State Of Grace

Chapter 44 - I Hate It Here

After Jasper showed Gracie a few more spots around the park, he started to perk up again. The two walked around in circles for a while, getting carried away in conversation about everything from Jasper's childhood to Gracie's. She told him about some of the homes she grew up in but mostly she talked about her life before foster care.

"It wasn't some perfect life, and I'm better off now than I was back then, but it was a lot better than being bounced from place to place without a second to catch my breath. My dad, or I guess grandpa, had a lot of issues, he wasn't always around, but when he was he was the best dad he could be. He never let me go hungry or neglected me, but I guess he just couldn't do it anymore, it got too much for him."

"I'm sorry," Jasper says, "Sounds like he really loved you, despite what he was going through."

"Yeah, I just wish I knew why he stopped fighting to get better."

Jasper led Gracie down the winding path that followed a shallow stream and over a small bridge to a small cafe on a corner at the other end of the park. It was a tiny building, no bigger than eight by eight, with tables and chairs dotted around the pink concrete structure with yellow-striped umbrellas branded with the word "Betty's" propped up above them.

She hugged her brother, "So, what's this place?" She asked.

"When my mom got too sick to make the picnics, we came here, it had different owners back then," Jasper said and walked up to the counter, "Hey Jess," he said to the young ginger girl behind the cash register.

"Hey, Jasper, who's this?" The girl gestured to Gracie.

"This is my sister, Gracie this is Jess, her mom used to be my nanny," he said.

On closer inspection the freckly girl looked to be about the same age as Jasper, she smiled and extended her hand to Gracie, "It's nice to meet you. Jasper talks about you all the time."

"Nice to meet you too," Gracie returned the smile.

"Get yourselves a table, I'll bring over the usual," she winked at Jasper.

Jasper chose a table overlooking a pond where a small flock of ducks paddled peacefully across the surface.

"So one thing to know about my mom is she loved food, she spent hours a day in the kitchen slaving over her recipes. When her cancer got worse and it was harder to stay on her feet, she decided to start a recipe book, writing down every trick she ever learned. I used to draw little pictures for her, and it wasn't long before the book was full. She gave it to her best friend, my nanny, Jess' mom. Because even though Aggie technically worked for us, she and my mom got close, and Aggie always wanted to open a cafe."

Gracie leaned on her elbows as she listened to Jasper talk about Betty, the last time he talked so passionately was when he was showing her his comic strips, drawings he'd spent days perfecting. He got his work ethic from his mother.

"So before she died, my mom set aside some money and the recipe book and gave them to Aggie, on the condition that she used them to follow her dreams. Aggie bought this place, and she and Jess, when she was old enough turned it into what is now. They don't get much business in the summer, just the odd ice cream or frozen lemonade on a hot day, but when it gets a little colder, the place is buzzing with people desperate to try the drink that my mom spent months trying to get right."

"I'm guessing it's a hot drink?"

"Hot chocolate," Jess came out of the cafe carrying a tray, "Though to call it that is an insult, this stuff is liquid gold," she beamed.

Jess set down the tray, revealing two mugs the size of bowls, piled high with whipped cream and covered in chocolate shavings, a pale pink marshmallow poked out of the top, it slowly slipped through the cream as the heat melted it it from the bottom.