Chapter Three
Walter was putting the finishing touches on the sausage gravy when Jamie pulled out the first tray of biscuits.
He placed them into the top drawer of the bread warming box that sat next to the door of the dining room.
The waitstaff would get whatever biscuits or corn bread as needed.
The second tray, which was already in the oven, would be ready in about five minutes.
Dexter had already put three pans of meat loaf into the bottom oven of the big six-burner stove, and the aroma was tantalizing.
Timmy was forming meat patties for burgers.
Jamie could see that tomatoes, onion, lettuce, and pickles were already placed neatly in small hotel pans, sitting on a larger container full of ice.
There was one small stainless-steel container empty.
He knew that Timmy would fill it full of cheddar cheese closer to service time, which was quickly approaching.
He’d also fried up some bacon that sat in a single hotel pan on the back of the stove to stay warm. Things were moving right along.
“Hey, Jamie, you wanna come and have a look-see?” Flo asked from the doorway of the kitchen into the dining room.
“Yeah, just let me put this tray down.” Jamie put the empty, but still hot, tray down next to his workbench.
He walked into the dining room, following Flo. It was all he could do to keep the tears at bay. Flo had always asked his grandmother to check out the dining room before opening time. It was just the way things were done. Done his Mamaw’s way.
Minnie and Hazel were standing, as usual, close to the front door.
Flo walked over and stood by them. Jamie overlooked the room.
There were small bud vases on each table with a single daisy in each.
As he walked through the dining room, he noticed that all the salt and pepper shakers were full, as were the sugar caddies, all centred around the daisies.
In front of each chair was a folded paper napkin, a fork to the left, a knife and spoon to the right.
On the corner of each place setting were coffee cups, turned upside down on a matching saucer.
Once again, Jamie closed his eyes to fight back the tears, but this time, this time, he couldn’t keep them back. He let them roll down his cheeks.
“Oh... now there, now there,” Flo said softly as she held him. “It’s okay. No need to try and be all brave in front of us. We’re family.”
“We are.” Hazel hugged him, and then Minnie joined in on the group hug.
Jamie wiped his face once he was able to. “It’s... perfect as usual.” He looked at the counter bar, the spinning stools, the place settings there. “Just as it should be.”
He was about to return to the kitchen when he noticed his mother pacing back and forth in front of the diner, cell phone in hand, gesticulating as she spoke.
There was no doubt to anyone who saw her that she was angry and frustrated.
Jamie sniffed, wiped his nose on a paper napkin he’d nabbed from underneath the old cash register, rolled his eyes, watching his mother and went back to the kitchen.
“We all set and ready to go out there?” Walter asked as he stirred the gravy, pepper shaker in hand, not even looking up.
“Yep.” Jamie stuck another tray of biscuits in the oven. “I’ll start on the corn bread now.” He stepped over to Dexter, who was cutting up green tomatoes. “How much longer on those meat loaves?”
Dexter looked at the small timer fixed to his cook’s shirt. “About ten more minutes.”
“That’s cutting it a bit close, but it’ll all be good.
” Jamie looked around the kitchen. All the prep work had been done.
The kitchen was heating up. He could tell by temperature alone that it was close to opening time.
He was about to put some bacon fat into a large cast-iron muffin tin when he heard car doors slamming shut.
“It’s almost showtime, guys.” He wiped his hands on his apron. “Let’s have a really good service.” There were three sets of eyes on him. “Let’s do this for Mamaw and Papaw. Make ’em proud.”
The little silver-colored bell jangled. It was showtime.
* * * * *
“Order in,” Flo called out as she attached the slip of green paper from her order pad to the wheel over the serving counter.
Walter spun the wheel around. “We got a burger, medium, with cheese. Coleslaw and fries. Catfish, hush puppies, slaw. Ham and cheese omelette, hashbrowns, biscuits, and gravy.”
“I got burger medium.” Timmy called out.
“I got hash browns, hushpuppies, catfish, and slaw.” Dexter answered.
“Slaw’s ready, Dexter,” Jamie said. He pulled three plates from the bottom shelf and put them under the heat lamps. “Plates at the ready.”
It was like a dance they all knew by heart. Orders in. Orders called out. Orders repeated by station. Orders filled and placed on the counter under the heat lamps that were now turned on.
“Order up!” Walter announced, tapping the bell to let the waitresses know there was food ready to be picked up.
They all worked like this for several hours until Flo came back and pulled Jamie by the sleeve of his cook’s shirt.
“Come on now. You can’t keep putting this off.
People want to see you. And yes, they want to offer their condolences.
” She pulled Jamie towards the door. “And for goodness’ sake, try and get rid of Marlene.
I don’t know what she wants, but just her being here is making folk uncomfortable.
I swear, I don’t even know why she bothered coming at all. ”
Jamie stopped. He looked at Flo. “She wants money. She thinks there’s a will, and she won’t rest until she sees it and gets her fair share.”
“Hmph, I should’ve known.” Flo snickered. “She isn’t going to be very happy then. And she’s gonna have to talk to Glenn Brown about all that.”
“Glenn’s the new lawyer?” Jamie asked as he let Flo pull him through the door.
“Yessiree-bob. He’s over in the back, table five.” Flo nodded in that direction. “He’s got his wife and their two grand-kids there. You know ol’ man Buchanan kicked the bucket last year. They found him lying on the floor of his office. Stunk to high heaven, so’s I heard.”
Jamie nodded. “I’ll see if I can’t get him to go and talk to her.” He paused. “Surely there isn’t going to be much of an estate.”
Flo stopped and looked at Jamie. “What makes you say that? You might just be surprised.” Her face was unreadable, the usual big smile gone.
The room had gotten quiet, and all eyes were on Jamie.
“You gotta say something, honey,” Flo whispered. “I’m right here with you,” her hand on the small of his back.
Jamie cleared his throat. “Um... I want to thank you all for coming.” He glanced towards the front door where a line of people leaned in, and still more people stood out on the front sidewalk looking in.
“I know most of you good folk as did my grandparents. I also know that they’d be very honored and more than likely embarrassed over everyone making such a fuss.
” Jamie shrugged. “You know how they are... were.” He batted his eyes a few times, to keep the tears back.
“Again, thank you all for coming, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing y’all again real soon. ”
“So... you’re not gonna close the diner down?” The question came from Ms. Trembly, who had been Jamie’s math teacher in seventh grade.
“No, I have no intention of closing the diner.” It hadn’t occurred to Jamie to shut the diner down.
He hadn’t even thought about what the future would be for the diner.
He assumed it would keep on going as it always had.
Am I ready to leave Atlanta and take over the diner?
He’d have to think long and hard about that.
He had a really good gig going as a chef in Atlanta and had built a good reputation there.
“What my son meant to say is that we haven’t discussed the future of the diner as yet,” Marlene said standing by the cash register.
“We will make sure that everything is properly done as to the wishes of my parents, and of course that it will be financially feasible to keep this wonderful establishment operational going forward.”
Jamie turned to look at his mother, his mouth agape. So that’s what she wants. She wants to sell off the diner and take whatever money she can!