a yellow shirt and green shorts.
Well, those are some bright clothes, her grandmother said. You won’t get run over
at least.
They’re my new clothes.
I know. They’re clean anyway.
Would you like to go now? Willa said.
They went out to the car in the dazzling sun of midday and Alene drove and Willa sat
beside her in the front seat and the girl rode in the back and watched out the window
and looked at the back of the heads of the two women. They went up to the highway
and turned east past the Gas and Go and on beyond the Highway 34 Grocery Store into
the country past the implement dealership.
They parked and went inside the café and waited at the counter until a woman in a
white blouse and a black skirt came and led them past the bar and the salad buffet
into the second room to a table where the woman put down menus at three places and
took away the fourth place setting. Luann will be your waitress today, she said. She’ll
be with you in a moment.
Where would you like to sit? Willa said.
Alice looked at the table and then around the room.
Do you want to face the doorway so you can see who’s coming in or look out the window
toward the fields?
The doorway, the girl said.
She pulled her chair out and took her seat and the two women sat on either side of
her. They took up the menus.
What do you feel like eating? Alene said.
I don’t know what there is.
Alene pointed in the menu. There are salads and sandwiches listed on this side and
main dishes on this page.
Do they have hamburgers?
Yes. But you can have anything you want.
The waitress came and they ordered drinks. She had blond hair, teased out around her
face, and was nice-looking.
Who’s this now? she said.
This is Alice. Berta May’s granddaughter.
Oh my, aren’t you a pretty girl. I like your outfit.
Thank you.
I could take you home with me, you’re so pretty. Do you want to come and be my little
girl? I just got boys.
I don’t know.
Maybe some other day.
The girl shrugged.
The waitress left and came back with glasses of tea for the Johnson women and a Coke
for Alice. Willa ordered soup and a salad and Alene a club sandwich and Alice said
she still wanted a hamburger.
How do you want it cooked, honey? the waitress said.
The girl looked at Alene.
Do you like it pink inside or all brown?
All brown.
With fries? the waitress said.
The girl looked at Alene again.
I think you’ll want some fries, don’t you?
Yes.
The waitress went off to the kitchen.
Rose Tyler’s here, Alene said to her mother. By herself.
They looked at the old woman sitting alone by the window.
She’s never going to get over him, Willa said.
Why would she? People don’t.
The girl watched them talk and looked out through the doorway to the other room where
people were coming and going.
After the waitress brought their food Alice started to pour ketchupon her hamburger but it spurted out, covering it all and she set the bottle down and
stared at her plate and put her hands in her lap. She looked as if she would cry.
We’re not going to worry about that, Alene said. We can just scrape it off. Do you
want me to?
I can do it, the girl said. She scraped and spooned the ketchup off onto the side
of her plate.
There, Willa said. That’s better. Isn’t it.
The girl nodded and began to eat her French fries, picking them up one at a time and
dipping the end in the ketchup and biting off the end and dipping it in again and
eating the rest by small bites. The Johnsons watched her.
I’ve only used squirt bottles, Alice said. I used to help my mother fill the ketchup
and mustard bottles and the salt and pepper shakers.
Your mother worked in a restaurant?
Yes. She always had me help her.
Do you have any pictures of her?
I do at Grandma’s. The girl looked around the room. She looked back at her plate.
That old man’s dying like my mother did.
You mean Mr. Lewis, the man next door to you.
He’s got it all
Well, those are some bright clothes, her grandmother said. You won’t get run over
at least.
They’re my new clothes.
I know. They’re clean anyway.
Would you like to go now? Willa said.
They went out to the car in the dazzling sun of midday and Alene drove and Willa sat
beside her in the front seat and the girl rode in the back and watched out the window
and looked at the back of the heads of the two women. They went up to the highway
and turned east past the Gas and Go and on beyond the Highway 34 Grocery Store into
the country past the implement dealership.
They parked and went inside the café and waited at the counter until a woman in a
white blouse and a black skirt came and led them past the bar and the salad buffet
into the second room to a table where the woman put down menus at three places and
took away the fourth place setting. Luann will be your waitress today, she said. She’ll
be with you in a moment.
Where would you like to sit? Willa said.
Alice looked at the table and then around the room.
Do you want to face the doorway so you can see who’s coming in or look out the window
toward the fields?
The doorway, the girl said.
She pulled her chair out and took her seat and the two women sat on either side of
her. They took up the menus.
What do you feel like eating? Alene said.
I don’t know what there is.
Alene pointed in the menu. There are salads and sandwiches listed on this side and
main dishes on this page.
Do they have hamburgers?
Yes. But you can have anything you want.
The waitress came and they ordered drinks. She had blond hair, teased out around her
face, and was nice-looking.
Who’s this now? she said.
This is Alice. Berta May’s granddaughter.
Oh my, aren’t you a pretty girl. I like your outfit.
Thank you.
I could take you home with me, you’re so pretty. Do you want to come and be my little
girl? I just got boys.
I don’t know.
Maybe some other day.
The girl shrugged.
The waitress left and came back with glasses of tea for the Johnson women and a Coke
for Alice. Willa ordered soup and a salad and Alene a club sandwich and Alice said
she still wanted a hamburger.
How do you want it cooked, honey? the waitress said.
The girl looked at Alene.
Do you like it pink inside or all brown?
All brown.
With fries? the waitress said.
The girl looked at Alene again.
I think you’ll want some fries, don’t you?
Yes.
The waitress went off to the kitchen.
Rose Tyler’s here, Alene said to her mother. By herself.
They looked at the old woman sitting alone by the window.
She’s never going to get over him, Willa said.
Why would she? People don’t.
The girl watched them talk and looked out through the doorway to the other room where
people were coming and going.
After the waitress brought their food Alice started to pour ketchupon her hamburger but it spurted out, covering it all and she set the bottle down and
stared at her plate and put her hands in her lap. She looked as if she would cry.
We’re not going to worry about that, Alene said. We can just scrape it off. Do you
want me to?
I can do it, the girl said. She scraped and spooned the ketchup off onto the side
of her plate.
There, Willa said. That’s better. Isn’t it.
The girl nodded and began to eat her French fries, picking them up one at a time and
dipping the end in the ketchup and biting off the end and dipping it in again and
eating the rest by small bites. The Johnsons watched her.
I’ve only used squirt bottles, Alice said. I used to help my mother fill the ketchup
and mustard bottles and the salt and pepper shakers.
Your mother worked in a restaurant?
Yes. She always had me help her.
Do you have any pictures of her?
I do at Grandma’s. The girl looked around the room. She looked back at her plate.
That old man’s dying like my mother did.
You mean Mr. Lewis, the man next door to you.
He’s got it all
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