Pivotals: A Story of Small Town America

by C L Miller

  For many years Joey and I have shared a very special secret.

  ***

  Vernetta

  I guess at my age, it's pretty amazing. We wanted a big family but we just couldn't hold on.

  Steve

  We had three miscarriages and a stillbirth in the first five years. I know Vernie was getting frightened. Then it stopped. We went for another two years with no problems, but also no pregnancies. When we had really accepted the fact that there would be no children, the doctor said everything looked great, no problems. I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about her and our child, but we had the entire town praying for us. And we had faith.

  Harvey

  Loretta and I were at least as excited as the kids. Vernetta calls me Grandpa and it tickles me pink. They were just so happy and hopeful, I guess it was about all they could take.

  Naomi

  Vernetta is one of my best friends. We've both had to live with not having babies, but at least I wasn't also coping with the miscarriages. Fred was able to help her through that even better than I could after the troubles his mother had. He even researched herbal remedies to ease the physical symptoms, and to help her over the emotional rough times.

  Fred

  And now Naomi and Vernetta are sharing this wonderful time in their lives. Our babies were due within a week of each other. We knew we were having a girl and if Steve and Vernetta's baby was a girl, we might have a new generation of best friends.

  Vernetta

  With all the tests they do these days we almost couldn't avoid finding out. But we decided to keep it to ourselves that we were having a girl. We'd had so many disappointments, we wanted to make it easier on everyone by not having to deal with that too. The doctor kept saying everything looked perfect. Our beautiful little daughter. I can barely breathe sometimes.

  Joe

  Of course the new babies had their first outing at my diner, and the place was packed. My helpers moved most of the tables out of the way and set up my spare chairs so everyone could fit. Naomi and Vernetta brought the two girls in on the Friday night after both mamas were out of the hospital. At that point we hadn't heard the names they had chosen, so it was almost a christening party. Fred and Naomi's baby was a few days older than Steve and Vernetta's so she was presented first. Fred stood proudly next to Naomi and announced, "I would like to introduce the second-newest member of our community, Miss Grace Charlotte Baker!" There was a gasp from Charlotte Wheeler who immediately ran forward to hug Naomi and Fred, which got us all laughing. Somebody cracked, "What's this going do about the pie? Can you call it square now?"

  After a few minutes the room got really quiet. We had all waited and hoped and prayed for this day. We all knew how difficult all those miscarriages had been on Steve and Vernetta, and we knew they had been so worried even with their strong faith in God. Vernetta's labor had been long and she was still a bit on the weak side, so Steve stood up and held out his baby girl. It took him a few moments to get his voice under control and there were tears in every eye in the room. I couldn't even look at Harvey and Loretta, standing behind Vernetta. Finally Steve spoke. "Vernie and I are pleased and proud to present Miss Faith Anne Hollister!" Harvey, bless his old heart, grinned as Loretta hugged him.

  Now the town has Faith and Grace. We've always had hope and love.

  Author's note: This became much more than a story about a small town. It became a labor of love. I kept in touch with everyone, even though I didn't get a chance to get back for a few years. The next time I went to visit I took my daughter Chloe. We stayed for a week, then returned later to help with a special project.

  Part 3

  Joey Thomas

  I liked working as an engineer for the Army Corps. It was a great career and it supported my family. Then Joe got sick and the community got together to figure out what to do. Brian and I had a bit of vacation time saved up, and with others filling in we lined up our schedules to cover Joe's Diner for almost three months. The whole town offered to help in any way they could.

  Harvey

  I was pushing fifty when I moved to town and Joe is older than me, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to hear he was failing. But some people just seem like they should live forever. Dolores held up well, and thankfully Joe went easily. The boys had been keeping the diner going, but when Joe died everyone got kind of lost.

  Olivia

  Joey and I talked it over for weeks. He liked his work with the Corps but he also felt like he owed Joe. I told him Joe wouldn't expect him to give up anything out of gratitude or feel obligated. It seemed like Joey was torn. He talked to Brian, Dolores, and Vernetta, trying to figure out what to do.

  Brian

  It took a while to accept that Joe wasn't coming back to the diner. He was such an integral part of the neighborhood, it seemed like the whole town would fold up without him. Both of us boys had our ties to the diner but it didn't take a lot of discussion to figure out the best man for the job. Joey had rights by family connections. We knew he'd be taking a big hit in salary by leaving the Corps and we wanted him to be sure it was the right thing to do.

  Joey

  Olivia was delighted. She kept telling me to go with my heart, not our bank balance. Then the Corps sweetened the pot. They told me they were in cutback mode anyway: would I be willing to take an early retirement on full benefits? Could I be available as a consultant for a nice fee? And so it was decided.

  Sometimes on a Friday evening, we get telling stories about Joe Brennan. It turns out he did a lot of things for the people around here but kept it quiet, asked them not to tell either. But now they can talk. It seems there isn't a family in town that doesn't have a story to tell about a kindness from Joe Brennan. I wasn't the only mixed-up kid he took under his wing. There were folks that had money problems and Joe supplied food until they got back on their feet. One story that caught us all by surprise -- even Dolores, who thought she knew it all -- was the family that was about to lose their house and Joe stepped in and got the mortgage payments caught up. At that point we all looked at Vernetta, who just grinned.

  Vernetta

  There were times Joe swore me to secrecy and I had to bite my lip to keep from talking. The Martins had run into some troubles. They'd made a bad investment with a shyster who walked off with a bunch of their savings. They thought they could weather it until their youngest girl got real sick and the health insurance ran out. Joe and I had a long-standing agreement that I was to tell him about things like that. Oh he never asked whom because that was privileged information, but if he could help he would. When the Martins were three months behind on the mortgage and had already talked to me about putting their house on the market, I told Joe about it. The next day the payments were current and three more ahead. The Martins asked me a dozen times who did it, but I told them confidentiality runs both ways. I'd see them in the diner chatting with Joe on a Friday night, talking about what had happened and he'd listen as if he had no idea. I would go into the ladies room and cry, then laugh. Joe never told me where the money came from that he used to help folks. Maybe there was some family fortune, or perhaps wise investments. Frugal living may have helped. I remember him telling me this:

  "When God put it on my heart to help, I didn't argue or say 'what if?' or worry. I knew He would provide the means, and He always did."

  Dolores

  The town got together. Everyone -- kids, teens, adults -- pitched in time or money or both and put a big fountain in front of the city hall. They put up stone benches with canopies over them for shade. They laid down beautiful tiles and planted trees. They named it Joe Brennan Square, and most of the townspeople stop by every day. It is a beautiful memorial to Joe.

  Joey

  I didn't change much at the diner. It will be "Joe's Diner" as long as I have a say in the matter.

  ***

  Chloe Miller

  I'm so glad my mom took me with her. She had started writing this story when I was very
young and even though she never tried to get it published, it was special to her and me. Reading about all these folks made me want to write a book of my own and I began helping my mother in her writing, first as an assistant and later as co-writer.

  On our first visit together I made some friends that I hoped to keep for a long time. It was a sad time for my mom, going to Joe Brennan's funeral. On our second trip a few months later we got to help with the memorial for Joe. After that I began to make visits of my own.

  Part 4

  Joey

  Filling the shoes of the previous Joes has been a special challenge for me. No one has put any pressure on me, but I've been determined to continue the fine tradition.

  One thing I did was knock out part of a side wall and put in patio seating. A lot of folks mentioned that lunch under a tree would be nice, so I re-arranged a few things and made it happen. We built on an upstairs storage room and a small apartment. I hire single men or women to keep an eye on things in exchange for free rent, a couple meals a day, and a tiny salary. The room is almost always occupied, usually by newcomers to town who haven't found a place to live yet. I'm so grateful for the peace of mind that comes with knowing the premises are being watched over.

  Olivia

  What a joke that is! Like these boarders are doing Joey a favor! But we all let him think we believe the story.

  Joey

  Since I now have two rooms of diners, I hired some extra help. One of my boarders wasn't able to find work for a while so he was nice enough to pitch in downstairs. That lasted almost six months, and after he moved on I realized that I could use some permanent staff during the breakfast and lunch rushes. I still had the high school kids on Friday evening so I only needed someone during the day.

  Tommy Millins

  My mom worked with Uncle Brian when Joe Brennan owned the diner. I heard the story about the night they became best friends so many times I could recite it asleep. After I graduated from high school I wanted to stay close to home, but there wasn't much to do that interested me. I talked to Joey Thomas and he offered me a job at the diner for the summer. That seemed like a good way to make some money and figure out my next move.

  Sarah

  Tommy was having a rough time after graduation. Most of his classmates had gone off to college, but he didn't think that was right for him. His Daddy and I were a bit disappointed but we had to agree. Tommy just wasn't a student. He's bright enough but he doesn't like sitting in class all day. When Joey offered him the summer job, it seemed like a short-term solution. Little did we know.

  Tommy

  Joey started me at the bottom. I washed dishes, took out trash, and peeled potatoes. I once groused that it was like boot camp without discounts at the PX, but he just laughed. Actually I knew this was my only way to really learn the business, so I decided to be the very best potato-peeler ever. After a while Joey set me to cooking. I found out I was pretty good. I came up with a few new dishes and discovered I could handle a busy lunch rush. We worked well together, mostly because Joey didn't play the big boss card. We got a rhythm going, both of us doing what needed to be done. A couple times the Corps sent him off to straighten out some snarl and he left me in charge. I liked that he didn't leave me a bunch of instructions, just told me to take care of business while he was gone. I appreciated the trust and did my best to deserve it.

  Joey

  There wasn't any Corps snarl. I just backed off for a few days. I needed to lay low so I had Olivia go in for lunch every day. She said the diner was doing just fine.

  Tommy

  After a few years of this, Joey asked me if I wanted to partner up with him. I had to think that one over -- for about five minutes! A business owner at age twenty three. My folks were delighted. I thought Uncle Brian was going to cry again.

  ***

  Faith Hollister

  Tommy was one of my best friends all the way through school. He is a few years older so he was like a big brother who always helped me sort out my problems. After graduation I went away to school. I wanted to study art and become an interior designer. Hanging around my grandmother and watching her sew had really put the love of beautiful fabrics and colors in me, but I wanted to work with homes and businesses. The best colleges were in New York or on the West coast, so I chose San Francisco. I lived there for four years while I studied and worked at my craft, but I missed my friends, especially Grace.

  One day she called and asked if she could fly out for a visit. She sounded troubled but when I asked she assured me all was well; she just missed me and wanted to spend time together. I got a couple extra days off work and picked her up at the airport.

  Grace Baker

  I wasn't sure how to tell Faith what had happened and it seemed that in person was best. I waited until we were alone to bring up the subject.

  Faith

  My two best friends had fallen in love. What could be better news than that? Grace wanted to be sure she wasn't stepping on my toes or my heart, and I could honestly assure her that I wished her and Tommy all the best. I love them both like family anyway, and this just made it better.

  Tommy

  It's funny how things work out sometimes. I always sort of assumed that Faith and I would get together but she was such a good friend I didn't want to spoil it. When she went away to school I thought I'd miss her like crazy, but all I could think of was how happy she was in San Francisco and how busy I was at the restaurant, and our letters stayed steady but never romantic. The reverse was true with Grace. For years the two of them were joined at the hip, as they say. It was like their name was Faith-and-Grace and we used to joke that you could talk to either one and get the identical answer. I was one of the few that split them up in my head and my friendship with Grace wasn't nearly what it was with Faith. Oh, I liked Grace well enough, but she was just "Faith's friend" to me.

  Then came that weekend when Joey went off on a Corps snarl. It seemed that anything that could go wrong, did. I think I ran out of everything. On top of that it was the Sunday breakfast weekend, so I couldn't even squeak through until Monday. Grace was working at David Baker's then, and when she dropped by for a Thursday late lunch she must have picked up on my panic. I told her that I wasn't sure if I could manage the regular Friday day, much less the evening and Sunday! I'd almost forgotten Sunday! I probably looked ready to cry.

  She took me back to the walk-in pantry and we did an inventory. It was lean, but maybe.... Grace said she'd help me plan. We sat down that night and worked up a menu that just might pull it off. Instead of the usual lasagna for Friday evening, she helped me put together some vegetable and salad dishes which gave me more to work with during lunch on Friday. Sunday was going to be a challenge, but we worked out a lighter breakfast of cereals and fruit.

  Thanks to Grace, the weekend went off without a hiccup. The delayed food shipments arrived early Monday morning and we were back up and running. When Joey got home on Wednesday, I told him what happened; he said he had complete faith in my abilities to handle a crisis, and it was obviously justified. I gave Grace full credit for her help, and from that moment she became someone I could depend on. It turned out she was a pretty good cook herself, and although her tastes were a bit more upscale than the diner usually offered she was able to give Joe and me some new ideas.

  Grace

  Helping Tommy that weekend struck a chord in me. I enjoyed working at David Baker's with Aunt Vernetta, but this was different. It was creative and I loved it! Aunt Vernetta was delighted for me. She said she could hear the change in my voice when I talked about that weekend, although she grinned when she teased me about the real reason for my new smile. I told her I couldn't step between Faith and Tommy but she said I'd better discuss that part with Faith, so I flew to San Francisco to talk to my best friend.

  Faith

  Grace talked me into flying back home with her. The next thing I knew I was in a business meeting with Joey, Tommy, Grace, and my mother. Joey wanted to expand the diner, but
with a completely different approach. A piece of property on the edge of town with a house and old barn was coming on the market. He was thinking a restaurant, maybe a bed-and-breakfast, a few different ideas. By the time we were done talking, looking over the property, and discussing the possibilities, we had an entire concept planned.

  Tommy

  Grace ran the restaurant. Faith ran the B&B after she oversaw a complete remodel of both the barn and house. Joey and I were the investors. There was only one name for our new establishment.

  Dolores

  I was thrilled and blessed by the new eatery. I was asked to be a part of the ribbon cutting for Brennan's. Joe would have been so honored.

  Epilogue

  Chloe Miller Temple

  I got to be a part of the ribbon cutting for Brennan's. By then my mother wasn't getting out much, but I recorded the entire ceremony and emailed it off that evening. I spent the rest of the night with Joey, Olivia, Tommy, Grace, and Faith as we celebrated the newest addition to the town's fine dining. It also turned out to be a pivotal moment in my life when Faith introduced me to Jackson Temple, a reporter from a nearby city who'd been sent to cover the story. We had so much in common, we sat up and talked for two straight nights and spent the days roaming around town.