A/N Thank you everyone :) In this chapter we're going to step back just a day or so to Beth's arrival in Smithton, then we'll return to the Solo, have ice cream, and watch a sweet interaction between our couple. We'll even catch a glimpse of their home lives.
Enjoy!
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Mama and Daddy bring her to Smithton the Saturday before she's to begin work. Herschel Greene drives around back and parks in the alley behind the brick building, that's where the entry to the upstairs rooms is located. He attempts an encouraging smile, as much for himself as for his wife and daughter, using the key Jim gave Beth to open a windowless solid wood door. From there they enter the small vestibule that leads to a flight of stairs.
Daddy carries her suitcase, and Mama and Beth each have a paper bag in hand packed with groceries to stock her new kitchen. They reach the top of the stairs and a small landing, Unit A is on the left, and Unit B is on the right. The three take a deep breath in anticipation as Beth unlocks her new front door and they enter Unit A.
The room doesn't have modern 1950's décor, it's more reminiscent of the 1930's, but it's very nicely done and well kept. It's one big room, larger than her farmhouse bedroom, but then it also houses more. There's an iron framed bed, a night table and a dresser, and enough empty space in one corner for Beth to have her sewing table and machine.
In the far-left corner is the tiniest kitchen any of them has ever seen, but Beth smiles, it's enough. It consists of a single basin sink, a short stretch of counter top, no more than 18 inches, a tiny two burner stove with equally small oven, and a fridge no more than three feet tall. There are two lower cabinets, one upper cabinet and some open shelving where dishes, glassware and cookware are neatly stacked. Olivia explained she'd be leaving those things, "I'm fortunate Beth, the parsonage is fully stocked with the kitchen wares Eastman and I will need."
The window on the far end of the room faces Main Street, and sitting just below the window are a rectangular wooden table and two chairs. Her Daddy finds it worrisome his girl will be living, "right in the heart of the big city," but Beth loves her view from the small dining table to the street below. She's already imagining herself sitting with a cup of tea and gazing out the window, watching as folks go about their day.
As she walks slowly around her new room Beth's hand grazes across the back of a small overstuffed wing chair covered in floral chintz fabric, there's even a dainty matching footstool. It's such a pretty piece, and her Mama smiles, "I'll be able to picture you in this chair and writing in the journal you keep, or reading one of your poetry books."
Beth agrees, "I can picture it too Mama. I hate to think of being away from the farm, and I don't want to leave you and Daddy, but I think this place is going to be just right for me."
There's a closet, it's no more than a coat closet really, but it's more than adequate for Beth's things. The only other door enters a little bathroom. It's certainly not fancy, just the basics, a toilet, vanity and a bathtub. It will be just fine for her, and her new towels and bath rug will pretty up the small room.
They make two more trips to the Buick and back up to the apartment, no one carrying too much at a time. Once her things are in her new room, Beth and her Mama get busy making up the bed with fresh linens, the final touch is the pretty floral quilt and pillow shames Beth's grandma made her. He had to dismantle things a bit to get everything in the automobile's truck, so while they're busy with the bed, Beth's Daddy busy putting the legs back on her sewing table and making sure the machine is working as it should.
When the necessary tasks are complete, her Daddy says, "We'll be going now, it's a long drive back." It seems abrupt, but it's not that he wants to go, it's that none of them wants to prolong the goodbye. This is a big and difficult change for everyone.
Beth walks her parents down the stairs and to their car and they all hug one more time. As her Daddy slips behind the wheel of the big Buick, she sees him wipe a tear away, while Mama takes the handkerchief from her purse and dabs at her eyes. Beth feels a big lump in her own throat as her Daddy pulls out of the alley and the Buick disappears around the corner, but she promises herself she can do this.
Annette and Herschel Greene have many concerns as they drive away and leave their daughter in Smithton all alone. What if she gets overwhelmed by sadness again? Oh my gosh, they almost lost her once before, but they have to try and put that out of their minds. They have to encourage their daughter. As painful as it is to admit, perhaps them hovering over her has prevented her from getting better. They only did what they thought was best, but maybe doing everything for Beth and protecting her from the world wasn't what was best after all.
Beth walks up the stairs with every intention of putting her clothes and her toiletries away. When that's done she'll make a cup of tea, enjoy her view for a bit, and then finish up the new uniforms she made herself.
Mama had yard goods in a soft yellow color she bought years and years ago to make herself and Beth matching Easter dresses. Then Mama took sick with the flu and wasn't back to being herself for weeks. The fabric was put aside and never used, and now Beth has transformed it it into a uniform dress. There was also some pale pink gingham Mama bought on sale, it was such a good price and she was sure she would use it someday, and now it's become a second uniform dress for Beth. The sleeves of both dresses are trimmed in white' and each has a white peter pan collar, Beth used white buttons for the front closure as well. She's very happy with how they turned out. All that's left to do now is finish sewing the white aprons that go with each.
Her afternoon plan is a good one, but when she walks in her new room it suddenly seems so big and empty, and she feels so alone. She locks the door, lays on the bed and cries until she runs out of tears.
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She's clearing luncheon plates from the counter when she glances up and sees them coming down the street, it's Daryl Dixon and his little boy Teddy. She did not expect to see the man and his boy again today. She distinctly remembers that when Olivia and Jim talked about the regular customers, they said Daryl and his son only come in for breakfast, they even recited exactly what they order every single day, without fail.
That's certainly him though, and she feels some butterflies at the sight of the man, then tells herself to stop that right now. He must have a wife at home, maybe even more children. But as hard as she's trying to fight it, she can't deny Daryl Dixon intrigues her. It's not just his looks, although he is a handsome man. It's not his build either, although those broad shoulders are like nothing she can ever recall seeing.
Those are all nice things, but he's also a bit unkempt and that's something that would never appeal to her. It seems he hasn't bothered to get a haircut in quite some time, and his son needs a haircut too. His clothes look rumpled, he probably never irons them, and he needs a shave. Yet oddly, none of those things detract from his appeal.
Something Daryl Dixon has, and what got to her about him right away, are his piercing blue eyes. Although they seem almost icy, like cold steel really, she senses there's much more that lies behind them. This morning, when his eyes held hers for a brief moment she knew, he saw the sadness she tries so hard to hide. He didn't say anything, of course not, he simply nodded as he slipped a quarter under his plate and said, "Thank you Miss, it was real good," but she saw and felt the warmth his eyes expressed.
Yes, all that is true and very sweet, but what about the wife? Beth's determined to act like he's no different than any other customer, while from the corner of her eye she watches as he enters the cafe and seems to glide across the linoleum floor. He and Teddy take the last two stools at the counter and Beth sees him give the little boy a boost up before seating himself. He lays a hand on the boy's back, leans in and quietly whispers something to the child.
Beth waits until the man sits back up and swivels to face the counter, then walks over and sets a glass of water in front of each of them, "Hello, it's nice to see you two again. I'm sorry, but we're out of the lunch special. It was meatloaf today and Jim tells me it always goes fast. Everything else on the menu is available though."
Daryl looks down at his son and the little boy is all smiles when he states, "I need nilla ice keen peez miz."
She's all smiles for the little boy, "Vanilla ice cream for lunch?"
She glances over to the boy's Daddy for consent and the man can't believe it, he's smiling, "It's okay Miss, we ate our lunch, we came for dessert. Teddy would like a small dish of the vanilla, I'll have the same and coffee please."
She smiles at the little boy, "Aren't you lucky, ice cream always sounds good to me. I'll be right back." She brings a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and small pitcher of cream in the other, then returns with a dish of ice cream for each of them, but Teddy's is not just a scoop. There's a little mound of whipped cream atop it and even a bright red cherry. Teddy's eyes are as big as saucers when Beth smiles and says, "There you go Teddy, I sure hope you don't ruin your supper with that."
His Daddy has scooped up a spoonful of his ice cream and is stirring it in his coffee as he absentmindedly states, "I don't think he'd mind at all if his supper got spoiled, I ain't much of a cook."
She's a bit surprised and the question just comes, "You do the cooking at home?" She feels a flush and quickly apologizes, "I'm sorry, that's not my business."
"S'all right, and yeah, I gotta do the cookin' cuz Teddy ain't tall enough to reach the range. I'm hoping that'll change real soon, and when it does, I'm countin' on him being a much better cook than his Daddy." Shit, when did he start talking so much and so freely? And it's not just Daryl who's noticed, it's the people still at the counter, even Jim is in the kitchen smiling.
Beth doesn't know quite how to respond to that, she just smiles and says, "I'm sure it's not that bad." My gosh, it sounds like Daryl Dixon and his son are alone, there is no wife. Perhaps he's a widower.
He shrugs, "Yeah? Not that bad, huh? You should try it sometime."
The both of them turn pink, thank goodness Jim saves them when he calls, "Order up!"
On their way back to the shop Daryl's silently cussing himself, "Damn Dixon, what kinda idiot are you? We ain't doin' that again." He felt awkward, he was embarrassed, and shit, what was with all the talking.
In the meantime, Teddy is as happy as a four year old can be, holding Daddy's hand as he skips along and talking a mile a minute, "It was fun Daddy, I got whip keen, did ya see? Did ya see I got a cherdee too? Les go again Daddy."
Daryl doesn't want to be mean, shit this was his idea and now it's his own damn fault, but that doesn't mean he has to make the same mistake twice, "Nah son, this was just a little treat. We ain't going again."
Teddy starts to cry, not the kind of crying where he stomps his little foot and throws a tantrum, this is the kind of quiet, sad crying that breaks his Daddy's heart. The little boy sounds so pitiful when he says, "no Daddy, it was too fun. Peez?"
Shit, this isn't a fair fight, "Don't cry now Teddy, maybe we can go one day next week, if you're a good boy til then."
"I'n such a good boy Daddy, you see."
Daryl knows automobiles backward and forward, he can practically do the work without thinking. That's good, because all afternoon his mind is full of nothing but thoughts of the blonde waitress. Shit, why does she have to be so pretty with her blonde curls and pale white skin. She's tiny, like she needs to eat more, but he likes her shape just fine. More than just fine. The most striking thing about her are her big blue eyes. They're the color of the summer sky and Daryl's pretty sure he could stare into them all day long, but he can't help worrying about what causes the sadness' and wondering what would make it go away.
Just as Beth's getting off shift the payphone begins to ring. She walks around the counter and picks up the receiver, answering, "Good afternoon, Solo Café. Can I help you?"
Mama's got the receiver turned so that she and Hershel can both have an ear close to it, and she answers, "Hello daughter, it's Mama and Daddy, my goodness, you sound so professional…"
And she hears her Daddy's voice, "We're just checking to see that everything's all right with your apartment and your new job."
She can feel the smile stretch across her face, "Everything is just fine Daddy, no problems to report. It's so good to hear your voices."
There's a smile in Mama's voice, "You too Bethie. Now we can't stay on the line, the phone company charges by the minute for these long distance calls, we just wanted you to know we're thinking about you, we love you and of course, we're praying for you."
"Thank you Mama and Daddy, I love you too." The line goes dead and although she does miss them so much, this busy day has been a blessing. Her mind has been on everything but herself and her past mistakes.
The afternoon and evening waitress, a nice woman about Beth's age named Amy, arrives just before two and they have a very friendly chat. So far she likes everyone she's encountered at the Solo Café.
Beth sits at the counter to have the meal that's included with her shift, and her empty tummy is rumbling by the time Amy sets the platter in front of her. There's a chicken cutlet with mashed potatoes, gravy and peas, there's even a small dinner salad and a warm biscuit. Beth hasn't eaten since breakfast and with this feast she won't need to eat again until breakfast tomorrow.
Back in her room, and with a full tummy, Beth looks longingly at the bed. She's out of the habit of working all day, Mama and Daddy haven't pushed her to help on the farm. She'd like to lay down and take a short nap, but there's no time. She promised her neighbor across the hall she'd come visit her store. She's such a nice woman, a lady named Carol who owns the book and magazine shop next to the café. Beth's looking forward to seeing it, and besides, if she takes a nap now she may have trouble sleeping tonight.
Carol came by yesterday afternoon to introduce herself, and she brought such a lovely gift, a small box of notecards with a floral design on the front, and the cards carry the distinct scent of lavender. Beth plans to use the first of them tonight, she wants to write Mama and Daddy a little note, maybe she'll write Olivia too.
Beth smiles just thinking about how she and Carol sat at the little table under the window enjoying a cup of tea. Thank goodness Mama left a tin of butter cookies as a treat for Beth. They were perfect to serve with the tea, and Beth realized, it was the first time in her life she was entertaining a guest in her own home.
Beth walks over to that very same table now, reaches in the pocket of her uniform and retrieves the coins, placing them on the wooden table. She sits to count the tip money, my goodness, four dollars and five cents! If she makes that much every day…oh my. Maybe she can pay Daddy back some of his money. It would take her years to pay back everything she cost him, but at least she could try to return some of it.
She doesn't drink coffee so that makes her coffee canister the perfect place to keep her money. Once it's full she'll roll the coins, take them to the bank and open a savings account. The thought triggers a tingle of excitement. Olivia was so right, making your own money is a wonderful feeling.
She wants to take a bath and wash her hair, but she can't possibly go out with wet hair, and it simply won't dry in time for her to get to Carol's shop by five when it closes. She'll have to settle for freshening up for now. She removes her uniform and carefully hangs it, doing a little quick spot cleaning here and there, then washes up and puts on a white blouse and powder blue skirt.
What she's happiest to do is to put her work shoes aside for now, her feet are aching. They work shoes have been exchanged for her very comfortable penny loafers. Oh, that feels much better. She dabs on just a drop of cologne, hoping it will help mask the smell of fried foods, then drapes a thin white cotton sweater across her shoulders and hurries down the stairs to Carol's shop.
Carol's busy helping someone and Beth doesn't mind at all, it gives her an opportunity to explore. The shop smells of books and lavender and although it's quite spacious, it feels so cozy. There are new books, but also used books in very nice condition. All the latest magazines are there too, there's this month's issues of Look, Life, Ladies Home Journal and more.
Beth reads with interest the little sign taped to the wood magazine rack, it advises that if a person wants true crime magazines they should inquire with the owner, those are kept in the back. Beth has never read one, she's never even seen one, but she has heard they're quite titillating and not suitable for young women to read. Although, she's also heard it's almost exclusively young women who do read them.
Besides all the lovely books and magazines, there are stationary items. Boxes of lovely linen writing paper with matching envelopes in lavender, pink, yellow, pale blue, and cream. There are bookplates, bookmarks, note cards like those that Carol gave her, and beautiful fountain pens and ink bottles and ink cartridges. Beth can't stop smiling at all of the lovely things. She's torn because she doesn't feel that she should spend any money, yet Carol gave her a gift and maybe she should buy something. She finds a beautiful bookplate she'll use in her journal and a floral bookmark for the novel she's reading. The total comes to 50 cents, the same amount as the tip money Daryl Dixon left her today.
When the other customers drift away she visits with Carol for a while before excusing herself, "I have to get home, I have some things I need to do this evening." It's not a lie, but maybe it does make her sound more busy than she really is. She can't help it, all she wants to do is take her bath, then sit in her chair with her journal and write about her day and all the people she met, including Daryl and Teddy Dixon.
Daryl opens the family size can of VanCamps pork n beans and dumps them in a pan, then chops hot dogs into bite size pieces and adds them to the beans. He opens a can of peas and heats those too, and when it's all warm he scoops the food on plates, one for him and one for Teddy. They sit and Daryl butters them each a slice of white bread and asks, "Ya want some ketchup on them beans Teddy?"
"Yes peez Daddy."
Daryl whacks the bottom of the ketchup bottle with the palm of his hand a couple of times, pours the condiment on Teddy's beans and his own, and they both eat hungrily. Daryl always feels a little guilty about their suppers. Of all the things he learned in his life, he should have learned to cook. Maybe someday he'll buy one of those cookbooks at Carol's shop and do some experimenting. It brings a question to mind, he wonders if Beth knows how to cook. Then he mumbles out loud, "knock it off."
"What Daddy?"
"Not you Teddy, I's talkin' to myself."
They have the best part of the meal for dessert, the oatmeal cookies Erma gave them and then, while Teddy plays in the front room, Daryl cleans up in the the kitchen. They shower together, and with just a towel wrapped around his waist, Daryl helps Teddy put his pajamas on before he puts on his boxers and a clean t-shirt. None of it requires any thought, it's their nightly routine.
They play with the erector set for a while before Daryl says, "All right son, time for bed."
"But Daddy…"
"Nope. No 'but Daddy'. You gotta go ta bed now. I don't want ya bein' cranky when you're at Aunt Erma's and Uncle Dale's house tomorrow. C'mon now."
The little boy's shoulders slump as he dramatically drags his feet all the way to his bed. His Daddy can hardly hold back a smile, but he warns, "That's enough a that son, get ta bed now."
Daryl turns the covers back and as soon as Teddy crawls in his Daddy sits on the edge of the little boys bed. He begins to read a short story about the Lone Ranger, but Teddy's eyes can't quite stay open for the ending. His Daddy stands, tucks the covers around his son, gently kisses his forehead and whispers, "We'll finish it tomorrow, son. Daddy loves ya."
He sets their clothes out for morning, brushes his teeth and crawls into his own bed, and before sleep takes over his thoughts wander to those blue eyes.
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The first two nights in her new place she had a little trouble sleeping, but gosh, after a day's work and a warm bath, she slept much better last night. Tuesday morning she dresses in her pink uniform, it's nice to have something to alternate with. She fixes herself tea, toast and a soft cooked egg and sits by the window to enjoy her breakfast. It's still dark out but the glow from the streetlights illuminates the sidewalk and the storefronts. It's a peaceful sight as the city appears to be sleeping, there are just a few early birds out on the street.
She finishes up, washes her dishes, brushes her teeth and she's out the door, ready to smile her way through another day.
Jim and Olivia weren't kidding her, as soon as the café door opens at 6am many of the same people she saw yesterday begin to arrive. She's pouring coffee and juice, and calling in orders for eggs, pancakes, waffles, and biscuits and gravy. She's so busy she doesn't even notice the time flying by, not until in that first light of morning she sees him and Teddy coming up the street. She bites her lower lip trying to hide her smile, and also the fact that she's watching him and the little boy walk in and go straight to their stools. Once they're seated she ventures over with water and in a cheerful voice asks, "Coffee and milk for you gentlemen this morning?"
"Yeah, thanks Beth, and um, I think I'll have eggs over medium, bacon and grits, and a biscuit but no gravy, just lots of butter and jam. Teddy, is gonna have a half portion of the same please." Jim catches her eye and smiles, but still she calls the order in like he's never heard it.
Later, at the noon hour Daryl and his boy are having their lunch outside, bologna and cheese sandwiches again, and Erma sent them on their way with a couple more of her oatmeal cookies for dessert. Before they get to those Daryl suggests, "Ya know Teddy, I seen they had some red Jell-o in the dessert case at the café. Whaddya say we save them cookies for after supper and go give that jell-o a try."
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A/N There's always room for Jell-O. Please leave a comment. There's a chapter photo on my tumblr blogs gneebee and bethylmethbrick if you'd like to see our couple. I'll be back next Thursday with more of Love at the Solo Café and I hope you'll be back too. Until then remember, I love ya large, xo gneebee