The Magnolia Cafe(12)
“Why don’t you look into it then?”
“I’m afraid Mom and Katherine would feel like I was deserting them. And Mom would go on about how she needs help with Katherine.”
“Maybe Katherine needs to learn how to do more for herself.”
“That’s not fair. You have no idea, Hunt. She’s had it so hard. Kat was so active before. She was going to graduate and run the restaurant. She loved working there.”
“So, why doesn’t she work there now?”
“Well, she can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Well, for starters, we’d have to revamp the whole restaurant to make more room for her to wheel around, if she started hostessing. She can’t carry the food out to waitress, and same problem with the space constraints. We did take out some tables so she can get through to the whole first row of tables, and back to the office area, and the kitchen. But there is only so much space available. We’d have to retrofit the whole kitchen lower if she were to work in the kitchen. Besides, cooking is so not her strong suit.”
“Does she want to work there?”
“No. I don’t think so.” Keely paused. “Well, I never really asked her. She stopped working there after the accident. She had so many operations, then so much therapy. She never came back.”
“What does she do all day?”
“Well, she went to college. That took a lot of years. She had to drop out a couple of times for more operations. Now that she graduated she reads a lot. Knits. She keeps busy.”
“Is she happy doing that?”
“Happy?” Keely looked confused. “I guess so. She doesn’t complain. She seems resigned to how the accident changed her life. It changed all our lives.”
“I’m sure it did. Did they ever find out what really happened?”
“Not for sure. They think she just lost control of the car and hit that tree.” A haunted look crossed Keely’s face.
“No hope for her walking again?”
“No.”
“I’m sorry, Keely. I know it really changed your life. I thought you were all set to go away to the University of Missouri to journalism school.”
“I was, but it’s not like I could just leave and let Katherine deal with all of it on her own.”
“She had your parents there to help her.”
“Hunt, back off. She needed me.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you mad. You just had such big dreams.”
“Yes, well real life got in the way of all of that.” Keely’s voice was flat and cold. She pushed off the wall. “I better go. The dinner shift will start soon.”
He hadn’t handled that conversation very well. He shouldn’t have opened his big mouth. She obviously had a lot of responsibilities now. The cafe, her family. She used to be such a carefree girl. Nothing like this serious woman who walked away from him as if the weight of the world was carefully balanced on her shoulders.
~ * ~
After a week Keely was certain Natalie was the best thing that had happened to Magnolia Cafe in a very long time. She quickly dug right in and besides just waiting on her tables, she arrived early and helped set the tables up, refilled salt shakers and napkin holders. She frequently delivered orders for the other waitresses if they got backed up. She was always on time, always had a smile. She always seemed to know what needed to be done and did it without asking. It took such a load off of Keely’s shoulders to have another dependable employee. Natalie also got along great with Becky Lee. Things were running a little more smoothly now. Keely had hoped her mother would notice how well things were going, but if she had, she hadn’t mentioned it.
Keely and Natalie sat at one of the tables after the lunch rush wrapping bundles of silverware in napkins. “Natalie, I’m not sure what I did without you.”
“I’m glad to have the job. I need the money. I have to play it pretty tight these days. Anyway the tips are good and I enjoy the work.”
“I’m glad it worked out for both of us.” Keely glanced around the cafe. It basically looked about the same as it always had.
“What’s wrong?” Natalie asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you just gave a big sigh.”
“I was looking around here. It just looks so much the same. I wish I could update the look some.”
Natalie slowly walked around the Cafe. “You know, it wouldn’t take too much to spruce the place up. Make it look more homey and less… well, I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but less dated.”
“That’s exactly what I’d like. I just don’t have a lot of spare cash to throw at it. And there is arguing with my mother about any changes.”