Café Lori
I stared at the sign above my mother’s busy shop, remembering everything that had happened over the last year. I was happy for her but couldn’t help wishing she’d named the latest craze within this tiny town something else. In my teenage years, my world revolved around trying to fit into a new town where my name (Lori) happened to be unusual.
My mother left France for America when she was pregnant with me. She brought a beautiful accent with her, one which transformed my name into Lor-ay. When the locals heard her pronunciation of Café Lor-ay, they noticed it right away. Fortunately, so did Brandon.
When he said my name, he added his own flare…making it special.
At seventeen, I’m sure my skin glowed every time I heard him say my name. For my age, I thought I was mature. I had no idea that the next year would shape me in such profound ways.
Since I’d attended my previous school for most of my life, I was quite popular in my class. In fact, I was the girl to hang out with there. In this small town of Poplar, Ohio, I received curious glances and catty behavior right away.
My mother had dropped me off that first day of school. She’d insisted on asking at the office if she could hang an ad at the entrance. Since her food was excellent and she offered free wi-fi and less expensive coffee that put the big dogs to shame, Café Lori had been popular back home in Lima, Ohio. I knew she’d be trendy here as well.
A man, huge in stature, entered the office behind us and heard my mother’s accent. He seriously looked as if someone had clobbered him with a bat. His jaw dropped as he stared at her. My mother is an outspoken, outgoing, strong single parent. She gracefully rolls with the punches.
She wooed him over when she said, “’Ello, I am Anne Bellamy. Will you attend my Grand Opening at Café Lori?”
His eyebrows flew up as he nodded, “I sure will.”
Appearing as if he’d hit the lottery, he stepped aside to let her leave the office. A tall boy who had to play football with his build stood behind him. Brandon stared at us for a split second before swiftly sidestepping. He looked to be my age. I glanced at him just as my mother stopped in front of me.
After almost stumbling into her back, I handed her the tape as I smiled at Brandon. He dipped his head in a polite nod while smiling back. I felt better about everything…for about three seconds.
A pretty girl flounced up to him, rocking a bit of attitude and signaling they were together as her hand slid around the crook of his elbow. I couldn’t help but think, Great…he has a girlfriend who shoots daggers with her eyes.
Taking a deep breath, I smiled at her. My mother, outgoing to a fault, handed her an ad while introducing me before asking the same question she’d asked of the older gentleman. Shrugging, the girl scanned the ad before bathing me in a scathing glance, “I might go.”
Brandon grinned, “Lor-ay, huh? That’s…different.”
Accustomed to being popular and unused to their level of cattiness, I rolled my eyes, “It’s actually Lori. My mom has a penchant for butchering the American pronunciation.”
“Oh, she’s not butchering. No, no! She’s embellishing. She could never butcher.”
All eyes went to the older gentleman as Brandon groaned, “Dad!”
My jaw dropped this time. Just what I need; this cute guy’s dad is hitting on my mother!
“I’ll check it out.”
Before I had processed that the cute guy had said this, he winked at me and headed into the office. The girl openly stared at me, sizing me up, and gave me the first of many anxious moments before she followed him.
Since it was midway through the year, I’d been thankful that graduation was so close. I could endure that short time. As the weeks stretched into months, the restaurant took off and became the craze. Brandon was always there because he was addicted to YouTube.
He actually learned to play the guitar through videos. He had a decent voice too so he started creating songs. Since he was popular, it drew a small crowd. We suddenly had a live show that was being recorded on regular intervals.
Throughout this time, his father was also a regular. My mother and his father would flirt like crazy, drawing cringes from us while some of the students oohed and ahhhed over the couple. I discovered his girlfriend’s name was Mandy. She couldn’t stand me.
I’d like to think it was because our parents were so close but I know otherwise. Brandon and I had grown close too. We met at the library to study, walked home together, and even passed messages for our parents. When our parents started dating, Brandon and I discovered even more similarities and almost became inseparable.
When he didn’t seem attentive to Mandy, she dumped him and stopped going to Café Lori. Since I worked there and grew tired of her cattiness, I was relieved. To be truthful, that’s when my dreamy hope began to grow.
At first, I blamed my romantic views on my mother and Brandon’s father. They were always sharing meaningful glances. They looked so happy that I couldn’t help smile every time I glanced their way.
One day, Brandon arrived at the restaurant excited about a new song. He insisted I listen to it alone. Once I settled opposite him, my eyes widened when he started singing a low ballet titled, Falling in Love at a Café.
As he sang the song, my eyes flew to our parents. They were discussing an accounting issue since Brandon’s dad had taken over the restaurant’s finances. Brandon’s tender tone drew my eyes back to find his steady gaze fixed on me.
Oh! He’s…oh…!
My cheeks heated as he held my gaze while singing those meaningful lyrics. It was now obvious that they were intended for me. That night, I hid around the corner when he was recording it for YouTube.
I have to admit that I took a step back after that song. The situation was starting to rattle me. When he drove me nuts over the next week to go hiking, I finally relented. Occasionally, he would surprise me with a picnic and play a song for me.
I knew he was falling for me but didn’t know how to stop him. For that matter, I was trying to keep from falling for him. Every time I looked at our parents, thinking they’d get married one day, I closed the door on the possibility of a future with Brandon
Directly after graduation, Brandon said he needed to speak with me about something. When he asked if I wanted to take a walk, I nodded and followed him. He directed me to a favored trail while asking me about my plans for college. I told him that I wanted to stay close to home in order to help my mother with the café.
We stopped walking as we approached a natural pool with a waterfall. Even though the weather had been much warmer, the water was still quite cold. I dipped a finger into the pool and shivered. His nervousness was making me anxious so I dared him to walk along the ledge and through the falls. This would mean getting the brunt of the waterfall which was located in the mouth of a cave.
I was surprised when his eyes narrowed and he shed his shoes. To my shock, he quickly moved to the entrance. When I heard my name being called, I shed my shoes and my caution before following him. The pocket of space behind the falls was slim but just enough so the falls didn’t turn into a deluge.
When I reached him, he immediately pulled me to him. An image of my mother flashed through my mind before Brandon’s mouth lowered to mine for a kiss. I have no idea what he was thinking but I’d secretly fantasized about this moment. Instead of turning him away, I kissed him back.
He broke it to whisper over my lips, “Dad is going to ask your mother to marry him.”
I started to lean away but he quickly added, “That’s not all. I was accepted to Miami U, Lori. I’ll be moving there to stay in their dorms so you don’t have to worry about us.”
I stared at him while my heart sank. He nodded, “I get it. I haven’t seen my dad this happy since I was five years old. They have a right to be happy, Lori. I can’t stay around here though. I don’t want anything to wreck that happiness…especially us.”
Panicked at losing him, I fought tears as I shook my head. He pulled me to him for another bittersweet kiss. When he reluctantly broke it, I searched his face before realizing he was right. My mother radiated joy. I couldn’t deny her that.
“We’ll keep in touch then…brother.” I swallowed my despair and reminded myself that that we were only a click away from seeing each other.
He grinned, nodding as I turned to leave the waterfall entrance. We promised each other to keep in touch but had no idea how hard it would be to slow things down. We’d spent so much time with each other that, when he left, I felt as if someone had ripped part of my soul away.
My mother offered comfort even though I was sure she didn’t know the depth of my emotions. Pausing to rub my back, she would ask, “Are you not well, Lor-ay?”
She already knew that I missed Brandon. I was hoping at the time that she wouldn’t correctly guess how deeply I missed him. We texted frequently and had chatted by video every night. He’d introduced me to his new roommate and various friends he’d made.
I picked up more hours at the restaurant, trying to get him out of my mind. Halloween was brutal. I was bombarded with memories of haunted houses, screaming when Brandon leapt out to scare me, and fighting over the leftover candy. When I shoved those out of my mind, an in depth discussion of the grossness of Thanksgiving cranberry sauce replaced it.
Too many memories invaded my thoughts the following week. When I burned a batch of cookies, my mother said, “Lor-ay, you are too nervous for me. Remember, holidays should bring cheer.”
We were so busy that I didn’t have time to pay proper attention. She shoved a plate in my hand, motioning with her head toward the corner table. I muttered an apology as she pulled the scorched cookies from the oven before hurrying toward the patron who patiently waited on his sandwich.
Distracted and trying to pull my thoughts together, I jumped when I heard my name…Brandon!
My eyes flew to the patron seated in the corner as he rose, “Hello, Lori.”
I almost threw his sandwich, shrieking as I jumped into his arms. It wasn’t the response I would have planned if I’d had my wits about me. His grin spread across his face as he caught me. I hugged him before realizing conversation had lulled in the face of my shriek.
At my embarrassed squirm, he released me. I slid into the chair for a second to say, “I thought you weren’t coming home on leave.”
“I wanted to surprise everyone. You’re mother is still glowing.”
Nodding, I told him she was having problems finding a venue for the wedding. When someone looked around from another table, I quickly said, “I have to get back to work. What are you doing later?”
After making plans, I rushed to provide needed service. I had no idea my mother had already made plans for us later that night. As I moved around the restaurant, Brandon’s dad sat with his son for a while before my mother appeared. Keeping busy, I wasn’t privy to their conversation.
When it was nearing closing time, my mother stopped beside me, “Brandon is following us home and will have dinner with us this evening. There is a matter we need to discuss with you.”
Remembering my exuberant response to Brandon, I bit back my cringe and nodded, “Okay.”
Suddenly feeling hot, I knew by the look on her face that she’d guessed our feelings for each other. The busy restaurant kept me occupied until we left. When I saw Brandon across the dinner table later that night, he looked as nervous as I felt.
My mother prattled on about the harrowing ordeal of arraigning a wedding. I had heard it so often that I tuned her out. When Brandon paused with his fork halfway to his mouth and stared at her, I stammered, “What? Mom, what did you just say?”
“I didn’t think you were listening, Lor-ay. I said we have decided to cancel the wedding.”
Dumbfounded, I asked, “To elope?”
Brandon’s father spoke up, “We choose not to get married.”
That only brought more confusion, causing me to blurt out, “Why!?!”
My mother calmly said, “For you.” A small smile lifted the corners of her mouth, “The two of you need a chance. I’m too old to need a piece of paper to tell me how I feel about this man. But you, Lor-ay and Brandon, need time to explore. We are giving you that time now. If society wants to cast judgment on us, let them.”
I swallowed hard, breaking out in a sweat until Brandon said, “Thank you.”
His validation and easy acceptance of the situation spurred a wave of dizziness. I quickly rose, fleeing to the bathroom where I ran cold water over my wrists. When my mother knocked on the door, I let her inside. Shaking my head, I said, “Mom, I learned when we moved here how spiteful people could be. You’ll lose business at the restaurant and…”
“I have no regrets about my decision, Lor-ay. There will always be unhappy people who point fingers. Ignore them because they are trying to hand you their unhappiness. I am happy. I don’t intend to let them steal my happiness or my daughter’s.”
Knowing my mother, she would handle it with style. She’d already molded a reputation as outspoken and imaginative. Trying to gather my thoughts, I dabbed the water off my wrists with the hand towel. We returned to the table, discovering Brandon and his father discussing college life.
As I listened, I realized they were discussing something to do with a decision Brandon had made. I almost choked on a bite of food when Brandon’s father informed us, “He will transform the basement into his room and transfer to a college branch here.”
I stared at Brandon as he slowly nodded, “I’m moving back home, Lori.”
My mother covered my hand with hers, “Do you remember what I told you when I opened Café Lori?”
I nodded, “Not to worry…that you would provide me with everything I needed.”
“Correct, Lor-ay. The café will put food in your stomach and pay your bills. A husband is now needed. All my wedding plans can be transferred to you. Just say the word, Lor-ay.”
My gaze flew to Brandon. His surprise perfectly reflected what I thought. I grinned at my mother, “Mom, you’re moving way too fast. I know you want to see me happy but Brandon and I are still building a relationship.”
With a tinkling of laughter, she told me, “Yes, I am impatient. You are right, Lor-ay. Now, why are you still here? The night is young…as you both are. Go discover what you have together.”
After we removed our dishes and left, Brandon told me, “My dad asked me about grandkids tonight.”
“My mother loves children. That doesn’t surprise me one bit.”
He leaned toward me in the front seat of the car, “What are our chances of success here, Lori?”
My mind rolled over the weeks of missing him as I nodded, “I think they’re pretty good, Brandon. What do you think?”
“I think I’ll go mad if you ever leave my sight again.”
Recognizing part of a lyric from Falling in Love at a Café, I grinned before our lips met.
~~ The End ~~
