March came in like a lion with cold, wet rain. Nobody wanted to go out to eat on nights like that. Still, George and Kat prepped for customers. "Cut it back because of the weather."
At least it wasn't a weekend night but a Thursday. People went for drinks after work, so they sold a lot of small plates and not as many entrees. She almost didn't hear her phone ring over the music and pounding rain.
Didn't her mother know not to call so close to opening? "Mom, I can't talk."
"Sweetheart, It's Pops. He's not good."
Her stomach lodged in her throat. "What's not good?"
"A massive stroke. He's in a coma."
"Where?"
"You have to work."
"Let me talk to her!" Seth's voice came through the phone. "Kat, come to say goodbye."
"Where?"
George stood beside her with his hand on her back as if she were one of his three daughters.
"He's at the home. It's what he would have wanted."
She felt the tears drip before she ended the call. Looking at George, she was dazed like the fog had moved in all around. "I have to go. My Pops."
"Go. I can handle it tonight. Donny has been wanting a chance to step up."
The kid did salads and other things, but he had been watching and learning for months. "Okay. Bryce. Where's Bryce?"
"Office. I think."
She waved her arm. "Just tell him." They both couldn't leave. It was her first time. She never got sick. Clean hands and good hygiene paid off.
When she reached her grandfather's room she was soaked but didn't care. He looked already dead in his bed. The bed she tried to get him out of. It wasn't her best visit. Had she told him she loved him? She always did.
She moved to his side. His hand was warm. Her father looked at her with sad eyes. Across the bed stood her aunt. Silently, they stood vigil. At some point, her two cousins arrived and stood next to their mother. A nurse came in and encouraged them to tell him it was okay to go.
When it was Kat's turn, a sob interrupted her words. "You know me, I'm a fighter just like you, but Nana is waiting for you. Go give her a kiss for me." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I love you, Pops."
Others talked to him and her cousin, Amy, a nurse, opened the window. The sound of the rain came in. Not long after, he stopped breathing and Kat felt numb. Losing Nana had hurt, but she and Pops had grown close after he was a widower. He encouraged her to chase her dreams. Without him, she wouldn't have her own kitchen.
She couldn't go back to the restaurant. Her hands were too shaky. Someone would get hurt with her in the kitchen. Instead, she went home and poured a glass of wine. Arrangements needed to be made, but they weren't her job. Her poor father and Aunt, they lost both parents. She texted Bryce, but he was too busy to respond. She fell into a fitful sleep before he got home.
In the morning, she was back in her kitchen baking. George was surprised to see her when he arrived early. "How was last night?"
"Slow. Even the bar. How are you?"
She looked at him with blurry eyes. "He's gone."
George hugged her. "You know I can handle this. You should be with your family."
She shook her head. "I have to keep busy."
Busy was an understatement. Everyone wanted to go out on Friday night. The rain left behind unseasonably warm temperatures. As she plated meal after meal, she tried to ignore the joyous din. Nothing felt happy, not even the hug from Bryce when he arrived.
Her mother had texted. The funeral was on Monday with a wake on Sunday. Her mother called them visiting hours. She felt appreciative that they accommodated her schedule.
Somehow she made it through Friday and Saturday nights, even when the filet she planned had to be changed because their delivery included a cheaper cut of beef. There had been far too many mistakes for her liking. She would get to the bottom of it after the funeral.
After two busy nights, Kat woke on Sunday morning and rolled over. She didn't need to wake to make treats for Pops. It was hard to believe he was gone. How could so much change in one week? When she woke a second time, she poked Bryce. Again after he grunted.
"Wake up, Bryce. We need to get ready."
"It's our day off."
"For the funeral home."
"Awe, shit." He sat up. "You okay, babe."
"No, not really, but I'll manage, especially with you by my side."
He fell back down. "You shower first."
At least Bryce had nice clothes. Kat dated a guy in high school, who wore sports shorts to senior night. All the other guys wore khakis, and he looked like he just walked off the basketball court.
When Kat walked out of the shower with a towel around her torso, she had to wake up Bryce again.
"Take the towel off and I'll be up."
"No!" She stepped away. "My grandfather is dead."
"Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood."
She put her hands on her hips. "Not funny. Now get ready."
Kat was the one who wasn't comfortable dressed up. She wore a long navy skirt, with a lightweight gray sweater. She looked washed out, but she was mourning and not joining a beauty contest. Nice clothes didn't belong in the kitchen so her choices were limited. She was saving her little black dress, a girl's most important wardrobe item, for the funeral.
Bryce put his hand on her back as he opened the door to the funeral home. The floral scent overpowered her. She whimpered. "I hate this."
Bryce's arm went around her to steady her. She needed his strength. Her mother saw them and greeted them. "Hi darling." She hugged Kat. "So handsome." She put her hand on Bryce's shoulder.
"Ramona, how are you holding up." Bryson's question was laced with sympathy.
"Just supporting Seth, like a spouse should. I'm sure you understand."
Not today, Kat kept the words in her head. Her mother had been pressuring them to get married, but they focused their energy on the restaurant. Eight in ten restaurants failed in the first five years. They had only been in business a year and needed four more years before they could plan a future.
Together they walked to greet her father. Kat's eyes zeroed in on her grandfather resting peacefully. He looked like wax and not like himself. She turned away and through her tears, she forced a smile at her father.
Seth held out his arms, and she took comfort from him. Then he shook Bryce's hand. Bryce stayed with her when she took her place at the end of the line by her cousins. At least the casket was out of her line of vision. One by one people stopped by. Some she knew, others she didn't. When a group from the restaurant came with hugs, Bryce slipped away to talk to them. Kat was required to stay and greet Pops's next-door neighbor from his old neighborhood, before Nana passed and he sold the old house.
When George walked through with his wife, they both gave Kat sincere hugs. She whispered to George, "Can you find Bryce?"
She greeted some of Pops's friends, before George returned. "He walked the group of waitstaff out."
The hum of conversations and occasional laughter floated from the other room. It was selfish to begrudge others from greeting friends. Wasn't there a saying about weddings and funerals? To not catch up with someone when they were in the same room felt wrong too. Pops was gone and people would continue to live life and laugh. She would have to be back in her kitchen on Tuesday. In time she would laugh, but it was different after Nana passed because their focus had been on Pops left behind.
The staff from the home came through the line with warm hugs. "He was a special man."
Kat wiped a tear and forced a smile. "He gave you a run for your money."
"Only in the best sense." The smile warmed her grieving heart. "I promised my husband we'd go to your restaurant again."
"Make sure you ask for me." With a hug she moved on.
The line trickled out, and the family looked wearily at one another. Her mother asked, "Where's Bryce?"
She shrugged. "I'll go find him." As she stepped into the other room, he sat alone looking at his phone.
He looked up at her and smiled as she approached. "Is it over? Can we leave?"
"In a few minutes."
Her parents approached. "Don't forget to meet here at nine."
Kat nodded. She hated the idea of her Pops going in the ground, even if he would be next to Nana. Would she and Bryce lie side-by-side someday?
Seth hugged her. "Get some rest. Tomorrow is another day."
When she and Bryce stepped outside she breathed the fresh air. The smell of flowers was stuck in her nostrils. Even the nip in the air didn't bother her as she filled her lungs.
"Babe, are you hungry?"
She shook her head. "Not really. Maybe some toast or soup. Are you?"
"Your soup sounds good."
Luckily, she had some in the freezer to thaw in the microwave. When they sat next to each other in front of the hockey game, she asked where he disappeared to.
"I was keeping the crew company."
She bit her tongue as she wondered why he hadn't supported her. "And after they left?"
"I was chilling. It was intense in there."
"You think! My grandfather is dead. You know how close we were."
"I know, babe. I did the ordering." One plus, but then his attention was taken up by the movement on the screen.
Working in restaurants for years, she knew sports. Not like Pops knew the Sox, but she could talk at the bar about any of the major sports.
Not hungry, she yawned. "I'm going to sleep."
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