Background
Maggie is working late at the diner tonight.
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Well, the evening hadn’t gone half-bad considering the awful weather. She finished organizing the storeroom from the last shipment, and the books were done for the week. She'd even gotten next week's orders placed. And, given the looks of the remaining tables, she was getting out of here on time this Saturday evening.
Yep, Maggie would call it a win so far. She texted Addy to check on him. Had your shower and you’re reading in bed, yeah?
Addy’s response was prompt as always. Yep! With Bongo
Maggie rolled her eyes. That huge damn cat had adopted the two of them. She had tried to get annoyed at yet another mouth to feed, but the freaking thing actually gave her a sense of calm to be around, and, unbelievably, he helped Addy’s focus. In fact, the stealthy feline must eat somewhere else because Maggie had never seen it touch the kibble food she’d managed to pick up for the stray in the clearance buggy at the Dollar General.
Julio come by?
The aging maintenance man in their rundown building always asked about Addy and checked in on the two of them almost daily.
Nah. Think he just comes by to see you! :-)
Maggie snorted and laughed out loud before catching herself. Mr. Dejesus looked like he needed to retire yesterday, although he always seemed to have quite a bit of youth hidden in his old eyes.
Punky and his pals home tonight?
They could do without that crew that lived across the hall. Maggie was convinced they were into things they shouldn’t be, but they never attracted visitors. The crew did nothing but politely greet her when they saw the two of them.
Dunno. Heard some banging around, but coulda been the storm
Most of the time, she brought Addy with her to work. That way, he could sit and work in the office and ask questions if he had them. The bad weather had prevented that tonight – the same weather that was the reason for the lack of customers.
You and Bongo eat?
Maggie figured the black monstrosity of a cat had more expensive taste than Perky Paws Chicken Surprise, but she put it out anyway. Truth was, the animal did have, in her estimation, nearly twenty plus pounds of itself to feed, and some Perky Paws couldn’t hurt.
I did. Bongo sat at the door and growled some
Even though Maggie had trained Addy well, she felt the panic jump into her throat when he implied someone could be outside the door. Ever since the mechanic’s garage below their foursquare of apartments closed, she worried about some of the “characters” she’d seen hanging out down there. Even though they always seemed to give her and Addy a wide berth, one could never be too careful. But, before she could even complete her response….
Guess he scared them cuz nobody even knocked
She swallowed, breathed a sigh of relief, and finished typing.
You know not to open the door, Addison. Yeah?
Immediate reply….
Duh, Marguerite. :-)
She snorted again. She could picture Addison’s little face rolling his eyes. He was a smart kid – extremely smart – a fact that was easy to forget because he was just a seven-year-old kid. But Addy was so much older than his years.
Heaven knew she was trying so hard to do right by him. She would work to keep him with her until her dying breath….because that’s what being without your family was like: dying to breathe. Her father had gifted her with that knowledge when she was fourteen. It had been just her, though, not her half-brothers and -sisters…and it hadn’t been sweet Dorothy’s fault the cancer had taken her so quickly…
Maggie’s mind was wandering into the past again.
“Ready for the check, Miss!” Mr. Man-bun was one of her more agreeable customers this evening.
Maggie shook away those memories; she wasn’t going to dwell on an angry past tonight.
Gotta go. Get some sleep. Should be home on time tonight. Love you both!
“On my way!” She waved cheerfully heading in Man-bun’s direction.
Maggie pocketed her phone as soon as she glanced at Addy’s reply text which, of course, included a request to tell Twilight goodnight for him.
To be continued…
Author Notes
Maggie -- Marguerite Atkinson
Addison/Addy -- young man living with Maggie, being raised by her
Bongo -- Maggie and Addy's large, black cat
Dorothy -- Addy's mother (deceased)
Mr. Man-bun -- male customer this night in the diner where Maggie works
Twilight -- Hmmm, I wonder...
Image 'Pauli's Diner Ambiance (rain, city noises,...)' from Google images via YouTube
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