Page 32 of Cloud Nine Love

The past year had been a roller coaster for her. She’d started dating a man younger than my sister. He moved in. They got married in a drive-through chapel in Vegas and divorced a few months later.

At first, when Ruby told me about her decline, I assumed it was depression, just like she’d suffered when my dad died and after Ruby was born. But the more time my sister spent with her over the past couple of months, the more she was sure it was more than that. Especially since our mom didn’t seem to be suffering from any of the other symptoms that she’d had before. She was social. She wasn’t staying in bed all day. And Ruby said the trailer was cleaner than it had ever been.

Ruby and I had both questioned our mom about her health, but she’d maintained that nothing was wrong. Her story was that she hadn’t been sleeping or eating well. Now that I was back, I planned on making sure she did both.

“Look at you! You’re here!” My mom placed her hands on my cheeks as she beamed up at me. “I thought you weren’t coming in until tomorrow.”

“I caught an early flight.”

“Where’s Misty?” She tilted her head to look around me and Ruby.

“She’s not here,” I explained. “She’s not coming.”

“What? Why not?”

“We broke up.”

My mom’s jaw dropped slightly, but she quickly recovered back to neutral. “When? When did you break up?”

“Last night.”

“Oh…” She stared at me for a few beats before remarking, “Don’t worry. I’m sure you two will work it out.”

“No, we won’t,” I insisted. “But that’s okay. I’m okay.”

“Celeste, order up!” Stan’s voice echoed from inside the restaurant. He’d been the cook at the restaurant since I was born.

I didn’t miss the way my mom’s eyes closed, for just a brief second, before she opened them and forced a smile as she held the door open for us. “You two, go and sit. I’ll be over to take your order in a minute.”

Ruby and I exchanged looks as we walked through the diner, silently communicating that, yes, there was definitely something going on with our mom. On the way to the back booth, I inhaled the distinct scent of coffee and fried foods. I was home. I’d always loved The Greasy Spoon. Before my dad died, he’d always take my mom and me here every Sunday after church for lunch and pie. And after Friday night football games, we’d all come and get malts and french fries.

Like the town, the diner hadn’t really changed since my childhood. It had a 50’s diner vibe. The counter at the front of the restaurant had round, swiveling stools; there were checkerboard floors; red vinyl booths with white stripes; and tables with stainless steel accents.

“She looks unwell, right?” Ruby whispered when our mom walked to grab the plates at the pickup window, giving a voice to our shared glance.

“Yeah,” I confirmed as we approached the large round booth in the corner where Taylor, Harper, and Kane were already seated. Taylor had secured a spot between her daughter and Kane, ensuring I would not be sitting next to her, which, again, made me grin. Ruby slid in beside her soon-to-be husband, and I took my seat next to Harper.

“Can we get a banana split?” Harper asked.

“Yes, but let’s get some real food first,” Taylor replied.

My mom came over, and we all put in our orders. Harper kept us all entertained as she talked about her friends at school, her ballet classes, the upcoming wedding, her birthday, and what she wanted to be for Halloween. I was grateful for our seating positions because every time I looked over at Harper while she spoke, I could look at Taylor.

It was so strange seeing her in this environment. Seeing her being a mom. Seeing her with Kane. It was like she was totally the same person I’d met yesterday, and yet a completely different person at the same time.

As we waited for our meals, Ruby clapped her hands together. “Okay, Bubbas, tell us about this woman you met.”

There were so many ways I could answer that. My mind was spinning with possibilities. I decided to stick with the truth without revealing too much. “She’s… amazing. I’ve never met anyone like her. She’s perfect. So perfect, I wondered if she was real or if I’d made her up in my mind.”

My sister smiled widely. “What’s her name?”

“Um, I don’t know,” I lied.

Ruby’s brow furrowed. “You didn’t talk to her?”

“No; I talked to her. We even shared a hotel room.”

“You shared a hotel room?” Ruby emphasized shared. At the same time, someone kicked me under the table. I was pretty sure I knew whose foot had just landed on my shin.

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