Chapter Five
“But... how?” Marlene asked, barely above a whisper.
“I kept asking who my father was and Mamaw finally broke down and told me when I was thirteen. All those years wasted. Time I could have had a father, and you took that from me. Took that from him.”
Marlene had the decency to look somewhat ashamed, he checks blushing as she chewed her bottom lip, but it didn’t last long.
She stood up. “Mr. Brown, I would like a copy of that document,” she said pointing to the one in front of the attorney.
She opened her purse and produced a card.
“Here are my contact details. Please, do call me so that I may give you the name, address, and telephone number of my own attorney.”
Jamie’s mother looked at him. “Will you please let me pass?” She asked none too politely.
Jamie opened the door and let her leave. He smiled as he turned back to Mr. Brown. “I have to say, I was expecting exactly that from my mother.”
Mr. Brown chuckled. “As was your grandmother. I think you should close that door. There’s a lot I’ve got to go over with you unless you’d rather wait and come by the office?”
Jamie thought a moment. “I’d like to do it later if that’s okay with you, Mr. Brown.” Jamie took off the ball cap he was wearing and scratched his head. “It’s been... It’s been a very long day and right now, I think I’d like to go down to the bar and have a stiff whiskey.”
Glenn Brown folded up the documents and placed them back into the inside pocket of his suit coat. “Would you mind if I joined you?” He shook his head slightly. “Even having been told what the outcome was going to be, it was still... unsettling.”
“It would be my pleasure, Mr. Brown.” Jamie shook hands with the attorney. “I do have to do a bit of a cleanup, so would it be okay with you if we met in say...” Jamie looked at his watch. “An hour, maybe an hour and a half?”
“That would be perfect, actually. I’ll take my family home, and I will see you there.”
Jamie walked Mr. Brown back out to the dining room where his family sat talking with the staff, there was laughter, which settled down when the pair entered the dining room.
“Oh, to have been a fly on the wall in that meeting!” Flo laughed as she put her feet, which had been resting on a nearby chair, on the floor. “Marlene lit out of here like her butt was on fire!” Everyone had a good chuckle or outright laughed as they all stood up.
“Has everything been cleaned up already?” Jamie asked. He looked around the dining room. “Wow, people left quicker than I thought they would.”
Walter frowned at him. “Of course it has.”
“We pushed them out so we could close up.” Flow stood. “There’s already a sign on the door saying we’d be closed tonight.”
Jamie glanced around the dining room and nodded. “Looks good to me. Mr. Brown and I are going down to Smitty’s if anyone would like to join us. Drinks on me.”
“Well, that’s a definite improvement,” Flo said as she headed for the staff room to change. “Count me in.”
“Ms. Mattie would be fit to be tied,” Dexter chuckled. “I’d be happy to join you, boss.”
“I’m there,” Walter said grinning. “We have to toast the old girl even if she disapproves.”
“Okay.” Was all Timmy said.
“I’d be happy to give the ol’ gal a toast too,” Hazel said as she hustled after Flo. “This is gonna be fun.”
“I... I’ll have just one,” Minnie grinned shyly and left to change.
“I’m going to go and change my clothes,” Jamie announced. “I stink like grease.”
Glenn Brown and Jamie shook hands again. When he and his family left, Jamie locked the door and headed back towards the kitchen. When he got to the back door, Salzy was standing there, leaning against it.
“Hey,” he said to Jamie. “I’ve had a last-minute schedule change, so I won’t be heading out for four days. Everyone seemed to have things under control down here, so I went and had a nap. I didn’t get much sleep trying to get here as fast as I could.”
“Cool. We’re all going down to Smitty’s for a drink. Want to join us?” Jamie asked.
“A drink?” Salzy laughed. “Your grandmother is rolling in her grave.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve never been much of a churchgoer,” Jamie snickered. “We’re going to toast her whether she likes it or not. I just want to change clothes. Maybe have a shower. I smell like a kitchen.”
Salzy laughed. “Well, you’ve been in one all day.”
“I’d still like to have a look when you have a chance,” Jamie stated, tilting his head towards the big truck as he pulled off the cooks shirt, tossed it in the clothes hamper next to the back door.
Salzy looked at the floor for a second and back towards Jamie. “Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I would have sworn you were your grandmother reincarnated. You move the same way. You talk the same way. It was like... it’s like you were her.”
Jamie pushed Salzy away from the door and opened it. “I’m going to take that as the best complement ever.”
“It was meant as one.” Salzy watched as Jamie locked the back door and made his way to the outside stairs. “I’ll just hang out here while you change.”
Jamie nodded and climbed the stairs. Stairs that looked as if could use some repairs and a good coat of paint.
* * * * *
Jamie had a shot of whiskey, neat. He nursed it before Walter proposed a toast. He’d already had a brief conversation with Mr. Brown where they’d agreed for Jamie to go to his office after lunch service the following day.
Flo ordered another round for them all, even Minnie who swore she was only going to have the one.
“I propose a toast to the Puckett’s, and I do mean all of them,” she said looking at Jamie. “To the best people in the world to work for. It has, by far, been the best job I’ve ever had.”
Before anyone ordered another round, poor Minnie was completely drunk, Hazel and Timmy weren’t that far behind her. Flo, of course, seemed to be tipsy, but not drunk. Dexter volunteered to get them all home safely. He said he’d call his cousin who ran a taxi service in town.
Jamie and Salzy meandered down the dark street, with only the streetlights showing the way back to the diner. The streets were quiet even though it wasn’t eight thirty yet.
“That was a good time,” Jamie said.
“Yeah, it was.” Salzy reached out to steady Jamie as he stumbled. “That’s a great group of people you got working for you.”
“Ha! They don’t work for me. They work for...” It hit Jamie like a fist to the face. “I can’t believe they’re gone.” He’d stopped moving.
Salzy hugged Jamie from the side. “Yeah. It’s going to take some getting used to not seeing them every day.” He nudged Jamie into moving again.
Jamie stopped walking again. “What am I supposed to do now?”
Salzy turned Jamie by the shoulders to face him. “You do whatever you want or need to do, Pierre.”
“I’d slug you for that if I weren’t drunk.”
“Okay. I won’t call you Pierre if you don’t call me Sally.”
Jamie stuck out his hand. Salzy took it as they shook on the deal.
When they got to the diner, Jamie said, “Come on, I’ll make us a couple of fried egg and bologna sandwiches, so we don’t wake up with a hangover.
” He looked at his watch. “Well, that’s crap.
” He shook his head. “I have to be up by four thirty. Gotta make the doughnuts.” He laughed at his own joke, referring to the old TV commercial.
“You do mean biscuits I hope,” Salzy said as he took the keys away from Jamie and got the back door open. “I don’t know what you did to those biscuits today, but they were the best I’ve ever had. Even better than Ms. Mattie made.”
Jamie stopped and looked at Salzy. “Now that is the best compliment I’ve ever had.”
He didn’t know what made him do it, but he reached up with both hands, held Salzy’s head on either side and kissed him. It wasn’t a passionate kiss, just a good long kiss. When he pulled away, he was shocked he’d done it.
Salzy reached up and covered Jamie’s hands. “That was nice. Thank you. But... I think you may have gotten some wires crossed or something. I’m—”
Jamie jerked his hands away. “What? Because I’m white and not Hispanic?”
Salzy laughed and laughed hard. “No, you silly goose. I’m not gay. If I were gay, I’d happily kiss you back.”
“Oh, holy shit.” Jamie covered his burning face with his hands. “What was I even thinking?”
“I don’t think you were thinking. Don’t sweat it. I’m not pissed or anything, but you do owe me a fried egg and bologna sandwich. Maybe two. I’m really hungry. Oh, and milk!”