Welcome to Last Chance

by Cathleen Armstrong

  They were still huddled by the door when Ray’s pickup careened to a stop outside. He burst through the doors looking like a wild man, and Lainie couldn’t help wonder how well-dressed, slow-moving Brother Parker had managed to beat him to the hospital.

  He stopped just inside the door, and Elizabeth started over with the story of Matthew’s accident. Lainie got up and joined them.

  Ray turned to Fayette. “So are you going to Albuquerque with Matthew?”

  She nodded. “There’s a place near the hospital where parents can stay, and they’re checking to see if they have a room for me. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, though, with the diner here and Matthew up there.”

  Lainie took a deep breath and silently prayed that Nick, if it had been Nick, had kept right on going. There was no way she could leave Last Chance now. Fayette needed to be with Matthew. “Carlos and I can manage just fine. You go ahead and stay as long as you need to.”

  “Are you sure?” Fayette looked as if she were being torn to pieces.

  Lainie made her voice strong, even though her knees felt like string. “You bet. The only thing you need to think about right now is Matthew and getting him well.”

  Fayette brushed back tears. “All right then, I’ll go home and pack when he leaves for Albuquerque and drive up this afternoon.”

  “I’ll drive you.” Ray put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “You’ve been up all night, and we don’t want you falling asleep at the wheel. We’ll get you all settled in your new digs, then I’ll take the bus back.”

  “But what about your place? I know you’re closed for Christmas, but will you be back in time to open tomorrow?”

  “You know, that bar is Steven’s problem. I’ve only been holding it for him. If he wants to open it tomorrow, he can open it.”

  At that moment, the doors to the waiting room pushed open and a doctor in scrubs and a jacket came through.

  “Mrs. Hall? We’re getting ready to take off. Do you want to come in for a minute before we leave?”

  Fayette nodded without speaking and followed him through the doors.

  While Elizabeth and Bother Parker continued talking in low tones, Ray squeezed Lainie’s hand and led her a chair. He dropped down beside her. “How are you holding up?”

  Lainie sniffled and swiped the heel of her hand against her cheek as tears began streaming down her face. “I don’t know what’s the matter with me.”

  Ray pulled her head to his shoulder, and the warm scent of his neck soothed her almost as much as the gentleness of his hand stroking her hair. “It’s been a rough night. Are you going to be okay driving back to Last Chance?”

  Lainie closed her eyes and nodded yes against his coat. When she felt Ray straighten and move to stand up, she opened her eyes and saw the doctor usher Fayette back into the waiting room, still talking.

  “I want you to get some rest before you leave for Albuquerque, understand? You’re in no condition to drive.”

  “I’m driving her.” Ray crossed the room and put his arm around Fayette’s shoulder. “She can sleep on the way.”

  “Have you been here all night too?”

  “Nope. I just got here.”

  The doctor nodded distractedly and turned to leave. “All right, then. See you in Albuquerque.”

  The door swung closed behind him, and Elizabeth touched Fayette’s arm. “How is he?”

  Fayette shook her head and fought to control her voice. “He’s all bandages and tubes. If they hadn’t told me it was Matthew . . .” Her voice broke and she took a deep breath. “They put him in an induced coma for the trip.”

  “Let’s pray for Matthew and the doctors. And his mama.” Brother Parker’s smile was warm as he reached for the hands of Fayette and Elizabeth. Ray and Lainie completed the circle while the pastor prayed. At the amen, everyone took a collective breath.

  “Okay, let’s get going.” Ray took charge and ushered the group toward the door. “I’ll take you home to pack, Fayette, then I’ll go throw a couple things in a duffle bag and come back for you.”

  “Now, you let us know the minute you know anything, you hear?” Tears sparkled in Elizabeth’s eyes as she drew Fayette into a hug. “He’s our boy too, you know.”

  Fayette nodded. “I will. And if you have any questions whatsoever about the diner, Lainie, you have my cell phone number. I don’t know if I can use it in the hospital, but I’ll call you back.” She spoke over her shoulder as Ray led her out the hospital doors.

  “Fayette, the pastor who took over my church in Albuquerque is a fine man. I’ll give him a call and tell him you’re on the way. If I know that congregation, and I do, you’ll be well taken care of.” Brother Parker opened the passenger door of Ray’s truck so Fayette could get in.

  “Fayette, wait a minute.” Les Watson stood by his battered truck a few spaces away. His hands were shoved in his jeans pockets. “The boy . . . Is he gonna be okay?”

  “Don’t know, Les. I’d appreciate your prayers, though.” She started to climb into the cab of Ray’s truck.

  “Wait. Wait just a minute. I got to say something.” He took a few hesitant steps closer, and they could see tear tracks down his weathered cheeks. “Fayette, I got to tell you. It’s my fault those boys got in that crash. I could have stopped it, and I didn’t. I know there’s no way on God’s green earth you could ever see your way to forgive me, but I got to tell you I would give my own life to go back to yesterday and do things different.”

  Fayette froze in midstep. “Your fault? How?”

  “I seen those boys standing outside the liquor store in San Ramon yesterday afternoon. They was around the corner so the proprietor couldn’t see them, but they give this old boy some money and he went in and bought them their booze. I should have gone on up and put a stop to it, but I just thought boys got to sow their wild oats. I did the same when I was their age.”

  Fayette’s voice was a horrified whisper. “Did you buy them alcohol?”

  “Oh, no ma’am! I’d never do any such of a thing. No, this was some old boy I never seen before.”

  “But you watched him give my son alcohol?”

  Les nodded. He didn’t meet her eyes.

  “And you didn’t do anything, not even call me?”

  Les looked up. Agony tore at his features. “Fayette, you couldn’t think any worse of me than I do of myself. I could kill myself right this minute—”

  Fayette held up her hand to stop his outpouring of grief. “Don’t say any more. I can’t listen to you. I can’t . . .” She got in the cab and slammed the door.

  Ray put his hand on Les’s shoulder. “This isn’t the best time, Les, but I know it took a lot for you to come this morning.” He looked as if he had more to say, but he just squeezed Les’s shoulder and got behind the wheel. Fayette stared straight ahead as they drove out of the parking lot.

  Elizabeth looked at Les and shook her head. “Oh, Les, what have you done?” She pulled the passenger door of her own pickup open, and for the first time, the step up proved too much for her. Lainie helped her climb in, and she leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes.

  Lainie had to turn her eyes from the raw grief and hopeless despair in Les’s face, but as she looked in the rearview mirror, she saw Brother Parker lead him back into the hospital, whether to the cafeteria or the chapel, she could only guess.

  22

  Elizabeth didn’t speak or open her eyes for most of the way back to Last Chance. Lainie, glancing at her, was startled at how frail and small, even old she looked. No matter that she was eighty-six, “old” and “Elizabeth” didn’t belong in the same sentence. She looked back toward the road. They were passing the spot where the accident took place. Nothing remained to show that lives had been changed, maybe even ended, but tire tracks leaving the road and disappearing into an arroyo ten yards from the road. Other than that, it could have been any morning. The sky was a heartbreaking blue, the hills facing the rising sun almost imperceptibly ch
anging from rose to lilac.

  “You know who I keep thinking about? Evelyn.”

  Lainie glanced at Elizabeth again. “I thought you were asleep.”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “No, just thinking. That poor woman goes around like a whipped pup as it is, and now this.”

  Lainie didn’t speak for a few moments, then chose her words carefully. “You really think this is all Les’s fault?”

  It was Elizabeth’s turn to let the highway disappear beneath them for a while before she sighed and answered. “No, not really. Maybe he could have stopped the boys from drinking yesterday. He surely should have tried. But when it comes down to it, choices we make—and that goes for Matthew as well as Les—are ultimately our own. I know no one could have tried harder than Fayette to raise that boy right. But she’ll be beating on herself, wondering what she did wrong, what she could have done differently.”

  They passed the WELCOME TO LAST CHANCE sign, and Lainie slowed down as the highway became the main road through Last Chance. The road was completely deserted, and a cold wind made the silver garland and giant red bell on the street’s one stoplight dance just as the rising sun made it sparkle. It should have looked festive, but Lainie thought it only looked lonely. She turned onto Elizabeth’s street. “Ray told me about Fayette’s husband dying on Christmas Eve.”

  “Yes. That’s why I wanted to stay with her last night until Matthew came home.” Elizabeth’s voice broke off and her mouth worked as she tried to control her tears. “Then when the phone rang . . . oh my, I hope I never have to see another human being look like she looked.” She groped in her purse for a tissue and blew her nose.

  “It’s lucky you were there.”

  Elizabeth lifted her arm as if it weighed fifty pounds and reached for the door handle. “You know better than that, Lainie. Luck had nothing to do with it.”

  The Dip ’n’ Dine was dark and looked oddly forlorn when Lainie arrived the next morning. No matter how early she had ever turned up for work, Fayette was always there ahead of her with the lights on and the big neon doughnuts in the window dipping their way into the neon coffee cup. Light filtering through the darkened dining room from the kitchen indicated that Carlos was already hard at work. Lainie took a deep breath and let herself in, relocking the door behind her.

  “Hear anything from Fayette about Matthew?” Carlos looked up from the biscuits he was cutting.

  “Not since yesterday.”

  “When you do talk to her, tell her not to worry. I’ve spent the last five years wondering why she hangs around my restaurant so much.”

  Lainie smiled. “I’ll tell her, Carlos.”

  By the time the first car pulled up, the diner was beginning to feel like itself. The lights were on, the coffee was nearly done, and the room was almost warm enough for the heater to shut off. Lainie glanced at the clock. It was still a half hour before opening. Fayette always let early arrivals in, but Lainie hesitated. She had a lot left on her to-do list, but maybe they’d be okay with a cup of coffee until she was ready to open. Fayette wouldn’t consider it a real help if she started out by alienating the regulars.

  Juanita and Lurlene tapped on the window and waved. Lainie unlocked the front door and let them in. “What are you two doing up so early? Going shopping in San Ramon?”

  Juanita took off her coat and rubbed her hands to warm them. “Good heavens, no. I am shopped out until at least Easter, maybe even till the Fourth of July. We’re here to help.”

  “Help?”

  “Sure. Well, of course, when Brother Parker started that prayer chain for Matthew yesterday morning, we all got to praying right away, and then when he called later to say that Fayette was going to Albuquerque with Matthew for who knows how long and you were going to try to run this place all by yourself, why, we just decided to give you a hand. How is Matthew, by the way? Have you heard?”

  “Ray called when they got in last night. Matthew made the trip okay, but no update on his condition.”

  “Well, everyone in town is praying for him, and we figure if Carlos can bring in some help for the kitchen and the church can staff the dining room, we ought to be able to keep this place humming. Rita’s bringing a big jar for the counter so people can donate tips and whatnot. We don’t know what Matthew might need when he gets home, but there’s bound to be something.”

  Lurlene chimed in. “There’ll be two of us here every day till Fayette gets back. Rita’s organizing the sign-up sheet, and that girl can organize. Juanita and I drew the first shift because I don’t have any family here for Christmas, and Juanita is just looking for an excuse to get away from hers.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t put it that way, exactly, but they have been here since last week, and I could use a little break.”

  Lainie looked from one expectant face to the other. “I don’t know. Does Fayette know about this?”

  “No, and as far as I’m concerned she doesn’t need to know, at least not right away. She’s got enough on her plate.” Juanita held up her coat. “Now, where do I hang this?”

  Lainie must have still looked doubtful, because Juanita huffed in exasperation. “You think a farmer’s wife doesn’t know anything about serving meals? Lainie, I guarantee you, no matter how many cups of coffee you’ve poured, eggs you’ve dished up, or tables you’ve scrubbed, I’ve got you beat. Big-time.”

  “And it’s been a few years, but I did waitressing when I was in college, so make the most of what you’ve been given, Lainie. You’re the boss. Just tell us what to do.”

  By midmorning, Lainie had to admit to herself that she was thankful for the help. The diner had never been busier, and except for a tendency to stop and visit with the customers, Juanita and Lurlene were doing a great job.

  Rita bustled in about 11:00 lugging a five-gallon jar and waving a yellow legal pad. “You got a minute, Lainie? I want to go over this schedule with you.”

  Lainie looked around the room. The breakfast rush was segueing into the lunch rush without a break, but at the moment everyone was taken care of. “Yeah, I guess I’ve got a minute. Not much more than that, though.”

  “Good.” Rita set the jar by the cash register and looked around the room for a free table. Finding none, she slapped the legal pad on the counter and leaned on her elbows. “Okay, we’ve got two shifts a day to start with, six days a week. We’ll keep the same schedule from week to week, with those who can’t commit to a regular shift acting as subs.” She lowered her voice to a confidential whisper. “A few of these folks aren’t exactly what you’d call naturals in the hospitality industry, but I paired them with the more capable people, so it should work out.”

  Lainie looked over the penciled list and nodded. She didn’t know what to say. Juanita and Lurlene had assured her that she was the boss, but apparently the news hadn’t been transmitted to Rita.

  Rita tapped the pad with her pencil and took a deep breath. “I’m still not sure about this pair, especially since Evelyn said she was too broke up to help out.” The final names on the list were Brother Parker and Les Watson. “But Brother Parker insisted both he and Les wanted to come. And he wanted the late shift on Friday too.” She glanced out the window at the still darkened High Lonesome and shrugged. “Well, we can give him a week if Brother Parker says so, but to be honest, I have my doubts. I’ll stop by each shift to make sure everybody turned up like they said they would. And if they didn’t, just leave it to me.”

  “Adam and Eve on a raft and blowout patches,” Lurlene yelled through the window as she went for the coffeepot.

  Carlos looked up from the stove in impatience. “What are you talking about?”

  “Poached eggs on toast and pancakes. Isn’t that how you say it?”

  “Just put the order on the rack. That’s all you need to do.”

  Lurlene did as she was told. “Well, you don’t have to get snippy about it. I was just trying to speed things up.”

  Rita picked up her legal pad and patted the jar next to the cas
h register. “I need to get a catchy sign on that just as soon as I think one up. I thought about ‘Money for Matthew,’ but I don’t know, I think I can do better than that.” She smiled up at Lainie and squeezed her arm. “Don’t you worry. You’ll have your hands full, but you can do it. And I’ll be just down the street at the motel if you need me.”

  It was after dark when the phone finally rang. The people of Last Chance liked to eat breakfast and lunch out but dinner at home, so there were only a couple tables occupied. The two church volunteers perched on stools at the end of the counter taking a coffee break. In the kitchen, Carlos’s nephews were scrubbing pots and Carlos was doing prep work for the next day. Until she went to answer the phone, Lainie had no idea how tired she was. As she pushed through the swinging door to the kitchen, she simultaneously was struck with the realization that a day just like this one awaited her tomorrow, and the next day, and the next till Fayette got home, and the knowledge that this was Fayette’s life—and had been for years. She shook her head in awe of her friend and picked up the phone.

  “Dip ’n’ Dine.”

  “Lainie? How’s it going?”

  “Fayette! I was just thinking about you. Everything’s great here. How’s Matthew?”

  Through the window, Lainie could see that every eye in the restaurant was on her, and in the kitchen all activity had stopped. She heard Fayette draw a deep breath.

  “It’s still early, but they’ve given me reason to hope. He was awake for a little while this afternoon and he knew me.”

  “Well, everyone here is pulling for him.” She cleared her throat. “Um, praying for him.” The word felt at once strange in her mouth and right somehow.

  “I know that, and I can’t tell you how much I depend on it.” There was a silent pause on the line. “And the other boys in the car? Have you heard anything about them?”

  It was Lainie’s turn to hesitate. “Well, yes, we’ve heard. One, the driver, is going to be okay. He got a few stitches on his forehead, but other than that, not a scratch. But the other boy . . .” She took a deep breath and pushed on. “Well, he didn’t make it. They think he was killed instantly.”