Page 55 of The One I Hate
My Bug.
And as Mona slides the plate in front of me, I wonder if I’m ever going to get to see her again…
“Now, I couldn’t let y’all go hungry,” Mona says as I come back to the present. “I know for a fact some of you don’t know how to boil an egg, let alone cook yourself a proper meal.”
The crowd chuckles as Mona waves for Charlie to go up on stage. “Well, don’t worry, I’m not leaving you hanging. This here is Charlie Bennett, and from now on, she’s the one going to be cooking for you.”
The crowd applauds as Charlie gives a small wave. Her cheeks are flushed and her motions are small. She mouths “hello” to a few people, but other than that, she’s yet to say a word.
Or look at me.
“So that’s Bug, huh?”
I give a side-eye to Oliver. “Yes, that’s Bug. But you don’t call her that.”
“Oh...I get it now.”
“Get what?”
He nods to the stage. “She’s the one who got away.”
I look over to Oliver like he’s an idiot. Because he is. Mostly. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I remember that summer. Wes and Shane weren’t here, but I was. You were a shell of yourself. You tried to put on a brave face and be your normal cocky self, but I knew you were hurting. I remember asking if you were okay and you brushed me off. Many times. But I knew you were broken. I just didn’t know who it was that shattered your heart.”
I nod and swallow the lump in my throat as Charlie clears hers to begin speaking.
“Physically, she’s like no one you’ve ever gone after. Shorter and curvy. Not your normal wanna-be-runway-model types. And I’m betting once I talk to her she’s probably going to blow me away with a wit and tongue that no other woman you’ve ever chased has possessed.”
I hate how well he knows me.
“Everything now makes sense.”
I look over to Oliver. “How do you know that?”
He nods toward her. “Because I always knew the woman who finally broke Simon Banks wouldn’t be anyone ordinary.”
I look over at Charlie as she begins to give everyone a warm welcome. I can’t help but smile and feel a sense of pride as I look at her.
Oliver’s right. My Bug is nothing short of extraordinary.
“I want to start off by saying thank you to Mona, who has been nothing but gracious since I signed the lease to take over this spot.”
The two of them hug, and I hope it doesn’t show, but I get a bit choked up by the action.
“I was raised by a single mom,” she begins. I feel myself leaning closer to where she’s standing, like the inch I move forward will help me hear better. I barely knew anything about her family. I knew she had a brother, but that’s it. “We didn’thave a lot of extra money, but every once in a while, she took me and my brother to a diner in our town just outside of Knoxville. And yes, go Vols!”
“Go Vols!” The crowd chants back to her, and I feel the smile growing on my face as I watch her talk to my friends and neighbors.
“That diner is where some of my best memories were made. I fell in love with cooking as a child, and it was my dream to one day open a restaurant exactly like that. Exactly like this.”
She pauses for a second, and I wait for her next words with bated breath.
“There isn’t a lot that’s happened in my life to make me believe that dreams come true.” She stops for a second and takes a deep breath. Her eyes are closed, like she’s begging a higher power for strength to continue. When she opens them back up, she scans the crowd, her eyes stopping the second they lock with mine. “And I still believe that. Dreams don’t come true. White knights don’t ride into town to save the day. So I learned a long time ago I had to make my own dreams come true. I worked hard. Put in my time as a sous chef. All for the goal of one day having my own place. But in that time, I realized that I might not need a white knight, but I did need a little help.”
She pauses and releases her stare from me. When she does, I finally exhale.
“So there are people I want to thank. First, the town of Rolling Hills for welcoming me with open arms. Thank you to Emmett and Magnolia Properties for helping me through every step of this process and making this dream come true. Mona, for your guidance. I hope I make you proud. And to my mom, who oddly enough was named Ramona, for being my guardian angel. So in honor of the two women who have guided me to where I am today, this restaurant will continue being called Mona’s. This is just Charlie’s version.”
