they’d passed earlier. The chair had a well-worn pad on it and even though there were many people milling about, none had claimed the obviously comfortable and peaceful spot where the man now sat.
Several minutes went by before the waitress from the restaurant appeared next to the table.
“Can I sit?”
The man nodded and gestured with his head to the chair next to him.
Jessie pulled it out, careful not to make any noise so she didn’t wake the sleeping woman around the corner.
“She get settled?”
The man nodded.
“Grandpop and the others will be here in about an hour,” Jessie informed the man. “You think she’ll still be sleeping?”
Matthew “Wolf” Steel looked at the young woman sitting next to him. She was the spitting image of her grandmother. “She’ll sleep throughout the afternoon,” he told the woman. Jessie was his good friend, Kason “Benny” Sawyer’s granddaughter. He and his wife had birthed six children before Jessyka had called it quits. All six children had been as fertile as their parents and Benny and Jessyka now had over fifteen grandchildren.
One of which was Jessie, who worked at the retirement home as a server in the cafeteria. The home was set up to look and feel more like a hotel, than an old-folks home. Research over the years had shown that elderly residents felt better about themselves and were healthier as a result if they lived in a less clinical and depressing setting.
They’d transformed the typical cafeteria into a restaurant. Complete with a hostess and waitresses. Residents got to choose what they wanted to eat from a daily menu and of course there were no bills delivered at the end of the meal.
“By the way,” Jessie said softly, “Happy anniversary.”
“Thanks, kid,” Wolf told her.
“Does she know?”
“That it’s our anniversary? No,” Wolf said sadly.
“She’s having a bad day,” Jessie said. It wasn’t a question.
“No worse than some she’s had lately.”
“The tracking device in her necklace is working as Grampa Tex meant for it to though, right? That’s how you found her today?”
Wolf nodded. “I took a pain pill last night and by the time I got up this morning, she was already gone.”
“Good thing you have that fancy watch, huh?” Jessie teased.
“It’s ugly as sin, but it leads me right to her,” Wolf agreed.
“You know you don’t have to live here, Grampa Wolf,” Jessie said, telling him something he knew.
Wolf replied with the same thing he said every time one of his friends, or their kids, or their kids tried to convince him to move out of the home. “She’s my Caroline. I spent way too much of our marriage apart from her. I’m not gong to miss a minute now.”