Accepting Fate - (Slums to Riches, Book one)

Chapter 10

For ten minutes, they drove in silence. The bright street lamps lit the shop fronts, but left everything else in complete darkness. She couldn't see anything behind the buildings. A few rats scampered around bins, reminding her again of Robert and the droppings they found in the living room. That rat never left the house after all. The pig must have had a good laugh when she cleaned up his mess while he slept the day away.

Unlike the east, the shops lined the right side of the main road. Apart from the mall, several businesses and office blocks lined the left side.

Mama's fast foods stood near the end of the road, but had she not seen the trees whizzing passed her window as they sped through the twists and turns of Devil's alley, she would have assumed they turned around and drove back to The Grill. The same red blinds covered the windows overlooking the main road.

Jamie sat up and stretched her arms as far as the roof allowed. "Are we there yet?"

Angelique rolled her eyes and tugged at the handle with no success. When she bumped her shoulder against the door, Ben jumped out and cussed all the way around the car.

"I forgot about the child lock. This is actually Mama Bear's car. She—"

"Could we talk once we get inside? I really need to stretch my legs," Jamie said, pushing Angelique ahead of her.

Ben's fingers tightened around the car's doorframe and his breathing sped up. It would appear his patience had limits, after all.

Angelique rushed ahead of them, leaving Ben to deal with his annoying mate. Three steps over the threshold, she stumbled to a stop. Like the outside, the interior resembled The Grill. Anyone who had not worked in either restaurant, or memorized the lay-out and décor, would not have noticed the subtle differences.

Though the owner used the same logo as The Grill—a steaming plate of food—the diner's name surrounded the picture: Mama's fast foods. The catch phrase underneath read, 'the best and fastest food in the west'. Angelique could not object since she did not work in the west, nor ever tasted the woman's food.

Other than the logo on the front door, she used burgundy leather for the couches and chairs, instead of maroon. Someone who did not know the difference between the two colors would not notice the more purple hew to the burgundy leather. They were both dark red.

Last, the three paintings portrayed bears fishing and foraging near a stream, instead of wolves. That alone should have clued her in on their nature. But who really noted paintings in a diner?

Like the man with azure eyes and the people in her nightmares, she recognized the giant, white rock in the middle of the stream, but could not recall from where. She did know it sparkled under the sunlight like diamond encrusted quartz. Again, how she knew that, she had to hope to one day find out.

Angelique jumped when a deep female voice spoke from the other side of the till counter. "Don't just stand there, judging my place. Take a seat. I'll make us some coffee."

Turning to face a giant woman with a head full of brown curls and a smile in her kind, brown eyes, Angelique pulled a smile to her own mouth, remembering the brusque greeting she received when she applied for a job. Anyone who could not see the smile in her eyes would have assumed she disliked them at first sight.

"It's a shock at first glance, until you notice the differences between the two diners," she said. "It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Bennett."

Mama blew through her compressed lips. "Goodness me, these formalities. Who needs titles? Call me Mama Bear, or just Mama. Mrs. Bennett is my stepmother and Maureen... Well, she left my papa and me a long time ago. Don't see no point in acknowledging that name after she tossed me aside."