The Following Part

Suddenly my phone rings, it's my Dad. I cant talk so I let him leave me a message.In a few minutes Marie is back with two plates of steaming lasagna. "Oh my gosh that's gorgeous!" I say licking my lips. I love beautiful food, especially when I know it's going to be delicious. I thank God for the meal and we easily fall into conversation about Marie's family. In between bites she tells me, " Little Nicholas, he is not behaving in school. He gets into trouble and I get notes. Worse than the notes though is the looks from the other parents." I sip my water and think about what she must be going through as a single mother of three children. Raising kids isn't easy even with two parents, so I "figure", having no kids of my own. I wish that I knew what to say. Luckily I don't have to say anything, she goes on. "Ever since my husband left I have not been as strict as I should be I guess, but then its so hard you know, because I don't want to be the bad guy. I don't want them to hate me." I'm surprised."How could they hate you Marie, you're their Mom, you love them." She pauses for a minute thinking to herself. "I think they are angry at me because David left. I think they think it's my fault." The pain in her eyes is quite moving. I can tell that this has been building up for a while. "Oh,... they're too young to really understand then, When they're a little older maybe." Did that help , I don't know,I'm thinking to myself, this is tough. Looking over her soda she says, " Marcus is twelve, Sidney will be nine, and Nicholas is six, I guess I can understand the little ones not understanding, but Marcus, he should." " How are the others doing in school?" I ask hoping to start on a lighter note. "Sidney is doing wonderful, all her teachers love her because she is self motivated.Now Marcus,... not so much. He does the work and he is really smart, but he's lazy." We continue to talk for a while and I tell her about the Autumn Festival coming up at the Church. "If you have the time you should bring the kids , its going to be lots of fun." She smiles,"Well maybe, if I can get away from here."We take our plates back to the kitchen. Standing at the counter I pay for my food and give her a hefty tip. "I better run.See you later." I turn to leave. "Thanks a lot Jenna." she waves her tip."For everything."she smiles "No problem.Thank you." I say pushing the door open to leave.

The NEXT Part ;)

The girls gather themselves up after a few minutes and I'm left to myself. What a fabulous day this has been and it's barely noon... Which means time for a lunch break. I flip the open/closed sign to closed and grab my purse. I'm headed to "Nicks" for a bite to eat. No better pasta or salad can be found on the planet in my opinion.I love this place not only because it has fabulous food but because they have outdoor seating and they always play Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.There is a wonderful breeze and as I walk across the street and down towards Kenton Street I can smell the garlic and onions. My mouth is watering. Frankie is coming in on the outdoor speakers singing "Come Back to Sorrento". I open the front door and wave to Nick who reminds me of Sylvester Stallone."Marie will be right out." he says even sounding like Stallone. I smile feeling like I'm in a "Rocky" movie. Marie, "Nick's" sister hands me a menu after I take a seat by the front window. I smile and say " Hi there Marie." She smiles, but not in her usual way,"Hi Jenna, what can I get you to drink?" I'm a little worried,"Coke with lemon please." "Is Pepsi o.k?" "Yeah." Why do I never remember that. I feel dumb. Something isn't right with Marie, so I ask her."How's your Mom doing?" She sighs,"She's o.k. Dad is still driving her to dialysis but his eyesight is getting so bad...soon Nick or I will have to take her." "I'm sorry to hear that, I'm still praying for her,for all of you. Its hard on everyone I know. When my Mom got sick it was really tough for all of us." Her brown eyes look out into the street. She is really exhausted." Thanks Jenna, I'll be right back with your drink." I wish I could really make a difference in people's lives, people are all around me and I see them struggle everyday. I think I have the gift of perception. It's like I am keenly tuned to the feelings and emotions of others. The wheels of my mind begins to spin thinking of how God might further use this gift. Maria is back with my drink. "Thanks, have you taken your break yet?"I ask her. She shakes her head no. "Why don't you have some lunch with me?" "Well, we're not very busy," she looks around, there are no other customers,"o.k, what would you like?" I hand her my menu and say "Whatever you get is fine with me." She is smiling a little more now. " Alright, Nick just finished a lasagna, it's my favorite, does that sound o.k?" asks Maria. "That sounds great." "I'll be right back." she says as she heads to the kitchen.