Free Christy: A Journey Tale by Michael Thomas Cunningham

but I can’t imagine it was anything good. The
little bit of money she took with her probably didn’t last very
long, so I don’t reckon she was too proud of what she had to do to
survive, but she did it. It took six months for her to either get
it out of her system or to get over her pride enough to come home.
Needless to say, she hadn’t left on exactly the best of terms with
her family. She was more than a little scared they wouldn’t want
her back, but she was dead wrong about that. She always cried when
she talked about it. Apparently, that homecoming was one of the
happiest days of her life.” Christy said as she examined the road
ahead. “I’m sorry I guess it’s a little further down than I
thought. It shouldn’t be much longer. Just whenever you see the
yellow sign for the Waffle House go ahead and turn in.”
    “Waffle House,” Jennifer thought at first,
but then ended up just shrugging it off. Today she would go with
the flow for once and see where it takes her.
    “Now where was I, oh that’s right coming
home? So, my momma, being all of 17 years old, gets off this bus
for her happy reunion, but when she does she ain’t alone. Not only
is she holding this guy’s hand, but she’s also got a bun in the
oven.
    “Are you serious?” Jennifer asked, and
Christy just nodded her head. “I bet that was a shock for her
parents.”
    “You better believe it, but they were so
happy to see her, nothing else mattered. She told them that her and
this guy Henry were already married, but her parents arranged for a
public ceremony at church of course just for their benefit if you
know what I mean.” Christy said with a smirk.
    “They wanted to make sure everything was
legal.”
    “You got it, and Henry, bless his heart was
more than willing to oblige. Henry was a simple guy and together
they had a whole lot in common. He was steady and hardworking, and
momma’s folks even found a house for them a little bit up the road.
He wasn’t from the city. He was a hayseed too just like momma, but
he had been there for a lot longer. For momma, coming home was like
coming back from a weekend getaway. It was like she had never left,
and for the first time since she had been gone, she was able to
relax and enjoy life again. Henry was a natural with the farm, but
after a while his temper started to get real short and he seemed
restless all the time. I reckon he got that city in his blood and
once it was there it was hard to go back to the farm. All the
reasons he left Nebraska in the first place were still there. It
just wasn’t his cup of tea no matter how good he was at it.”
Christy thought for a moment. “You know I wish I could have met
him. I would like to have known my real daddy. I think I would have
liked him. He was the only decent man my momma ever had around.
It’s just my luck though he was a little before my time. Yep, good
old Henry loved momma, and he wasn’t going to leave her or run off
on me. So one day he told momma that he needed to talk. There were
some things that had to change.” Christy cut her story short as
they pulled into the parking lot.
     

Chapter 12
     
    As soon as Jennifer walked into the
restaurant, the thick air tickled her noise. The grease and
moisture blended together to form a dull haze Jennifer could
actually see. The sunlight illuminated everything as it penetrated
the large windows around the restaurant. The air, though, was not
as distracting as the sounds that greeted her. Metal spatulas
banging against grill, plate, and pan mixed with the noise of
patrons creating a raucous cacophony. The truck drivers sitting
along the counter were reacquainting themselves over belly laughs
and animated conversations. A knot tightened in Jennifer’s stomach
as she tried not to look at the cooks busy behind the counter and
followed Christy to a corner booth against the far left wall.
Walking behind her now, Jennifer noticed that Christy was a little
taller than she had realized. Her