18. Chapter 18
Chapter 18
“N o, I said it goes over there!” Jules heard someone yell to the back of the restaurant as she popped her head out of the office to see how the decorating was progressing the next morning.
The staff of volunteers and a few event managers brought in tables, chairs, linens, and a stage for the Bear Ball and had already been at work for hours transforming the place from a local pub to gala-worthy ballroom.
Jules didn’t even recognize the place. There were dozens of round tables covered with cream linen and adorned with the most tasteful white, peach, and green floral and candle centerpieces. Dotted along them were gold chairs with large cream silk ribbons draped over the backs. Above, delicate twinkle lights swooped down from copper wire, giving the place an ethereal quality. The stage was positioned in front of the tables, stretched almost to the entire length of the wall. You wouldn’t know you were standing in pub unless you glanced at the deer and elk heads mounted over the bar area that could not be removed. A frenzied energy pulsed through the space as dozens of workers milled about, busy sorting out the details.
The day had started early for everyone. Jules had arrived just before six in the morning with the decorating crew, eager to receive the fresh food deliveries. As afternoon approached, even more people arrived, filling the space. Now, standing at the front of the restaurant, Jules took a quick break to admire the changes and greet Winnie and Emily.
“Thanks, again, for coming,” Jules said as they made their way through the front door.
“Geez. This is something,” Emily said, looking around. “Where do you want us?”
Apparently, two of the scheduled hostesses did not show up, so Jules directed Emily and Winnie to the front-of-house manager to help organize the registration table. It was going to be an all-hands-on-deck kind of evening.
Jules hurried back to the kitchen to continue prepping for dinner service. An hour later, she heard someone yell her name in the dining room, sending a flare of annoyance through her as she furiously chopped fennel. Setting her knife down, she wiped her hands on the chef’s apron tied around her waist and strode out of the kitchen. As she rounded the entrance to the dining room, Jules saw Barb standing near the bar.
“Mom! What are you doing here?” Jules asked, surprised to see her.
“Someone said you might need some extra hands." Barb, leaned in for a hug. “Thought I’d stop by so you could put me to work.” Her smile beamed at Jules.
“Who called you? I’m glad you’re here, just a little confused." Jules pulled back to look at her.
“Your grandma called this morning.”
“Oh, wow. That’s…great,” Jules stuttered, stunned yet elated that the two might be on the road to patching things up. It felt strange to have Barb here. Her entire childhood, Jules wanted Barb to be more like the reliable and doting mothers she saw from a distance at school, but that never happened. Now, decades later, her mom wanted to catch up. Better late than never, Jules supposed.
Jules walked Barb to the registration desk, where Winnie stood over a large stack of name tags. Winnie threw Jules an alarmed look. She was well aware of their strained relationship. But Jules just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. It didn’t matter; she was just happy to have her people here.
Soon, it was go-time in the kitchen. Gathering everyone, Jules did a quick roll call, going over the detailed schedule she’d laid out last night.
“It’s not brain surgery,” she reminded herself and the entire staff, who were eager and dressed in their kitchen whites or professional-looking black staff uniforms. Jules had always dreamed of being a real chef. Now she felt like one.
As the kitchen staff worked to assemble appetizers and put the chickens in the large ovens to roast, a low buzz started in the dining room. Jules poked her head out to see dozens of people dressed in formal wear zigzagging through the tables looking for their seats. The line to the bar was already long enough to wrap around itself.
As she scanned the room, she caught a glimpse of Grandma Rosa making her way to a table with Barb at her side. She looked regal, dressed in a beautiful floor-length gown in a deep purple color fit for a queen.
Soft music could also be heard from the large stage where Miles was playing. He looked dapper in his grey suit and pale pink shirt with his hair combed back. Jules had forgotten how nicely he cleaned up. He wasn’t alone though. Behind him was a serious-looking man playing the bass and a woman on saxophone—the same woman from the night of the play. The jazz song floated over the room with the ease of a band who’d been playing together for decades. Strangely, seeing the trio together on stage calmed Jules’ suspicions from earlier. They might have only been colleagues after all.
Moments later, a voice came over the microphone, “Welcome, everyone, to this year’s Bear Ball.” Applause followed as someone on stage gave brief remarks and announced the first course being served.
Jules threw her hair up in a high ponytail as sweat rolled down her back, readying herself for the most stressful part of the evening as the kitchen worked to prepare the main course. Her body stretched in all directions as she tried to keep the train on the tracks while putting the finishing touches on each dish as it appeared on the expediting table. Her grandma had been right: fifteen people changed their main dish selections upon checking in at the registration table. Thankfully, she’d planned for that.
As soon as the main course went out, Jules checked in with the crew handling dessert. It was all coming together, and they were now in the home stretch. Jules’ adrenaline continued to pull her along as she handed the finished plates off to the servers. The entire process felt like a well-oiled machine, humming along to an invisible metronome, the sinking feeling from last night nowhere to be found.
Soon enough, the attendees finished the main course and were looking forward to dessert. The small square white plates topped with tarts full of sliced strawberries and mascarpone had been assembled earlier, but the garnishes needed to be placed. A team of three chefs surrounded a low metal table in the middle of the kitchen, holding metal tweezers as they placed the mint leaves and micro edible flowers atop the minitarts, setting them aside in a line to be served—all 120 of them. Jules had a few extras, just in case.
With dessert on its way out, she had a moment to breathe. The hard part was over, and they’d avoided any catastrophes. Her limbs felt heavy with overuse, but her heart was full.
She did it, with a lot of help.
After a while, Emily and Winnie found their back to the kitchen, dolling out high fives. They said the guests were raving about the food. Everyone seemed satisfied and full and were now filling the dance floor as they finished their desserts. For the kitchen staff, the night was winding down. Jules took a moment to look around and realized she hadn’t seen her mom since before the service began.
Turning to Winnie, she asked, "Do you know where Barb is?"
“That’s a good question. I saw her a few minutes ago talking to your grandma by a table.”
As if on cue, Barb dashed through the swinging kitchen door with a crazed look on her face.
“Where’s Jules?” she shouted, stopping mid-stride when she spotted Jules standing next to Winnie.
“What’s wrong?” Jules asked, scared but a little skeptical.
“Grandma, she slipped. We need to call an ambulance."
Jules heart sank. “What? Where is she?”
“In the bathroom. She slipped on a puddle, I think.”
“Winnie, call 911,” Jules shouted over her shoulder, pushing through the door.
They both ran across the dining room and behind the stage to the restroom. Sure enough, her grandma was lying on the floor next to the sink, moaning and grabbing her hip.
“Oh my God, Grandma! What happened?” Jules asked, falling on her knees next to her grandma.
“Oh, I think I fell on the new hip. Silly me, I was starting to get used to it,” Rosa said in a weak voice.
“I should have gone with you, Mom. I’m sorry,” Barb murmured. Rosa shushed her, patting her hand.
Winnie cracked the door to say an ambulance was on its way. The next few minutes were a blur. Fortunately, there was a back exit next to the restrooms, so Grandma Rosa was spared the embarrassment of being pushed through the crowd on a stretcher. The other guests didn’t even notice, caught up in dancing and conversation.
Winnie and Emily drove Jules and Barb to the hospital, following the ambulance. The two Cuccia women held hands in the backseat, not saying a word, but thinking about all the ways they could have prevented this.
Once in the emergency room, there wasn’t much anyone could do but wait for news from the doctor. They took their seats in the cold, empty waiting room. Jules insisted Winnie and Emily go home and get some rest and promised to keep them updated. Although Jules’ body felt the full day of hard work, she couldn’t sit still.
“How do you know she slipped on water?” she asked Barb, who sat slumped in an uncomfortable wood and vinyl chair.
“I don’t. I guess I just assumed she slipped. She fell somehow, though.”
“We’ll know more soon, hopefully,” Jules responded, her stomach growling in protest. “I’m going to find a vending machine. Want anything?”
“No, thanks. I’m too wound up to eat.”
“Fair enough.” Having her mom there made Jules less nervous, but she still wanted answers about what happened and sitting around would not get her any closer.
As she approached the information desk to ask for directions, the automatic doors to her right slid open in her peripheral vision. Distracted and running on fumes, she rounded the corner of the desk and walked right into someone. Her vision was slightly blurred from exhaustion and hunger, but she knew who it was.
Miles wrapped his arms around her upper shoulders, so her head rested on his chest that smelled like it always had, sweet and musky.
Warmth spread down her arms and over her front. Their bodies melted together, oblivious to the situation. Gaining her composure, Jules craned her neck to look up at him without stepping from his embrace.
“Hi. You’re here."
“I’m here. Are you alright? How is your grandma?” he asked, looking down at her, worry stretched across his face.
“I’m fine. We’re fine, I guess." Jules looked over her shoulder at her mom who was still sitting in the waiting room. “We don’t know what’s happening with my grandma yet. Still waiting to hear from the doctors.”
“That makes sense. Are you ok with Barb being here?” He cocked an eyebrow.
“Yes, she came to the benefit tonight to help. My grandma called her.” Two nurses pushed past them in the narrow corridor, forcing them to separate.
“I was just going to grab some dinner from the vending machines."
“How very gourmet of you, Chef,” Miles responded with a playful grin.
Jules both loved and hated how he could make her heart race even in a hospital emergency room waiting area. Being here showed he cared, right? Although any decent friend would do the same thing, so it likely didn’t mean any more than that. Afterall, she was the one who’d poured cold water over their fling. What a mess she’d made of her own feelings.
Miles followed her down the bright hallway and helped her pick out a variety of junk food to bring back.
“Mind if I stay to keep you company?” he asked.
“Sure, but distract me. Tell me all about the rest of the night." Jules led him back to the waiting area, where Barb gave him a tentative hug and thanked him for coming.
“The benefit was wonderful. Everyone I talked to was raving about the food and the entire evening.”
“I hope we didn’t ruin the vibe."
“Not at all. I don’t think anyone even noticed. They were too busy socializing and dancing. Plus, many of them were already a few drinks in to pay attention to anything but themselves. But don’t worry about that. It’s not important.”
“Who were you playing with on stage?” Jules couldn’t help herself. She needed to know.
“Oh, they're my friends from college. I played at their wedding, so they owed me a favor. They came down from Michigan for a few days to spend some time here and visit Chicago,” he explained. “Ryan had a gig in Chicago on Friday, so his wife Justene came with me to the play.”
That made sense. It also made Jules feel so much better.
Just then, her phone dinged with a message from Roxy.
First, how is your grandma? I hope she’s ok. Next, THANK YOU! You rocked it tonight. Dare I say it was even better than what I had planned? I owe you big time.
A picture of Oliver was attached, looking milk drunk and as cute as a button. Jules leaned over to show Miles, who smiled and nodded as he slipped his hand around hers. Jules felt like her heart could explode out of her body at any moment. She wasn’t used to this rollercoaster ride of emotions. The night had not gone as planned, but she was so grateful not to be alone in this moment.
Looking across at her mom, Jules saw the worry etched onto her face. It had been years since Jules had truly looked at Barb. Whenever she’d pictured her mom, an image of the young thirty-something-year-old from her childhood days flashed in her mind. Now, age swept across her mother’s features, changing the once youthful woman into a more refined version of herself. Coupled with her shoulder-length brown hair streaked with strands of light grey, her mother finally resembled what Jules had always thought a mom should look like. How long had Barb been this unfamiliar woman? How had Jules not noticed? Shame rushed through her. She wanted to know this Barbara. The woman who was working hard to better her life and be there for her family. Jules had punished her long enough; it was time to forgive and move forward.
After what seemed like an eternity, a middle-aged Black woman wearing light blue scrubs and a stethoscope came through the hallway, asking for Rosa Cuccia’s family. They hurried to gather around her.
“Hi, I’m Doctor Sampson. Your mom is doing fine,” she said to Barbara. “But I will need to keep her overnight for observation. We think she might have had a dizzy spell from the medication she’s on, causing her to fall. We need to monitor things before she can go back home.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Barb said, nodding her head.
“What about her hip? Is it alright?” Jules cut in.
“Yes, it’s fine, thankfully. She’ll have a nasty bruise, but nothing is broken. She’ll be ready for visitors soon. I’ll have a nurse come get you.”
They thanked the doctor again, feeling lighter now.
“I’ll stay here tonight,” Barb said. “I don’t want her to be alone.”
Surprise flashed across Jules’ face. For once, Jules didn’t have to be the responsible one. It comforted her to know Barb would be there for her grandma, and she appreciated her mom’s concern. It would have been easy for Barb to turn her back on Rosa after she’d been iced out for over a year. Jules hoped time alone together would help them both heal.
Soon, a nurse led them to her grandma’s room where she lay propped up in a hospital bed, lights low. It was getting late, but the nurse said they could see her for a few minutes, even though visiting hours were over.
“Hi, Grandma,” Jules said as she sat next to the bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Like a million bucks. I think I’ll sign up to run the Chicago Marathon this year,” she joked in a quiet voice. They all chuckled, glad to know her grandma hadn’t lost her sense of humor. “Nice to see you here, too, Miles."
Rosa told them she wasn’t sure what happened in the bathroom. One minute she was washing her hands in the sink, and the next she was waking up on the cold, damp floor, disoriented. No one even entered the bathroom until a few minutes later, when Barb had gone to find her.
“Thank you, Barb, for checking on me. I would have died on the spot if someone like the mayor had found me,” her grandma admitted in her own sincere way. “Speaking of the mayor, what a night you all pulled off! It was wonderful. And the food, absolute perfection! Now, you’ll have to come back every year to cater the event.”
Miles’ eyes flicked to Jules. His face was full of shadows, but she thought she saw a hint of a question: had she decided to go back to D.C. and didn’t tell him ? She shook her head to calm his unspoken fear. Right then, in the dark hospital room, surrounded by her family and the man she’d never gotten over, Jules knew what she wanted. If only she could tell him the truth about what happened all those years ago.
“Barb, Miles, sweet dears, can I have a moment alone with Jules?” her grandma asked.
What did her grandma need to say to Jules that she couldn’t say in front of these two?
After a moment of awkward silence, Miles and Barb both rose from their chairs and excused themselves into the hallway.