I Will Wait

Chapter 5

I drove my little car to the destination sent to me through Caleb's text. The memories of the place hit me like a delicious scent from a bakery. The car hummed to a stop leaving it silent enough for me to hear my mind on its screaming rampage and the banging of my heart against my chest.

"Ok, Selah." I breathed, trying any sort of method to calm myself. Humming songs did not work, it was time to give self pep talks a go. "Here we go. You can do this."

I grabbed my keys, pulled them out of the ignition, stuck my phone in my pocket and practically charged out of the car door like it was the only way to ensure I left the vehicle.

Nothing had changed. I could hardly believe I had not been here in two years. I had not even come home last summer. I spent most of my time over in Australia on a mission trip with Bert and then over to Africa and from there Switzerland. It was a beautiful whirlwind of adventures, helping the communities we visited, learning so much about the cultures that engulfed us in each country. My schedule had been packed with so much traveling I had no time for home, for the people and places I loved most. There was no place like Mama Eleni's Fine Dining. Absolutely no place.

I pushed past the doors, shocked I even had the nerve to do so and at the same time astonished I had the dumb foggy mindset to not come back here.

It was a Saturday at noon so the restaurant was buzzing with lively conversation. Mama Eleni's Fine Dining had been a longstanding family business for over fifty years. Started by Eleni Sideris even before she married Carlos Garcia and became Eleni Garcia. She started the business against her family's wishes because that was not what they had hoped for her to do but she did it anyway. Her family owned their own string of restaurants back in Greece. Last I had heard it was being run by some distant cousins of hers now. I had never been to Greece, but Mama Eleni had promised to take me someday, whenever she could get up the nerve to go and spend time with her crazy family. She would smile the whole time as she spoke, revealing that she actually loved her family. I thought leaving the restaurant in someone else' hands was what stopped her.

I had always admired Mama Eleni and her choice to come here all by herself to start her restaurant. She was a brave, strong woman. Ambitious and always ready to put up a fight but she was also one of the gentlest and most loving women I knew. Years later, in her eighties, and still running the place like a boss. Nobody messes with Mama Eleni, except maybe me. She loved me too much to ever reprimand me. I could walk back into the kitchen and never intrude.

Beautiful fake green vines decorated the ceiling, wrapping around the big golden chandelier in the middle of the restaurant in a sort of dance. Servers buzzed around the room like buzzy bees in a hive to the hungry people at the tables. There were hardly any empty seats. It brought me so much joy to see the business thriving after so many years.

"Selah."

Oh, right.

Caleb.

The promise. The promise I broke.

His parents talking, his mom specifically crying, upstairs.

Ugh. Could I not just get over myself and enjoy the afternoon? I would try. I would really, really try but, as we have all found out I cannot keep many promises. Not even to myself.

I plastered on the best smile known to mankind. A smile that said 'wow! I haven't seen you in forever.' Then I remembered running out on the party last night and it turned into a guilty grimace saying 'man, I really messed up'. There was just another incident to add to my growing list of mistakes.

As soon as Caleb saw my expression the air around him filled with laughter. "What happened? Did your face break?"

I sighed out a long breath and this time there was a smile, an apologetic one. "I am sorry about last night. I w—"