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Caleb nodded. “Thanks. I think I’ve always been that way. It was a skill I learned in foster care before I was adopted. I didn’t like talking about myself or why I’d landed in the foster care system, so I always tried to be a listening ear. I wasn’t much of a talker.”
“So you remember being in foster care?” Addie asked.
“Snatches of memory. Nothing distinct. But I do recall listening to the other kids and their stories. To be honest, I don’t have many memories of before. It’s all jumbled up inside my head. The past is a bit murky.”
Addie didn’t want to press the subject. She had no idea how Caleb had ended up with the Donahue family and she wasn’t going to ask him. If he wanted her to know, he would tell her in his own time.
Ellie appeared with the food, placing it down in front of them along with their shakes and two glasses of ice water. She pulled a bottle of ketchup out of her apron pocket. “Enjoy, guys. If you need anything else, just let me know.”
Feeling ravenous, Addie reached for her burger and took a huge bite, letting out a satisfied sound as the flavors hit her tongue. At the same time, Caleb was digging in to his own burger. For a few moments they ate in companionable silence. Suddenly, Penelope was standing at their booth with a wide smile on her face. Dressed in a black T-shirt with the words Silver Spoon etched on the front, Caleb’s mother looked beautiful in her simple attire. Her manner was warm and inviting.
Penelope reached out and placed her hand on Caleb’s shoulder. “What a lovely surprise to see the both of you here. You could have given me a head’s up, Caleb.”
Caleb swallowed his food, then placed his burger back down on his plate. “That would have ruined the surprise,” he said with a wink.
“True. And it’s a lovely surprise to see you here.” She turned her gaze toward Addie. “Welcome to the Silver Spoon, Addie. Are you enjoying the food?”
“Immensely,” Addie said. “It’s just as good as it was when I was a kid.”
Penelope’s eyes twinkled. “That’s great to hear. People come from far and wide for our Silver Dollar Burgers. We just had a customer from Germany.”
“Mom,” Caleb said in a warning tone. “You sound like a commercial.”
Penelope made a tutting sound. “I’m sorry, Addie. Blame it on so many years of advertising the business. I do it on auto pilot.”
Addie dipped one of her fries in ketchup. “No need to apologize, Mrs. Donahue. This is the best food I’ve had in ages.”
Penelope said, “Please call me, Penelope. Any friend of Caleb’s is a friend of mine.”
Ellie rushed up to the table. “Penelope. Jude needs you out back.” She made a face. “Something about a jar of spoiled pickles.”
Penelope groaned. “No rest for the weary,” she said before hustling off toward the kitchen.
“Your parents are amazing,” Addie said, her gaze trailing after Penelope. “It’s wonderful that they can still work together. My parents couldn’t even be in the same room with one another once they had decided to end things.” Addie winced. “It wasn’t pretty.”
“I hope they never get to that point,” Caleb said, heaving a gigantic sigh. “Am I crazy, Addie? Or in denial? Because I still can’t wrap my head around the idea that their marriage is over. I keep thinking this is someone’s twisted idea of an April Fool’s Day prank. A very unfunny one.”
“I totally get it,” Addie said. “Life as you’ve known it is going to change. And no matter how old we are, we tend to view our parents through a childlike lens. Suddenly, it feels as if nothing makes sense.”
“I just want to know why.”
“Maybe there is no one why, Caleb. And perhaps they are both trying to find their way through this.”
“I’m just disappointed, I suppose. Being raised in a Christian family has taught me about valuing marriage vows. Through sickness and health. Till death do us part. I guess things don’t always work out like that.” Caleb pushed his food to the side. He seemed too aggravated to finish his food.
“I think sometimes life is more complicated than we can ever imagine,” Addie mused. Her own life had shown her that things were never simple. Sometimes, love wasn’t enough, although she deeply believed in honoring marriage vows.
She didn’t know what else to say to Caleb, who was clearly struggling to understand his folks and their situation. Addie didn’t know what challenges Jude and Penelope had faced in their marriage. It wouldn’t be fair for her to weigh in on their troubles.
“But I do know one thing. God hears our prayers. Talk to Him, Caleb. Lay all of your burdens on His shoulders. It always makes me feel better when I do that.”
“I have. And I’ll continue to do so.” He looked across at Addie and shook his head. “Do you know how good it feels to be with a woman who encourages me to pray? I think this is a first for me.”
“Really?” Addie asked. “For me, it’s automatic. It’s such a huge part of my life. And I’m glad it’s part of yours as well. I don’t know what I would do with myself if I couldn’t talk to God.”
When Ellie brought them two slices of apple pie at Jude’s insistence, Addie let out a huge groan. Even though she was stuffed from dinner, she couldn’t resist digging in to the sweet treat. Like everything else on the menu, it was scrumptious. She looked over at Caleb’s pie plate and saw it was empty. Before Addie knew it, they were the only customers left in the diner.
“Have we worn out our welcome?” she asked, nervously looking over her shoulder. She didn’t want either Jude or Penelope to think they were taking advantage of their ownership of the Silver Spoon.
