A Gray Day At Hargo's Cafe

Since the year 1977, I have gone to the same cafe in Hargo every day with my husband Robert. We have been regulars at Mama's Dream Bean Cafe for the last fifty-eight years. It's the place we met, the place we fell in love. The customers and employees at Mama's simply adore us. They especially enjoy playing music for us to slow dance to. This is the place we are our happiest.

I had just left my apartment, making my morning coffee visit to the small cafe. Robert wasn't home so I assumed he was there waiting for me. He likes leaving early so that he is the first one there. Thankfully for Robert and I, the cafe was within walking distance. Mostly everything was within walking distance here in Hargo.

The weather was cold and bitter nipping at my cheeks. It was cloudier than it normally was in late November. The grayness in the sky had made the entire city of Hargo appear gray. As I approached the shop, the parking to the cafe was empty. Baffled by this, I crossed the street approaching the cafe doors to see a sign reading, "Closed" on the door. In the many years that I've been a customer, the shop has never been closed. Every holiday and every day, Mama's was always open. I turned to look for Robert. If the cafe was closed, I wondered where he could have been.

I stared at the sign dumbfounded. Cupping my hands around my eyes and peering into the cafe, I noticed that there was no one inside. I turned around to cross the street to make my way back home when a police car zoomed past me. I turned down and looked at the direction he was coming from and noticed a black hearse slowly following another police car. The hearse was too far behind to make out the crowd behind it. As they neared I noticed they all were carrying signs, swaying them from side to side.

A cafe worker must've passed away, seeing that all of Mama's employees were following the hearse.

This couldn't be true, I thought to myself. A pained, "No." fell from my lips hoping that what I was thinking was wrong. One employee, Emma, was holding a sign with a picture.

"Emma!" I shouted. She didn't hear me. The winter wind in Hargo blowing harshly.

"Over here, Emma!" I shouted again. She still didn't hear me.

The hearse was beginning to pass me by as I approached Emma. I reached my hand out to grab the board hanging by her side but she put it back up into the air, causing me to fall back onto the street. The crowd continued following the hearse. My palms were on the pressed against the cold asphalt as I stared up at her horrified to see the image on the board. I was hoping it wasn't who I thought it was. I was wishing this wasn't real. Multiple cars began zooming by following the hearse. The hearse that belonged to my body.

My face was on that board. My body in that hearse. I stumbled to my feet following the crowd as they turned onto the small street leading towards the cemetery. They were all so sad and full of sorrow. I recognized every single person in the crowd. From employee to customer, I knew them all.

How was I here watching this?

The hearse stopped as I watched four men carry my casket to the plot. Robert was one of those men. I shoved passed everyone, no one noticing my ghostly new form.

Once I reached Robert I tapped his shoulder frantically, he didn't answer.

"Robert, hello?" I yelled. "Can you please tell me what's going on?"

I turned away from him facing the casket, peering down at it. I slowly pushed the casket lid open viewing my lifeless body. Horrified, I dropped the lid slamming it shut.

"How?" I thought to myself. "Why me?"

I thought after death I was supposed to go to heaven. I was supposed to disappear into a better land, why did I have to see all of this happen? Instead, here I was standing over my lifeless body with tears slipping down my cheeks.

Robert stood from his chair directly in front of my casket and placed a white rose directly on top of it. His green eyes were puddled with tears. He turned to face the crowd and began to speak. He had written a eulogy.

Robert sniffled and began to speak, "We are all here to honor an amazing woman that had an impact on all of our lives." I watched as tears began to flow down his cheeks, his voice breaking. "A woman I fell in love with years ago, in the cafe she loved more than anything in the world." He continued, "It pains me more than anything to see her go so soon. But I can tell you all how happy she would be if only she saw all of you here. And I know she is no longer suffering anymore." Robert couldn't go on and instead started to sob.

Emma pushed her way through and began walking towards the casket. She had a paper in her hands and raised it up revealing a flyer to the crowd.

"In honor of Beth Babena and Robert Babena's faithfulness to Mama's Dream Bean Cafe, we are offering free Caramel Lattes after the services to honor Beth and her favorite drink"

My eyes widened hearing this news. I still couldn't wrap my head around how all of this was happening.

Emma then disappeared into the many faces in the crowd.

The cemetery worker nodded his head implying it was time. I watched as he slowly lowered me into the ground.

It all started to hit me.

"Robert!" I cried out, standing right in front of him. I fell to my knees, sobbing into my hands. How could this be happening? My biggest fear was coming true. Though I knew this day was soon approaching, it hurt having it here already.

"Robert," I repeated over and over again.

"Wake up Beth." I heard a voice.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up."

I shot up in bed, sitting straight up. My eyes flew open to see Roberts green eyes staring into mine. All of the oxygen in my body was gone.

"Beth, I'm right here," he spoke sweetly. He pulled me into a tight hug as I rested my head on his shoulder. He grabbed my oxygen, turning it up a notch to four. Then fixed his eyes on mine.

"What was this one about?" He questioned.

My breathing slowed and I finally gathered the energy to speak up, "I died." I told Rob, almost emotionless.

Ever since the start of my chemotherapy, I've had a series of strange dreams. The doctor said it was normal, chemo brain is what they call it. So Robert and I were used to them by now.

"You've never had one of those!" Robert exclaimed.

I picked up my oxygen tank hauling it over my back.

"Let's go to the cafe Rob." I faintly smiled.

"Are you sure you're up for it Bethany?" He asked with concern in his eyes.

I was nearly out of breath just from standing. "I think I'm running out of time Robert. And I don't want to spend any more of it sleeping, dreaming it away."

So Robert followed me out the front steps of the apartment carrying my oxygen tank. And just before we made it to the cafe doors. My lungs were no longer strong enough to support me. I fell to the ground and it was as if I was back in my dream. I stood over my lifeless body and I watched Robert try to perform CPR on me as he shouted for help. Except for this time, I wasn't scared like I was before. I accepted my death because I had known it was time. Customers and employees all panicked, trying to help me.

The next day, the cafe was closed. The employees and regulars attended my service in my honor. My dream had become a vision into the future. And after I was slowly lowered into the ground for the final time, I disappeared into the better land that people call heaven.