A Second Chance

Chapter 9

I decided to leave early today. I wanted to see the town once before I left.

I walked by my old house. It looked pretty much the same, except there was a dog barking from inside the house. So I thought it best to walk by without stopping so I won't attract any unwanted attention.

I walked around, seeing my old school, the library, and the old cafe that I used to work in. I decided to pay a visit to see if Mary, the old lady who owned the place, was still there.

As I walked in, the old chimes by the door signaled someone entering. And there she was, cleaning the counter with a big smile on her face!

"Nicola? Is that really you?" She exclaimed, peeking through her places with narrowed eyes. "Look at you, looking so pretty as always. Come here and give old Mary a hug." I laughed and went around and gave her a hug. Mary was a sweet old lady. She had a jolly attitude about her that could make the glummest person happy around her. I would say SHE was the biggest attraction of this place.

Not that the food was bad. Food was the best here.

I went around the counter and sat on a stool near it, asking Mary how she was. "Oh, I am fine, dear. But I am getting old now, and it's time for me to retire. My granddaughter will soon take over. You can see she has already taken over changes in the interior of this place." She said, gesturing around the little cafe.

I looked around, hmming in agreement. "It's nice. It's still very cozy, so I love it." I said, turning and grinning towards Mary.

She was smiling, too, looking like a proud grandma. She placed a cup of coffee in front of me, and I looked at her questioningly.

I took a sip and widened my eyes in surprise. "Mary, you remembered!" I exclaimed.

"Of course, you thought it was just you, I remembered? I remember your favorite coffee that you loved to have before you started your work. And your favorite sandwich too." She said as she placed their famous turkey sandwich in front of me.

She was right. I loved this sandwich! I took a bite and mourned quietly, enjoying it, with my eyes closed.

I had missed this. It's safe to say that this sandwich was the only thing I missed about this town. Accept for Mary, of course.

I opened my eyes, grinning sheepishly seeing Mary's smile. "Thank you, Mary. I had missed this so much while I was away."

Mary's expression turned sad. "I'm sorry dear. I heard about your sister."

"Yeah. Thank you, Mary." I said sadly.

"How are her girls? She used to come here a lot with those two. They are such a cute little bundle of joys."

"They are doing well, considering." I said as I finished my sandwich.

"Mary, I must go now. Thank you so much for the coffee and sandwich." I said as I took out my wallet to pay.

"You're very welcome, dear, and it's on the house. Don't even think of paying after coming here after so long!" She said, giving me a mock glare.

I laughed, putting my wallet away, saying, "ok. I won't even think of it!"

She smiled, saying, "Do come once again before you leave."

"Of course! I'm going to stuff myself with as many turkey sandwiches as I can while I'm here." I said as I stood up. She laughed and waved goodbye before she went to attend a customer who had just entered.

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The rest of the week went by in a blur. I had taken the girls to the park one more time and had visited Mary twice and ate her delicious turkey sandwich. I even took the girls with me once and made them a fan of the sandwich as well.

Mary gave them ice cream and spoilt them with so much attention. She made them call her granny Mary, and it seemed that the girls too liked her a lot.
They promised to come back with their father.

We met Mary's granddaughter as well. She was a few years older than me and had been in college while I had worked there. She had a son a few years older than the twins, and she too took an instant liking to the twins and their adorable ways.

Before we knew it, it was the last day for me in this town and I had to return home the next day on the 11 o'clock flight.

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Another chapter done. What do you think of the story so far?

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