“Welcome to The ROYAL Diner. I’m Queen Kate, and I’ll be your favorite server today. What can I get you?”
“I’ll take a cup of coffee, please, Kate.”
“Baby, coffee alone ain’t never put no meat on anybody’s bones, including yours from the looks of things. I don’t mean no harm, Sugar.” Her extra-long eyelashes fluttered as she flashed a winning smile, which was the perfect complement to her brownie-colored complexion.
Peyton couldn’t help but grin at her forthrightness. Over the years, he had heard his employees talk about Queen Kate at The ROYAL Diner. They painted her in terms like “real,” “she can see right through you,” “hilarious,” “she tells it like it is,” and “she’ll punch you in the gut and then slap some honey and molasses on top to make you feel better.” In Peyton’s mind, Sister Kate wasn’t merely a person; she was a phenomenon to be experienced.
“What do you recommend, Queen Kate?”
She slid her hands to her hips and swung them rhythmically to the other side. “Are we talking about food, life, movies, religion, or politics?”
“Let’s start with the food here at The ROYAL Diner.”
“That’s good because that’s one of my specialties, Baby. You won’t find pancakes better than ours on this side of the Mississippi or is it the Missouri River? Whatever river it is, ours are the b-e-s-t around.
“Pancakes sound good. It’s been a while since I’ve had some. My grandma used to make the best blueberry pancakes ever.” He nodded his head softly, looking past Kate briefly lost in the memory of happier times.
“No disrespect to your Grandma, but Walter’s pancakes will make your grandma slap your grandpa. That’s how good they are.”
Peyton covered his mouth smoothly to keep from laughing aloud. It had been a while since he felt this kind of laughter surging within. It felt good.
“I’m going to order you a batch of our famous chocolate amaretto pancakes. They’ll make you feel like Superman, Iron Man, and Batman are rolled up into one. What kind of syrup would you like?”
“Regular maple will be just fine.”
“Eggs and bacon?”
“Sure, why not. I might as well go all in.”
“It’s been under five minutes, and I’ve trained you well already.” She took his menu and gave him a high five. “I’ll be back in 13 minutes or under with your order. Clock me, Big Time.
Kate coined “Big Time” as Peyton’s nickname. She loved giving her customers nicknames, and they enjoyed receiving them. Her customers often marveled at how accurately their new moniker reflected their personalities. However, a few nicknames remained confidential between Kate and the other employees.
Peyton was glad he came in. Sister Kate was everything they said she was. She was electric. Her energy seemed to jolt him awake. Since the divorce, there hadn’t been much joy in his days. Life felt so much like a haze that he counted the days of the week as Sun-daze, Mon-daze, Wednes-daze…
Kate returned with a plate of their famous pancakes and a plate of eggs and bacon balanced on her arm. Placing them on the table, she asked, “How’d I do Big Time?”
“Twelve minutes and 37 seconds. You made it.”
“Show ya’ right. I don’t play when it comes to serving my customers. You need anything else right now, Baby?”
“No. This smells delicious. Can’t wait to dig in.”
“Well, I won’t hold you. Here’s your shovel, Baby. She handed him an imaginary shovel. “Get to diggin’.
Peyton leaned his back against the purple vinyl booth and released a satisfied sigh. He was surprised that he had cleaned his plate. He couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten at a diner. It must have been when he was a kid, he reminisced. Since graduating from college, his economic status had afforded him frequent trips to upscale restaurants and country club brunches.
He decided this was one of the best meals of his life. Not just because the world-class pancakes fed his body, but because the experience fed his malnourished soul.
“Alright, Hun, anything else, or are you ready for your check?”
“I couldn’t eat anything else if I wanted to, Kate, so I’ll take the check, please.”
She tore the sheet off her light green order book and handed it to him. “Here you go. I hope this won’t be the last time we see you.”
“It won’t. I’ll definitely be back.”
“That makes my day to hear you say that, Big Time.”
“Kate. Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course, Darlin’. What is it?”
“Kate!” shouted another patron from across the room.
“Put it in park, Harvey. I’ll be right there.”
She sat across from Peyton, focusing on him sympathetically. “Go on, Baby. What’s on your mind?”
“Do you believe in second chances?”
“Baby, I believe in second, third, fourth, and tenth chances. Thank God He gives them to us. Why do you ask?”
“I messed up badly. I ruined my marriage. I put my job, my ambitions, and my economic pursuits ahead of my family. Aaliyah had had enough. By the time I realized she was serious about divorcing me, it was too late to do anything about it. I did everything I could to try to turn things around, but it was like trying to put out a wildfire with a teaspoon of water.”
Kate extended her hands and covered his with hers on the table. “I’m so sorry, Big Time. You poor, stupid, beautiful soul. Now you know don’t no woman want nothin’ but God coming before her. And if the truth be told, some women have a problem with Jesus coming first.
Peyton flinched at her bold declaration. He was shocked but not offended by the piercing truth of her revelation.
“What are you going to do about it?”
“What can I do? She divorced me.”
“And! You wouldn’t be the first married couple who divorced and remarried.”
“I think that door is closed, Kate. Trust me, I did everything I could think to do.”
“But did you do what God told you to do?”
Silence.
“Umm, humm, that’s what I thought. If you really want your family back, and you’re really sorry for the way you acted, and you really, really mean to do things the right way, seek the Lord, Baby. Let Him lead you in trying to restore your family. There’s no guarantee she’ll take you back, but it’ll be worth the fight. However long it takes.”
Silence. Tears.
“That’s how you do life, Baby. One cup of coffee at a time, especially if that cup is sweetened with the cream of the Holy Spirit and the sugar of God’s love.” She gave him a generous wink, a broad smile, rose, and walked away to check on Harvey.
The End
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