2007
Order up for table seven!”
Mari looked at Manuel, sweating beneath his hairnet as he called out another breakfast order, his face red as a tomato.
They had been slammed this week. Students had their families in town, and everyone had decided the Jupiter Café was where they wanted to have brunch.
Picking up the hot plate of hash browns and eggs, Mari carried it over to table seven.
“Hash browns and eggs?”
The girl in front of Mari wrinkled her nose. “Are those scrambled? Gross. I did not order scrambled. I ordered sunny-side up.”
“Are you sure?” Mari asked, sweat dripping down her back as she looked around the restaurant. They were understaffed, thanks to Wanda. Glancing at her notepad, Mari saw “scrambled eggs” written in her neat penmanship.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” the girl scoffed, looking down at her long acrylic nails.
“Sorry,” Mari said, biting back her frustration. “We’ll make it right this time.”
As she walked away, the girl turned to her friend and said, “I won’t be tipping her.” Then they both erupted into giggles.
Gritting her teeth, Mari returned to the kitchen.
“What’s the problem?” Manuel asked.
Mari shook her head apologetically. “She wants sunny-side up.”
He threw up his hands and then muttered a string of curse words. His bad mood permeated the air.
“Hey.” The new waitress with a pierced lip and blue hair walked up to Mari. “I think I screwed up. I switched table eight and table four. Can you help me?”
Mari took a deep breath, summoning her last drop of patience. Today could not get any worse. “Sure. Just give me a minute.”
“How’s it going in here?” Wanda asked, appearing in the kitchen, her eyes wide behind her rhinestone glasses. She frowned. “Looks like those folks need coffee. What’s the holdup, Marisol? Andale, Andale!”
“I’m on it,” Mari said, anger creeping up her neck. She began to reach for the coffeepot, but stopped midway. What was she doing here? Time seemed to stand still as she realized she’d spent the last four years doing exactly this—yielding to Wanda’s demands and smiling at rude customers.
Was she too afraid to put herself in the position of wanting something bigger, because she might fail? Sure, the hours of waitressing had suited her schedule, and the pay was steady, but working at the museum booth had shown her she could do more.
Mari spun around. “You know what, Wanda? I speak English. You don’t need to tell me to andale. I’m moving as fast as I can.”
Wanda curled her lip, her bright red lipstick creeping into the wrinkles above her mouth. “Are you giving me attitude?”
“No. I’m pointing out that we’re understaffed because you didn’t hire enough servers this week. And we’re all doing the best we can. In fact, you could help us by bringing that coffee to those folks yourself.”
“Listen here, missy. You’re lucky to have this job.”
Mari took a deep breath, and then straightened her shoulders. “I’m going to stay until the end of my shift, because I’m not leaving Manuel and Bridget in the lurch. But then you’re going to mail me my last paycheck. Because guess what? I quit.”
Turning her back on Wanda, Mari stormed out of the kitchen. Manuel raised his eyebrows, and then smiled ever so slightly before returning to the sizzling stovetop.
Bridget followed her, wide-eyed. “That was badass.”
“Thanks,” Mari said. “We’ll fix your order. I’m only going to be here for a few more hours, so pay attention, okay?”
UNTYING HER APRON, Mari smiled. She hung it up on a hook for the next waitress to wear. Punching her time card for the last time, Mari enjoyed the satisfying thump of the stamp. Some of the kitchen staff wanted to get beers, but she declined.
Mari waved goodbye, then stepped out the back entrance into the parking lot. It was a beautiful summer evening, the sky still light and the air warm. Smoothing her short blue dress, Mari hoped she’d never smell like greasy French fries or onion rings ever again. Her future wasn’t certain, but she knew she could do more than waitress—she had her museum position on her résumé now.
It was scary to have terminated her main source of income, but hopefully it would light a fire under her to find a new job as soon as possible. Something she really wanted this time—a career that would make her daughter proud.
Mari walked across the parking lot. The driver’s-side door opened on a silver Honda, and Jason emerged, holding a bouquet of pink roses, orange tulips, purple orchids and yellow sunflowers. Mari blinked, trying to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. Then she brought her hand to her mouth. “You’re back already? Why didn’t you text me that you were coming?”
Jason smiled. “Because I wanted to surprise you.”
He looked so handsome in his flannel shirt, his brown eyes sparkling. He’d only been gone for a few days, but she’d really missed him.
“How did you know when my shift ended?”
“I called your mom.”
“Well, don’t tell her yet, but I quit.”
“What? Just now?”
Mari laughed. “Yeah. It was time.”
“Come here,” Jason said, wrapping his arms around her. “Congratulations.”
She hugged him tightly, breathing in the scent of his cologne. Then she kissed him slowly on the lips, savoring the moment.
Jason handed her the bouquet of flowers, which she took, burying her nose in their soft petals. They were so beautiful.
“What’s the occasion?”
He swallowed, his eyes locking on hers with an intensity she hadn’t seen before.
“Well, I wanted to tell you that I love you.”
Looking into his warm brown eyes, Mari felt a rush of emotion. Her heart pounded with a mixture of nerves and excitement. Then she said the three words she’d never uttered to anyone, except members of her family.
“I love you.”
“Whew,” Jason said, breaking into a giant grin. “I was scared for a moment there you were going to tell me to get lost.”
“Never.” She nodded at the silver Honda. “Did you buy a car?”
“It’s a rental. Come around to the passenger side. There’s someone I want you to meet.”
Mari’s stomach dropped as she saw a petite woman sitting in the passenger seat, her short hair dyed brown and neatly curled.
“Is that who I think it is?”
Jason pulled open the passenger-side door. The woman looked at Mari and her whole face lit up. Even in her eighties, she was still beautiful. Her blue eyes twinkled and her red lipstick illuminated her lovely smile. She extended a dainty hand.
“You must be Mari. I’m Vera Stanek. But you may know me as Violet.”
Mari took Violet’s hand in hers. “It is such a pleasure to meet you. I can’t believe I’m meeting you in the flesh!”
Violet laughed. “I’m not the queen of England, dear. I’m a little old lady from Illinois. Help me up so I can give you a hug.”
Mari pulled Violet up from the passenger seat. She was so petite, and looked frail. But when Violet wrapped her arms around Mari, her hug was powerful. Mari closed her eyes and breathed in the floral scent of Violet’s perfume. When she pulled away, Violet’s eyes shone with tears. “You look like your grandfather.”
A lump rose in Mari’s throat. “I do?”
Violet stared at her. “You have his eyes. Ricky Cruz was a brave man. He saved my life many years ago. He’s the reason that I’m here today.”
Mari blinked back tears. “Thank you. He left your note in a safe deposit box at the bank. I only discovered it recently.”
Mari loved the papery feel of Violet’s warm hands as they clasped hers.
“My dear,” Violet said. “There is so much I want to tell you. But first, can we walk along the beach? I haven’t seen the Pacific Ocean in a very long time.”
MARI WATCHED VIOLET, standing in the sand, her eyes closed. She faced the ocean, the wind in her hair and the breeze on her face. Waves crashed against Cowell Beach, rushing toward Violet’s toes. When the cold water reached her ankles, she didn’t flinch. Instead, she smiled up at the sun, tears streaming down her face.
“She looks so happy,” Mari whispered.
Jason smiled. “She is.”
Violet stretched out her arms. “I’m ready now. Help me, please.”
Mari took Violet’s arm on one side, and Jason took the other. They supported her as they walked across the sand back to the stairs leading to the boardwalk. Violet breathed heavily after the slow climb, and Mari helped her onto a bench.
“Are you okay, Grandma?” Jason asked. “Let’s put your shoes back on.”
Violet patted his arm. “I’m all right, dear. Thank you.” As Jason bent down and helped Violet back into her loafers, she pointed at the roof of the arcade.
“Ricky’s zip line extended all the way from the top of that building down to the end of the pier. He dangled by one ankle and one wrist. Donny Pierson held him like that, and then they would both plunge into the ocean. It was wild.”
“I love that you got to see my abuelo perform.” Mari took a deep breath. “How did you know he would help you that night?”
Violet stared at the waves. “I didn’t know for sure. But your grandfather had already helped me once, when I left for Hollywood. I was frightened to drive because it was dark and foggy, but he told me I could do it.”
Mari’s heart ached, wishing she could hug Abuelo one last time. “That sounds like him. He was always encouraging me. I took a summer position at the Santa Cruz museum because I wanted to honor his memory.”
Violet clasped Mari’s hand. “I want to thank you, with all of my heart. I so desperately wanted to thank Ricky that night, but I didn’t get the chance.”
“You must’ve meant a lot to him.”
“He was always willing to help a friend in need. He had a heart of gold.” She looked toward the boardwalk. “This place brings back so many memories. I never thought I would see it again. Santa Cruz still feels like home.”
Mari looked at the gazebo and sighed, knowing it would be demolished soon. “There’s nowhere else like it.”
Violet pointed at the shops dotting the Beach Boardwalk. “My friend Evie and I used to get milkshakes from Marini’s. I loved the maraschino cherries. Is Marini’s still in operation?”
“It is,” Mari said. “Both the boardwalk location and another storefront on Pacific Avenue.” She looked at Jason for reassurance. “And Evie, your friend, she’s still alive.”
Violet brought her hand to her heart. “She is?”
Mari nodded. “She lives in a nursing home in San Jose.”
“You met her?”
“She helped me solve the mystery of how you escaped. She told me you’d sewn a dress suit for my grandpa to give to his mother.”
Violet smiled. “Oh heavens, I did say that, didn’t I?”
Mari laughed. “Knowing my great-grandmother worked on a strawberry farm in the Central Valley where she’d have no use for a suit, and that my father hadn’t seen her in years, I knew something was odd.”
“I was so frightened,” Violet said, her eyes distant, as if she were lost in thought. “I needed Evie to give Ricky the skirt and jacket for my plan to work. I didn’t know if she would. What did she tell you that helped you unravel the mystery?”
“That she left it at his post office box. I never knew he had one, but I had a brass key in an old trunk of his. I decided to try it at the post office downtown.”
“Is that where he left my note?”
“No. Inside was another key. It opened his safe deposit box at the bank. Your note was in there, along with a beautiful pair of diamond and sapphire earrings.”
“Oh,” Violet said, her face falling. “I had hoped he would use them to help himself. He didn’t sell them?”
Mari shook her head. “He never liked taking charity from people.”
“Let’s get going,” Jason said. “It’s getting cold. I don’t want you to get sick, Grandma. We should get back to the car.”
“All right,” Violet said, taking his hand. She nudged Mari. “Isn’t he a caring boy?”
Mari smiled. “Yes, I think so.”
Violet frowned. “Do you think it would give Evie a terrible fright if we visited her? I’m not sure it’s the right thing to do. To make her think she’s seen a ghost.”
Mari bit her lip. “I think we should. Evie has some regrets about not doing more to help you, when you were married to Charles.”
For a minute they walked in silence, the weight of the past heavy between them. Violet spoke first, her eyes sad. “It wasn’t her fault. I never confided in her.”
MARI GINGERLY TAPPED on the door to Evie’s room at her San Jose nursing home, Violet behind her, clutching Jason’s hand.
“Evelyn,” she called. “Can I come in? It’s Mari.”
Evelyn wore a yellow sweater and sat in a wheelchair facing the window. Mari’s heart sank. Perhaps she wasn’t feeling well today.
Mari spoke again. “I visited you once before. Your daughter, Karen, told me about you. We spoke about your beauty pageant days.”
Evelyn spun around in her chair, looking at Mari.
“Sorry, dear. I only heard half of what you said. I was watching a blue jay in the garden outside.”
Mari nodded. “Do you remember when I came to visit you? We spoke about Santa Cruz in the 1940s and your friend Violet.”
Evie wheeled herself closer to Mari. “Yes, I remember that, dear. It made me quite emotional. I still miss her, even after all these years.”
“Evie, I want you to take a deep breath. The truth is, I’ve brought Violet here to see you.”
Violet stepped into the room, her hands clasped in front of her heart.
Evie brought a trembling hand to her mouth. “Vi, is that you?”
Violet nodded, tears in her eyes. “Yes.”
“But it’s not possible!”
With Jason guiding her by the arm, Violet walked over to Evie, then placed a hand lovingly on her friend’s shoulder. “I’m so terribly sorry for what I put you through. I didn’t die that night. I escaped on a train north to San Francisco. I’ve thought about you so many times over the years.”
Evie stared at Violet for a long time. “You look like your mother. Did you know that? I’ll be damned. Is this really you?”
“It’s really me.”
“But everyone saw you jump—” Her voice broke. “That day in the supermarket, I ought to have said something.” She shook her head. “I saw how frightened you were and I let you go. I should have asked you if Charles was hurting you.”
Violet squeezed Evie’s shoulder. “Please don’t blame yourself. I didn’t have the guts to tell you about Charles. Do you remember the bag that I gave you that day?”
“Vaguely. What was it? Wait . . . a red ladies’ suit.”
Violet nodded. “You helped me escape. It was a skirt with a peplum jacket I’d sewn for Ricky Cruz to wear. He jumped off the cliff, pretending to be me.”
Evie stared up at Violet, wide-eyed. “But that’s bananas!”
Violet laughed. “It was bananas. I was desperate. I didn’t want Charles to hurt you, and I feared he would if I confided in you. But you executed my escape plan perfectly by bringing the garments to Ricky Cruz.”
“I left the bag at the post office.”
Mari cleared her throat. “And he got it. Because of you, Violet escaped.”
The old friends clasped hands, staring into each other’s eyes. Evie began to smile. “Well, I never. Here we are. For sixty years, I’ve believed you were dead, and now you’re standing here in front of me. I’m spooked!”
Violet’s eyes glistened. “Oh Evie. I longed to write to you. Did you have a good life? Did you and Frank have children?”
“Yes,” Evie said, smiling proudly. “We have a daughter and a son. We tried for more, but it wasn’t in God’s plan. Dear Frank passed away five years ago. He worked at his auto dealership until he was seventy-seven. He loved talking to customers.”
Violet laughed. “That sounds like Frank.”
Evie nodded at Jason. “Is this your grandson, Vi?”
“Yes. Isn’t he handsome?”
Jason extended his hand to Evie. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Mari smiled, looping her arm around Jason’s waist. “He’s my boyfriend.”
“Wonderful,” Evie said, clapping her hands together. “You make a lovely couple.” Then she beamed at Violet. “Do you remember when you taught me the secret to your egg salad recipe?”
“Mustard!” they said in unison. Then they burst into laughter.
“Do you remember what you told Mr. Warner at the pageant office?” Violet asked, gripping Evie’s hand.
“You mean about Uncle Frank?”
The two old women were laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes.
“Uncle Frank!”
Mari smiled, leaning against Jason. She breathed in the scent of his cologne, and loved the feel of his soft flannel shirt against her skin. Her cell phone jingled in her purse, and she reached in to retrieve it.
“Mari Cruz.”
The man cleared his throat. “Hello. This is Mayor Harcourt. I mean, Tom.”
“Oh,” Mari said, her shoulders tensing. “Hi.”
“Listen. I got your phone number from your supervisor at the museum. I hope you don’t mind.”
Mari patted Jason’s arm, mouthing that she’d be in the hallway. Once she stepped outside, she held the phone close to her ear. “No, it’s fine. What’s going on?”
The mayor’s voice was soft. “I’ve done a lot of thinking these past few days.” He didn’t sound like the mayor at all, but like someone trying to make amends. “I wanted you to know that I read every one of your emails.”
“Okay?”
He cleared his throat. “Do you have time to meet me this week? It doesn’t have to be at my office. I can get you a coffee at Peet’s. Unless, of course, you prefer Starbucks.”
Did the mayor just offer to buy her a coffee?
“Sure,” Mari said.
“Great,” Mayor Harcourt replied. “I would really love to talk to you in person.”