Steak House Anniversary

The end of February brought several surprises. We had just opened and I was starting up the fryers when Loretta came back to the kitchen.

"Surprise John. You have a visitor. Your wife is here." Loretta said that with absolutely no expression at all. I couldn't tell if she was sad, happy, worried, or what. With a deep sigh, I walked out to the dining room to see Marcie for the first time in many months. She was beautiful, as always. Her hair and makeup was perfect, and the outfit she had on, accentuated her figure. Loretta stayed in the kitchen.

"Hi John. You're a hard man to find. You look good."

"You look good yourself. I wasn't expecting to see you. Is there some special reason for this visit?" I could tell that she was nervous. She was biting her lower lip and shifting her feet back and forth.

"I just wanted to give you your copy of the final divorce decree. It went through faster than normal, and I thought you would like to have it as soon as possible." She handed me a folded document, which I didn't bother to open up.

"The house was sold and settled, so I brought a check for half of the money. It's only twenty three thousand. I didn't know the realtor's commission would be so high." She handed me the cashiers check that I noticed had my name on it. I took the check from her and signed the back of it. When I handed it back to her, she gave me a quizzical look.

"I don't need the money, Marcie. You keep it. It will help you get started. Just curious, what are your plans?"

"I sold everything, but my clothes. I am on my way to stay with my sister in Dallas. She has a job lined up for me at the same place where she works. The girls have promised to come down and visit next summer."

"I hope everything works out for you."

"Do you have any questions or anything you want to discuss before I go?"

"No, not really. I'm good. I don't need to know, or want to know any more than I do now. In fact, just having you here is more that I can handle. Thanks for dropping off the papers. Excuse me, now. I have to get back to work. The lunch crowd will be here soon." I turned and walked into the kitchen, without looking back. I was trying not to be rude, but I didn't want to be with her any longer than I had to. Many people will say I was cold, but I don't care. There is nothing I could do to her that would make up for what she did to me.

Loretta was standing in the kitchen, looking out over the river. There was still no expression on her face. I walked to the end of the room and looked out over the parking lot. Marcie had just gotten into her car, and was sitting in the drivers seat, crying. A minute later she was gone, and I would never see her again.

"I am sorry Loretta. I didn't know she would show up here. I don't even know how she found me."

"I know it's none of my business, but what did she want?"

"She gave me my copy of the final divorce decree. She is free now."

"What about you?"

"I am not so lucky. I got myself trapped again, by a beautiful Cajun queen. I guess I am just a sucker for fabulous women."

"I don't see no ring on your finger."

"How about tomorrow?"

At last I got a response. She had a big grin on her face as she wrapped her arms around my neck. After several minutes of passionate kissing she pulled back, and looked at me.

"Do you remember our Christmas Eve together?"

"Of course. How could I ever forget?"

"Well, congratulations, you are going to be a daddy."

We were married the next day, and I moved out of the storeroom. The boys were as happy as I was.

Mabel stopped coming over to the restaurant to eat. Loretta would take a light meal or soup over to her trailer after the rush cleared out. Clyde sat down with Loretta and I, and told us it was time for her to go to an assisted living facility. In order to get into one, she had to sell the marina complex. It really wasn't a marina at this point, but we didn't know what to call it. Mabel was still lucid and sharp as a whip. I didn't say anything to Loretta when Mabel and I started negotiating. It took most of the money I had stashed away, but I ended up buying the whole operation from Mabel, including the trailers. The only concession I had to make was concerning Clyde. I agreed to let him operate the gas station and boat slips. I would pay him a salary, plus free lodging in his trailer. It was a good deal for me because the station was taking in more than his salary would be.

I installed a dishwasher in the kitchen. That made Hector very happy. We hired a waitress to help Loretta out, hoping to have her trained by the time Loretta was due. The waitress was a single mom with two kids. She was ecstatic when we offered to rent her the empty trailer at a reasonable rate.

Epilogue: As the year went on, the marina blossomed. Business got better than we ever expected. We added boat-run shrimp, peel and eat platters, for the women customers. Before the summer was over, there we had a dozen, full- time boats in the new slips, and a waiting list for any new slots that opened up. Money was no problem, just time. I was happy and content. Terry had a steady relationship going with Tom Coletta's daughter, Tracy. The Outback was gone every chance he got. Josh ended up working with Clyde. He asked his mom if he could take over the gas station when Clyde retired. We were not aware Clyde was planning on retiring and were pretty sure that was a couple of years away. Terry wanted to stay with the restaurant.

After spending a few days with their mother, Janet and Rachel came and spent the rest of the summer helping out. They stayed in the storeroom, and thought it was a hoot. They never mentioned their mother. Loretta got along great with my daughters.

They say that the father's genes determine the sex of the baby. Loretta had a baby girl that September. We named her Mabel.

When our first wedding anniversary came around, Loretta asked me where I wanted to go, to celebrate.

I said, "Any place but a steak house."