Page 85 of We Thought We Were Invincible
Trying to cut costs, we scaled back open hours at the diner. Kat let one of the cooks go, forcing herself to spend a majority of her time in the kitchen while I ran the front.
The worst part about that was that it didn't seem to be helping our bottom line. We grew even slower as the snow birds made their great escape north after Easter.
I had my back to the door when the bell above it chimed, signaling a customer - our only one at the moment. I spun around.
“Hey Morgan,” I called.
She smiled at me and then called something behind her. Her mom appeared seconds later.
I took a step back, the smile falling from my face for an instant before a fake one replaced it. I hadn't seen this woman since my birthday party at her house. Certainly not since she lost her son. What was I going to say to her? Nothing. That's what I had. Absolutely nothing.
Morgan had been slow to recover and even now there were times where I could tell the bubbly girl she'd once been was gone. But she was trying. And she had us to help her.
Her mom was a different story. Morgan told us of how she spent most of her time closed up in the house. She refused to talk about Troy.
Just seeing her brought it all back. We'd all done our best to forget. Okay, maybe forget was the wrong word. That would never happen, but we wanted to let go.
“Mrs.Cook.” I recovered quickly. “How are you?”
“Hi Callie,” she said softly. “We're just stopping in for a coffee.”
“If you want to have a seat in one of the booths, I'll bring it.”
Mrs.Cook did as I bade, but Morgan followed me back behind the counter.
“I finally got her out of the house,” she said, sadness creeping into her voice.
“How's she doing?”
“Did I ever tell you that Troy was her favorite?” Morgan didn’t answer my question.
I looked at her over my shoulder as I made a fresh pot of coffee and shook my head.
“Parents will say they don't choose favorites, but they always do. Parker and I were always okay with it though, because Troy was just Troy. She won't even let me mention his name and that hurts more than anything.”
I turned around, leaning my hip against the counter as the machine started to drip behind me.
“I'm sorry, Morgan.” Those words felt stupid, pointless. She'd probably heard the same thing a million times.
“I'm leaving after graduation.”
I jerked upright in surprise. “Where are you going?”
“I told you once that I wanted to spend a year traveling before college. Nothing that happened this year has changed that.”
“I guess I thought …”
“That getting shot and losing my brother would throw a wrench in my plans?” She cocked her head to the side. “If anything, it's made me want to go even more. I want to be here for my mom, but I feel like I'm suffocating. My life didn't stop just because Troy's did, and I don't want to feel guilty for that.”
“You shouldn't.” I turned again to pour the coffee in a carafe. “Do you know where you're going to go?”
She grinned. “I'm starting in Prague. We'll see from there. Parker's coming with me, especially since dad agreed to finance it. He thinks we need to get away.” She took the carafe from me and started heading toward her table. “Anyway, have you decided what you're doing after graduation?”
“No. No, I haven't.” I took a step back. “Enjoy your coffee. I'll be over by the counter if you need me.”
I couldn't get away fast enough. It was the question on everyone's mind. What's next.
Morgan and her mom stayed for two cups of coffee, leaving some bills on the table, and waving as they left.
