Page 73 of Catch Me
“They’re the most mischievous, don’t you know?”
“I never learned that in Sunday school. The church keeping secrets?”
With a laugh, she started stacking trays and organizing utensils. “I think a little mischief keeps the world going ’round.”
“I like the way you think, Summer.” Looking up at the ceiling, I listened as the heavy tapping picked up speed. “It’s raining like a dog out there.”
“Better get people in here quickly.”
The guys got the rest of the line set up with food, and they started to talk as we waited for the doors to open. I pulled out my phone, remembering that I hadn’t told Roman I’d be gone. It wasn’t like he’d care, but I was always taught to keep people updated. Since I wouldn’t be home until late, it seemed like the polite thing to do.
Trav:Won’t be home for dinner. If you want, I can order something for you
Roman:I’m not a kid
I smiled. It was like I could hear the snark in his voice.
Slipping my phone into my pocket, I thought about the times I’d said the same thing to my mom. Iwasa kid at the time, but I’d thought I was more mature than I was. At practice, she’d always get on my ass about texting her when I’d be back. And any time she was late from work or she and my dad went out, she’d do the same.
Leave the light on until we get back, she’d say. Unless we were all safely inside the house, the porch light would be on. Even if I got home before the sun went down, I’d see that light next to the front door and know that she was waiting for me. It was still a habit for me to flip it on before I left the house, no matter what time it was.
A bell chimed as Barbara opened the door. There was a line outside, and I felt bad that they’d been waiting in the cold.
As the first person came up, I smiled at her. “Hey, we’ve got the best chili in this city. You ever had it?”
The woman nodded tentatively. “Barb’s been doing this for thirty years.”
“And she deserves the world for it.”
She agreed softly, then moved down the line. I talked to the people who would respond to me, and with every person that came through, I felt more full of warmth and joy.
Suddenly, Barbara came up on Summer’s other side and said something in her ear. Her daughter’s face pinched, but she just nodded. After kissing her on the cheek, Barbara grabbed her coat and headed outside.
“Everything alright?” I asked after a few minutes.
Summer jumped a little, as if she’d been spaced out. “It’s just Dad.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
After she served the last person, she sighed and turned to me. “He’s not responding to the chemo. He’s old, so they expected him to be weak, but his scans were worse this week. For the past couple days, he’s been in the hospital.”
“I’m sorry. Why don’t you go with your mom?”
“Someone has to run this place. I’d be with him every second if I could, but... I can’t stand the thought of going while Mom is here, dealing with it all alone.”
“You have to take care of yourself too. What if you hired someone to help?”
She shook her head. “It’s not like we make more than we need to live. This place runs through donations, mostly.”
Without another word, she snapped off her gloves and headed into the back to grab more food for the next round of people.
Her story resonated with me, and it felt like a physical weight. Too often, I had to remind myself that I couldn’t help everyone.
Maybe.
Well, who got to decide that?
“Cover me,” I told Mikey.
