Compared to talkative Manny, Katrina was a woman of few words, but she wasn’t shy or sheepish. She just preferred her work, or her “art” as she called it, to do the talking. And what a rich conversationalist she could be! As a thank-you for hiring her, Katrina crafted Chelsea her favorite drink, a simple latte. Only this latte was anything but simple.
Chelsea watched as Katrina pulled two shots of espresso into the blank canvas of a white mug. She steamed the milk to perfection. But she didn’t just dump it over the espresso willy-nilly. Oh no. Katrina thumped the stainless steel pitcher on the counter, dispersing the unsightly big bubbles of milk. She tipped the white liquid into the mug, her wrist twisting back and forth. Seconds later, Katrina unveiled her masterpiece: a latte topped with the coffee foam image of the planet Saturn.
“This is beautiful! Thank you, Katrina.”
Chelsea was grateful. With Katrina, Chelsea had enough added margin in her day to tend to the baked goods in her new oven and even share a lunch with her kids. And much to Chelsea’s delight, her patrons were just as appreciative of her new hire.
The first afternoon rush was a lively family who had recently been relocated to San Antonio. Their accents placed them as New Yorkers, so Katrina served them with a taste of home: cappuccinos emblazoned with the Statue of Liberty. The father left a fifty-dollar tip.
In the lull that followed, Katrina watched, transfixed, as the family of New Yorkers logged onto the God Blog, and then gathered together to offer tear-filled prayers up to heaven.
Chelsea asked her, “Have you tried the God Blog yet?”
“No. Only asking one question . . . that’s a lot of pressure. Is it really real?”
“Of course it’s real!” Manny interjected. “Is it so hard to believe that God is answering people’s questions through a blog in your café?”
“Well, now that you put it that way . . .” Chelsea began, but then she and Katrina dissolved into laughter.
“Think about it,” Manny said. “The Creator of the Universe is willing to answer your deepest question . . . and you’re not even willing to ask? What if God really is on the other end of that Internet connection?”
Chelsea pondered Manny’s audacious logic. But only for a moment. The lights in the café had begun to flicker and then . . . ZAP! All dark.
With the light from her cell phone, Chelsea inspected the circuit breaker in the pantry. She flipped some switches, but to no avail. She needed an expert.
“Sorry, folks!” she announced. “Looks like we’re closing early today!”
Katrina and Manny distributed consolation cupcakes to exiting customers, while Chelsea took her son’s suggestion to call their neighbor for some expert help.
Bo came at once, flashlight in hand. “I ’spect that’s your problem right there,” he said, illuminating Chelsea’s new industrial oven. “You’re fortunate a fire didn’t break out. Gotta be careful of aluminum wiring in old houses like this.”
“So what do you think it’ll cost me to fix it?” Chelsea braced herself for the worst.
“Shouldn’t be more than a hundred bucks. In a few hours I’ll have the wiring to the oven redone. I still suggest you get all the aluminum replaced, but this’ll hold you over till then.”
“You mean you’ll do this for us?”
“On one condition.”
“Yeah?”
Bo pointed his flashlight at Hancock and Emily. “You take these young’uns out for the night. I think y’all could use a break.”
Chelsea couldn’t have been more pleased. It had only taken forty-eight hours for her to fulfill the promise she’d made to Hancock to carve out some time for family fun.
Forty-eight hours! I’d like to see Sawyer beat that.
That Hancock’s favorite movie was playing at a local “oldies” theater was simply icing on the cake. “Four tickets to Star Wars, please.”
Upon Manny’s shocking admission that he had never seen Star Wars, Hancock had insisted that he come as their family’s plus one. Chelsea wasn’t sure what her children enjoyed more, watching the movie or watching Manny watch the movie. Emily and Hancock howled with laughter when Manny jumped with panic at the sight of Darth Vader, spilling his bucket of popcorn all over their laps. He took the passing of Obi Wan Kenobi especially hard, but when Luke launched the proton torpedoes into the Death Star, they couldn’t keep him in his seat.
When they returned home, Chelsea was relieved to see the electricity working just as Bo had promised. He’d left a note, and just below his name he had scribbled a familiar passage of Scripture: The Lord is near to all who call upon Him. Psalm 145:18
Chelsea closed her eyes and reveled in the moment. For the first time in a very long time, she didn’t feel helpless or alone. She had the help she needed at the café. Bo was proving to be quite the guardian angel. Even Hancock and Emily were settling into their family’s new normal.
She ventured upstairs to tuck the kids into bed. But just before opening their door, something stopped her. The sweet sound of their laughter.
“It was hilarious!” Hancock said. “You have to meet him, Dad! He was yelling and cheering the whole time!”
“Popcorn spilled all over us!” Emily added.
Even over speakerphone, Sawyer’s laughter echoed into the hall.
“I wish you coulda been there, Dad.”
Sawyer. Chelsea still didn’t know how he fit into their new normal.
“Hey, maybe next family fun night, you can come!” Hancock said.
“That sounds fun to me! But you should probably leave that for Mom to decide.”