Mrs. Taylor sat with a cup of hot coffee on the open porch of the old Victorian house and watched as the young family which had recently moved across the street came out of their duplex and prepared to leave.
The mother opened the back door and buckled the little one, Annie, into a car seat, and the older girl climbed in beside her. Mom then got into the rusty old Chevy and drove away.
Susan wondered about them.
The mother looked very young, but of course to Susan just about everyone looked like kids these days. She sighed and stretched, remembering she was barely out of her teens when Ted Jr. was born.
Susan had met Joletta, the older girl, a couple of weeks before. She was pretty and slim, with dark shining hair that fell loosely around her shoulders. She had dark eyes and olive skin, in sharp contrast to the little one with bright blue eyes and blonde ringlets that went “every which way.” The child did not look like she could be a year old yet and the older girl was perhaps 13 or 14. Joletta had a warm, friendly smile but seemed quite serious and quiet-natured.
Closing her eyes, Susan’s memories involuntarily went to the time, so long ago, when her own children were small–the time that tragedy had changed their lives–forever. It came without warning, the memory of her husband’s death.
Ted had died in a tragic car accident on a beautiful summer day. That day Susan was left alone, with three small children to protect and care for. His death left her with responsibilities that she never thought she would have to face. Without the help and support of the only man she had or would ever love, she simply did not think she would survive. She was only 25 at the time and could not believe she was now a widow and a single mother.
After all the years, it still hurt her to remember, but remember she did. What triggered the memory she did not know, perhaps little Annie’s golden curls that reminded her of her own little girl at the same age, or the older sister’s serious face. She remembered so well her oldest son, Ted, how he tried so hard to be a man when he was not even in primary school yet. Memories are strange like that. They pop into your head when you least expect them and, good or bad, they take you back–-
After the devastating news, there were several days that she could feel little, except a deep numbness. She lived in a kind of limbo, simply doing whatever her family told her to do. Others took on most of the necessary preparations for her husband’s burial. That first week remained a blank for many years. Eventually, she did remember some things, but for the most part, those first few days were nothing but a dark blot.
As time passed, she began to process what had befallen her family. She wanted nothing more than to run away. She wanted to draw her children close to her and hide far, far, away from reality. But there was no place she could hide; it was not in her power to protect her children from the bitter reality of their loss.
She was angry with everyone, including her gentle-natured Ted. Frequently she would dissolve into tears and beg God, “Please wake me up! Please make this all a terrible nightmare!” Susan soon realized she would now have to deal with everything on her own. Although she understood, it didn’t make things better to blame Ted. Somehow it was easier to feel anger at him than to accept the cold fact that he was gone. He would not be coming home again.
Both she and Ted were from large families, and although she did not see it until much later, many of them stepped in to support and help her get through what seemed like a long unending abyss.
Parents, brothers, sisters, and so many others willingly and happily pitched in, bringing food, bathing children, and cleaning the house. So many of the small things we do daily without a second thought were done for her when she was not mentally able to do them for herself.
Eventually things did start to get a little easier, and after what seemed like an eternity, a time came when she began to see the “light at the end of the tunnel.” She began to believe they were going to make it through, and life would go on. Realizing this, she knew it was time for her to find a way to support her children and herself. What kind of work she would do was something of a problem, Susan had married right after graduation and had not been employed since working as a grocery cashier the year before graduation. She did not have a college degree or any particular skills that she could market, so how would she support herself and her children?
There were insurance forms that had to be filed and processed and lawyers to consult with, but any money from insurance would be months or possibly years away.
After several weeks of putting in applications, she got a seasonal job at a canning plant, and shortly after that she started working at a restaurant not far from where she lived. She worked at “Celia’s Roadhouse” for the next several years as a waitress and even though the job at Binder Cannery was hard, hot work, it made a huge difference when the first of the month and bill-paying time arrived. Although the job at Celia’s did not pay much, she was a popular waitress and did quite well with generous tips. She was efficient and friendly, and knowing that she was doing a good job gave her real satisfaction.
Eventually, she did receive the insurance settlement from Ted’s accident. With some of the money she decided to attend a local college, and the remainder she put in savings for her children’s education. After much hard work, she proudly earned her business degree.
Susan realized she would never have been able to accomplish all this had it not been for her supportive family who had given so much after Ted died.
Not long after she got her degree, Susan, along with her other siblings, received a surprising, and sizable inheritance when their grandmother, Penelope Ames, passed away. That money was to play a major role in the future of her family.
She could now afford to stay home with the children full-time, but although she considered quitting her job at the Roadhouse, she enjoyed the work and the people there. If she quit her job, she knew she would miss them. By now, the children were happy and well settled into their own routines, one in preschool, the other two at daycare for two days each week; then grandpa’s and grandma’s house the other three days. Under the circumstances, Susan felt no great need to change so she chose to continue working at the Roadhouse.
She did decide not to go back to the factory again. That job was a blessing at the time because she still needed the paycheck. However, the factory work was hard and left her with very little energy to give to her children. She decided it would be best not to return the following Spring.
One day at work, Celia came over and told Susan she needed to speak with her in the office. Susan had no idea what the reason could be, but she followed Celia into the small office behind the kitchen.
As Celia closed the office door Susan saw that Mr. Bollinger, a frequent customer, was sitting in the room as if waiting for them. He had always been kind to Susan, and she had actually visited his law office recently to ask for advice about the money left to her in her grandmother’s will. However, Susan was completely confused as to why Celia had singled her out and why Mr. Bollinger was here.
Celia offered Susan a seat and began to explain the reason for the meeting. Speaking softly, she told Susan that she had recently been diagnosed with a serious heart condition. She explained that there was little the doctors could do, except offer moral support and advise her that she would need to severely cut back on her activities. She would soon be putting the “Roadhouse” up for sale…
As sympathetic as Susan was when told of her employer’s condition, she still had no idea what the reason for a private meeting could be. Celia could have easily told her this along with the rest of the staff, but as Celia continued Susan began to understand more clearly.
Celia said Mr. Bollinger had suggested to her that Susan might be interested in purchasing her business. As her story continued, Celia told Susan that Mr. Bollinger was her sister’s husband. His wife was no longer living, but he was still close to his extended family. When Cilia told Walt of her circumstances and her plans to sell, he suggested that she should consider asking Susan if she was interested in becoming the owner. Not divulging all of Susan’s private information, he had told Celia she should ask Susan about possibly purchasing the business.
At first, Susan could not believe that Celia was serious. Opportunities like this don’t just happen, do they? However, weeks later, after a lot of prayers and much thought, she decided she very much liked the idea. It felt like the right thing to do, and she soon found herself in the middle of contracts and plans for this new venture. It took a couple of months, but after making the decision and with the encouragement of her family and friends Susan bought and indeed became the new owner and manager of Celia’s Roadhouse.
The very first thing she did as a new landowner was to rename the business. Celia’s Roadhouse officially became “Penelope’s Place” in June of 1968 in honor of her grandmother Penelope Ames. Susan made few changes to the business the first year, keeping not only the former staff but the building’s original look too, other than adding a beautiful new lighted sign mounted on a tall pole, proudly proclaiming, “Penelope’s Diner, Open for Business.”
For the next thirty years, the restaurant continued to support Susan, and though she was no longer actively involved in the business, she still carried an interest in Penelope’s. She and her family lived happily and well. They bought this beautiful home; both of her sons had eventually completed college and gone on to become lawyers. Susan’s daughter became a lay minister.
Five years ago, Jillian had married Thomas Turner, a handsome young preacher and they were now living and doing missionary work in Malawi, Africa.
Bill and his wife Mary blessed her with two beautiful granddaughters: Tiffany, at 14, was the eldest and Samantha was almost 11.
Ted, her youngest son, was unmarried and resided in a beautiful high-rise in the city. He loved his un-encumbered, bachelor existence.
Things could have been so different for us, Susan thought. What if we had not had a family to help us out so many years ago? What if Grandma had not left us the money to buy the restaurant? Could I have ever managed if I had been left all on my own? Luckily, those were questions that Susan had never needed to ask. Life had not always been easy for them but there had always been someone, family or friends, that had reached out with helping hands whenever it was most needed.
Susan began watching in the late afternoons for Joletta and her little sister. The weather had been beautiful the past week, and Joletta would bring the baby outside to play or take her in the stroller and walk around the block. Susan would wave at them, and Joletta would respond with a cheerful “Hi, Mrs. Taylor! Annie wanted to go for a walk. What are you doing today?”
Last week was a different story though. Joletta had shyly knocked on the door and asked for a loan. Susan invited her into the house, but she refused.
Instinctively Susan knew that the story the girl told was probably not completely true… Susan could tell by Joletta’s nervous appearance that something was not quite right. The girl looked as if she believed Susan would send her away and refused to come into the house.
Without asking for any further information, she gave the money to Joletta. She would have even offered more but she was aware that her sons would not approve, as it were. Not wanting to embarrass the child, she let her go her way. Obviously, there was a problem of some sort. Perhaps later she would find out what it was, but at that moment the reason did not seem as important as giving the child what she apparently needed.
As Susan’s mind slowly came back to the moment, she made a decision. If ever given a chance to help this young family, she would like to do just that. It seemed obvious that they had no family support. She had not ever noticed anyone other than the three of them at the house near hers. They lived in the old Bellamy place, directly across the street from Susan’s home. Of course, she had already met the children, but hadn’t had an opportunity to introduce herself to their mother. Perhaps she would invite them over for iced tea and cookies one afternoon soon.
Susan slowly lifted herself out of the wicker rocker she had been sitting in and went inside to make herself some lunch.