“Burt, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. The bus would have stopped anyway. I would have been fine…”
“That wasn't a bus, that was a damn Mack truck!” Burt still had a tight hold on her shoulders as his voice softened to a caring, comforting tone. “Boy, from where I was, I thought you were a gonner for sure. Are you all right?”
“Just tired, I guess,” Jessie said, shaking from a combination of her nerves and the cold.
Burt released his grip and Jessie looked up and down the street, now quiet again with the truck out of earshot. The magnitude of what she'd come inches away from doing sunk in and she began sobbing uncontrollably. Burt wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, patting the back of her head gently and almost fatherly.
“There, there. It's okay, now. You're safe. If you're so tired you almost get yourself killed, then maybe you need to take a day off. You've been working too many shifts. Maybe it's too much with all your school work, too.”
Jessie buried her head into his chest as she wept, relief washing over her that Burt had viewed her potential suicide as little more than an accident brought on by sleep deprivation.
“Come on,” Burt said with a warm smile. “My car's right there. I'll drive you home. You know, you're damn lucky that I saw you and was able to stop in time,” he added.
Jessie followed silently by Burt's side, shocked by this warm side of him she'd never seen before. He may be a stickler in his restaurant, but outside he was surprisingly caring.
“Jessie, I'm sure you've got a lot on your plate right now,” Burt said as they pulled away. “But I don't want to lose my best waitress.”
“Best waitress?” she replied, turning to him with a raised eyebrow. “If I'm your best waitress, why did you fire me?”
“Because you've got a big mouth and a bad temper.” He glanced at her and smiled wide, adding, “Just like me.”
They both erupted in laughter, and in that moment Jessie felt that everything would somehow be okay. First Melanie, and now Burt, had revealed that people did care about her.
“Seriously, Jessie. It didn't take that rich tycoon coming into the diner after I'd fired you to make me realize my mistake. I wanted to chase after you the minute you walked out the door and apologize.”
“And why didn't you?” she asked, genuinely curious what his explanation would be.
“Pride, I guess. It got me into trouble as a kid, and it still gets me into trouble now. I guess that goes to prove I'm not very smart. You are, though, you see? Don't think for one second that I don't know how hard you study. You're a bright girl, and I'm glad to have you back.” He pulled up alongside the corner of Jessie's block. “Just don't blow it. A girl with your intelligence could end up running the diner one day.”
Jessie climbed out of the SUV, and with the passenger door open she turned to lean into the vehicle. “Thanks for the lift, Burt. Thanks… for everything. You're a kind man, but don't worry. I won't tell anybody,” she said with a wink. Burt chuckled in amusement as she waved goodbye. “I'll see you tomorrow, okay?” she added as she shut the door.
Burt drove away leaving Jessie with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. He had unknowingly helped her reach a decision regarding her baby when he mentioned her future in the diner. He clearly wanted her to stay for a very long time, perhaps forever, and that's the last place she wanted to spend the rest of her life. Burt had worked hard to build the diner from the ground up, and she respected that enormously, but growing old living on tips just wasn't what she'd planned for herself. No, she needed to make a difference, and having this baby was only going to hold her back. First thing in the morning, she was going to call the clinic.
Chapter five
When Jessie walked into the diner the next day to begin her lunch shift, she caught sight of Burt who winked at her and nodded. It was his tacit way of asking her if she was all right now, and with a small wave of her hand and the flash of a smile, she silently replied that she was okay. She headed to the back room where she put on her apron and tied her hair back, officially ready to hit the floor and start taking orders. Melanie was also in the back room, wrapping the strings of her apron around herself and pulling them to the front for a double tie. Burt loved scheduling the two together, it seemed, and lately Jessie had been just fine with that. Despite their past bickering, the two were diligent workers who could cover breakfast and lunch rushes with relative ease. Now that they actually got along, they were somewhat of a dream team for Burt.
“You okay?” Melanie asked as Jessie finished preparing to handle the lunch patrons.
“Yeah, why?”
“You look different somehow,” her new buddy commented.
“Probably because I finally made a solid decision. I made an appointment for tomorrow morning at the clinic,” Jessie divulged quietly after a quick glance to ensure nobody could overhear.
“So, you really gonna' go through with it? Ain't gonna' change your mind or nothing'?” Melanie looked concerned but Jessie nodded that the decision was indeed final.
“I think you're doing the right thing,” Melanie said after a moment of deliberation. “One thing this has taught us is that it's true: girls like us never get a lucky break. We gotta' work for want we want. I'm with you on that now. No more celebrity daydreams for me, no way.” She opened the door and the smell of burnt steak came rushing in, instantly making Jessie feel nauseous.
“No fancy cars or rich men. Just hard work. See you out there,” Melanie added as she left to begin her shift.
Jessie closed the door used the small mirror attached to the back of it to quickly fix her hair and make her usual last-minute adjustments. Girls like us, she thought to herself. One day I'm not going to be that girl, she promised.
Heading onto the floor, she found that Earle Jackson had once again taken his seat at table four. Today, however, Jessie felt invincible. The night before, she had defied death. Earle Jackson could give her all the grief he could throw at her, but she'd field it all off and keep her cool. What was the point of blowing up at the lonely loser? This diner was just a temporary stop for her, and she reminded herself that was merely passing through.
“Hey, Jessie,” Earle shouted at her across the busy restaurant the moment he spotted her. “What would you recommend from this charming menu?”
“I don't know, Earle,” she yelled back above the chatter in the diner. “How about something really chewy to stop you shooting your mouth off for five minutes?”
A flurry of chuckles sounded through the restaurant, and even Earle laughed. He wasn't quite ready to stop his customary banter, though.
“Yeah,” he replied. “I need something to sink my teeth into. How about you, Jessie? You finally going to let me show you a good time tonight?” He flicked his tongue in and out of his mouth, a sexual gesture that made him look more like a lizard than the sex machine he intended.
“No thanks, Earle, I'm too busy taking out the trash tonight, which is what
I'll do with you if you don't shut up and order,” she joked with a smile.
Again, the place fell into fits of laughter, only Earle wasn't laughing this time.
“Aw, Jessie why you gotta' do me like that? You know you and me were made for each other!” he fired back.
Jessie made her way to his table and stood in front of him with her pen and pad, tapping her foot and locking her gaze onto his eyes while smirking confidently.
“Let's see. I've got here a double cheeseburger and extra fries. Is that right, Earle?” she asked, and leaned in to whisper, “Maybe you'd like some extra ketchup again, too?”
Earle's entire demeanor changed and he immediately shrunk in his seat, defeated and embarrassed by the memory of their last encounter.
“No, uh, no extra ketchup today, please.” He said timidly. “But I will take a...”
“Black coffee?” she interrupted. “I know.” Jessie smiled as she casually strolled into the kitchen to relay the order.
She was still in a state of resignation after having called the clinic to arrange her abortion. She just wanted to make it through the next day's early morning procedure and move past this terrible period in her life. She was well aware that it would be the most upsetting and soul-destroying moment of her life, yet she fought hard to maintain an air of calmness and control that she hoped would see her through the day.
It was just before the lunch shift was over, however, when Melanie caught her attention with the wave of a hand and pointed at the diner's lone television. It was mounted to the ceiling, and Jessie glanced up to see a breaking news story that rendered her motionless. Kimberly Harwood was making the news yet again. Melanie hurried behind the counter to find the remote and crank the volume up.
“Kimberly Harwood flew into JFK yesterday evening without her billionaire husband, John Harwood. John Harwood was reported to not have left her side since her mountain accident off...”
Jessie snapped out the television-induced trance and carried on wiping down tables. Sensing that Jessie had no interest in the story and that she just wanted to move on with her life, Melanie turned the volume back down and went about taking another order.