Page 25 of A Breeze Over Rosewood Beach
“We just got a new backup supply of tater tots,” Sally said proudly, as if they’d just received a shipment of a new mineral that did wonders for people’s health. “I know how much you like tater tots.”
A few days ago, Oscar might have gotten offended by a remark like that, since even though Sally’s tone was kind and sincere, the words could have been misconstrued as patronizing—and he had become an expert at misconstruing people’s words. However, he was so fixated on his plan to help her with her budget that he could hardly think about anything else.
“I don’t mean to overstep any boundaries here,” he said, setting his coffee cup down carefully. It was something he haddone countless times in New York. At business meetings or meals with clients, he would set down his coffee cup just before launching into a speech about his ideas. It was a small gesture that gave an energy of, “Let me just set this down before I get my hands dirty,” and it had served him well over the years. He knew how to project an aura of confidence and assurance—at least he had, before everything had gone wrong. “I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation with that driver just now. It sounds as though the prices for those tater tots and a great many other things weren’t what they needed to be for your business.”
Sally sighed, nodding. “It seems like it’s getting harder and harder every year to stay under budget when it comes to ordering food. I really am starting to get to the end of my rope here, and I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Oscar cleared his throat. “I, uh, I could give you some insight, if you’d be interested.”
Sally blinked at him, tilting her head to one side curiously. “You’re in the restaurant business?” He could just see the words, “Is that why you’ve been so fussy?” on the tip of her tongue but she didn’t say any more.
“I wasn’t in the restaurant business, but I know a thing or two.” Oscar’s smile widened. “I was in business, and I was very successful for many years. I can help you out with strategies for your budget.”
Sally stared at him for a few seconds, and he had no idea what she was thinking. She seemed to be peering down into his soul with interest, and he suddenly felt hot around the collar. He’d just told himself that she was going to tell him, “Thanks, but I’ve got it handled,” but then she smiled and said, “That would be great, Oscar. I could really use some help. Maybe one of these days when you come in and you’re not in a rush we could chat over some ideas.”
Oscar nodded eagerly, finding that there was a sense of energy and excitement in his body that he hadn’t felt in months, maybe not in years. He’d always gotten a feeling of energy from doing business, but the way he was feeling at that moment was something more, as if all the lights inside him had suddenly been turned on. “Yes. I would be happy to help.”
They smiled at each other for a moment, and Oscar wondered what he was going to say next. Did she want to start talking about all of it now? He would have loved to, but he didn’t want to start telling her about his ideas until she was ready. After all, she should probably have a notebook or a laptop or something like that so that she could write down the information she would need moving forward.
Just then, the front doors of the café opened and a gaggle of teenagers spilled inside, all of them talking and laughing and being generally loud and over-exuberant.
“Whoops a daisy, I guess I’d better get back behind that counter.” Sally hopped off her stool. “Thanks again, Oscar. Bye, Vivian, see you later.” Sally hugged her friend and hurried behind the counter to help take the coffee orders of the teenagers.
Vivian smiled at Oscar in a way that made him think she’d been hearing stories about him. He swallowed, wondering what she thought of him. Sally had probably described him as the grumpy old man who didn’t ever seem to be satisfied with anything. He cleared his throat in her general direction as a kind of half-hearted hello and then turned back to his coffee.
Vivian got up and left after a few more minutes, and Oscar was left alone at the counter for a little while. He kept surreptitiously glancing in Sally’s direction, wondering what she was up to and if there was any chance that things were slowing down enough for her to come sit with him again. He knew they’d agreed to talk about her budget struggles another day, but hecouldn’t help hoping that she’d find a moment to stop by his spot at the counter and talk to him about it more right away.
The people didn’t stop coming in, however, and soon he was surrounded at the counter with other customers on either side of him. They were all loud, which he disliked, and the young man to his left spilled his coffee, nearly dousing Oscar’s trousers with the hot liquid.
Time to go,Oscar thought with a scowl.I won’t get a chance to talk to Sally again today, that’s clear.
He didn’t want to admit to himself how disappointed he was, but he couldn’t help feeling a stomach-flop when he stood up. Now what was he going to do? Sit at home and eat another frozen meal of strangely fake-tasting peas, processed mashed potatoes, and roast beef and gravy that had probably never come anywhere near an actual animal?
He remembered the special of grown-up grilled cheese and tater tots, and his stomach growled. He did have a long walk home. Maybe he should stay and eat there. Maybe then he’d get a chance to talk to Sally again.
He sat back down and tried to get the attention of one of the baristas. It took a good three minutes, since everyone behind the counter was so busy, but finally one of them noticed him.
“I’d like to order the special,” he told her. “A grown-up grilled cheese sandwich and tater tots. And—could you add avocado slices to that sandwich?”
“You got it,” the teenager told him with a smile, but she seemed distracted. He wanted to tell her to write it down, since there was a good chance she would forget the avocado slices, but he decided to hold his tongue.
The young man beside him got his coffee all cleaned up, which was a mercy, and Oscar was beginning to feel better about his decision to stay at the café a little longer. At least this way he’d get a meal for sure, and maybe Sally would end up having aspare minute and she would decide to come and speak with him again.
He continued to watch Sally as much as he could without it really looking as though he was watching her, and he noticed that she spoke to all of her customers with the same cheerful energy that she spoke to him with. She flashed her dazzling smile at every guest, and she seemed to remember everyone’s names as if they were all her friends—or all students in her informal school of optimism.
He found himself getting a little jealous, but he scolded himself for feeling something so ridiculous. What did he think, that he was special to her? Obviously, Sally was just the kind of person who was kind to everyone like that.
His plate of food arrived a moment later, and as soon as he started eating it, he forgot about everything else for a few moments. The grilled cheese was the perfect combination of crunchy and gooey textures, and garlic had clearly been added to the already vibrant array of flavors. The tater tots were goldenly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, and he thought to himself with something that was almost a chuckle that they were well worth waiting for.
Sally didn’t come to speak to him during the entire time he was eating, but his mood didn’t suffer from that. He was so delighted by his meal that he couldn’t find it in himself to be grumpy, and he soon realized that he was enjoying watching Sally interact with the other customers. Even though deep down he knew that he’d wanted her behavior toward him to be something special, he couldn’t help being impressed and encouraged by Sally’s joyful warmth. It was fascinating to see how everyone she spoke to brightened within a few seconds.
She’s really got a wonderful quality about her,he thought, gazing at her as she spoke to a family with two young children. The little girl of the family laughed uproariously at somethingSally said, and the little boy grinned.I don’t know how she does it.
Oscar shook his head, wondering what Sally’s place would have been like in New York City. Would the people of New York have loved the charming little café as much as the people of Rosewood Beach loved it? No one could have had any complaints about the food, that was for sure. But would the people in hustling, bustling New York City have been receptive to Sally’s kindness and her friendly chitchat? Would they have wanted to shush her before rushing off to their next important appointment?
Finally, it was clear Sally wasn’t going to have time for him that day. He popped the last tater tot into his mouth and stood up, leaving a generous amount of cash at his place to avoid having to wait for a bill.
He slipped out the front doors of the café, stepping back out into the winter cold. A gust of wind blew against his face, but he didn’t mind. It felt invigorating, and he found himself looking forward to his walk home. And, although he barely admitted it to himself, he was looking forward to the next time he went to Ocean Breeze Café.
