The Honeymooners

“Hey, Kailyn! I don’t pay you to talk all night! Get back to work! Table number 13 needs coffee. NOW!” Geez, Kailyn thought, you don’t pay me to even breathe around here. Her boss Tim was nowhere as sleazy as her landlord, but he sure made her work for her minimum wages. Kailyn hung up the old phone and slid it back under the counter where the coffee machine churned out the brown liquid that everyone survived on.

Kailyn grabbed the hot pot of coffee that was nearly full and walked to the last table in the corner of the restaurant. The staff had dubbed it the “Honeymooners” table because it was almost secluded from the rest of the diner because of a huge potted plant that Tim’s wife Laura had placed next to it the year before. It muffled the noise of the twangy Sirius FM that Tim favoured and made you think that you were somewhere nicer than the diner on Highway 3. An elderly couple sat with their backs to the window, facing the restaurant while holding hands and laughing together. They painted a picture of happiness that Kailyn immediately felt jealous of.

“Hi there, folks, what can I get for you this evening?” Kailyn deftly poured out two cups of coffee and noted that the hostess had already given the couple two menus. Kailyn reminded herself to tip out Maria a bit extra tonight for helping her out.

“Oh my, aren’t you a lovely young thing!” cooed the older woman warmly as she smiled at Kailyn. “What’s your name dear?” she asked through her brightly painted pink lips. Her doting husband looked at her and smiled widely too.

Oh, no. Here we go again, Kailyn thought to herself. She had been asked to babysit poodles, houses, and even asked to be a grandsons’ wedding date by older patrons at the diner. She was cute enough she supposed at five foot five and one hundred and ten pounds, but her strawberry blonde hair and freckles seldom won her any beauty pageants. Kailyn was a realist and working hard was what paid the bills.

“My name is Kailyn and I’m going to be your server this evening. Did Maria get a chance to tell you about our specials for the day?” Kailyn pasted on a cheerful smile and tried to make the best of her situation. It wasn’t their fault that her life was in the dumps right now.

“Oh, what a pretty name for such a pretty girl! I’m Margaret and this is George, but I’m afraid we won’t have time for dinner here tonight dear. We just need the coffee for now. But thank you so much for asking!” The older lady with the bright pink lipstick was glowing with happiness as she stared at George lovingly.

George said, “You might think it’s strange, but we just got married!! And we can’t wait to start our honeymoon!” They looked at each other again and started to laugh, all while they were still holding onto each other’s hands.

“Wow, well, um, congratulations, I guess. Just let me know if you want a refill on your coffee?” Kailyn looked at the old grey-haired couple, who had to be at least 75 years old. She wondered if she would ever be that happy in her life and decided that maybe it was better late than never, just like this couple. Who knows, maybe they were high school sweethearts who had been separated forever and had finally found their way back to one another?

With that happy thought dancing through her head, Kailyn went back to work the rest of her tables and soon put the elderly couple out of her mind. It wasn’t until about 45 minutes later when Maria, the hostess, came over and asked “Kailyn, I hate to ask you, but did that couple on table 13 clear up the bill with you before they left??”

Kailyn’s stomach dropped. She had completely forgotten about them! “They left??! When did they leave?”

“Only about five minutes ago, and I just went over there to clean up the table. They left behind this note and a book?” Maria handed a crisp piece of paper folded in half along with a small 5 by 7-inch black notebook. Kailyn took them and put them in her apron quickly and said to Maria, “I don’t have time for this today! Oh, my goodness, please don’t tell Tim, and just let me cover their coffees from my tips tonight, okay? Please??” Tim hated it when people ran out on the bill.

“Kailyn don’t worry about it; I’ve got your back. Not everyone around here is out to get you. Besides, it was only crappy black coffee. Now you get back to work and don’t worry about it!” Maria gave her a quick hug and left her quickly to get back to the front podium before Tim noticed she was missing.

Kailyn breathed a sigh of relief and noticed that she only had 13 minutes left until her shift ended. How could she be so forgetful? It must have been the fact that they didn’t order any food, that’s it, Kailyn thought ruefully. Soon her shift ended, and she was able to put on her coat and say goodnight to Maria and the cooks as she made her way to the bus stop. That was one of the reasons why she liked working here, it was only seven stops away from her apartment and she didn’t have to change buses.

The bus rumbled to a stop exactly six minutes past ten p.m. and Kailyn wearily grabbed a seat by the window. She felt something heavy in her apron and suddenly remembered about the notebook from the couple. “This better be good!” Kailyn muttered under her breath as she unfolded the slightly crumpled white piece of paper. It read:

Dearest Kailyn,

We are so sorry we had to leave without saying goodbye to you, and we feel terrible about it. Your face seemed so sincere and lovely and reminded me of my own granddaughters, and we just couldn’t bear the thought of you working in this dumpy little diner one more minute. On the back page of this notebook, you’ll find a key to a safe deposit box in the First National Bank in Charleston, NC. Go there tomorrow and you’ll get the money for the coffee we owe you, plus a little something so you can start a new life. We think everyone should be as happy as we are!! We are spending our money on people who deserve it, and we think that karma brought us into your diner today. Please keep the journal to start recording your new life.

Love, Margaret and George

Kailyn was in shock. The bus driver cleared his throat and said, “Miss? Isn’t this your stop?” Kailyn looked up and yes, it was indeed her bus stop. She was so engrossed in the letter and the notebook she hadn’t even registered where she was. She quickly smiled at the driver and gave a wave as she hopped out onto the pavement. “I wonder what tomorrow will bring??” Kailyn thought to herself quietly as the bus pulled out into the night.

The bus into Charleston ran at 9:30 or 11:30, so Kailyn decided to be up early the next day and try to figure out what in the world Margaret and George had meant by “a little something”. There was a small key taped on the very back page of the blank notebook, with the number 112 stamped on it. Kailyn didn’t know what kind of ID she would need, but she brought along her birth certificate and her Social Security card just in case. She boarded the larger coach and settled in for the 45-minute ride to the larger city, actually excited for the first time in a long time. Things were looking up.

The bus arrived at the downtown terminal at 10:20 A.M. and gave Kailyn plenty of time to look on the map of the city for the First National Bank. Luckily, it was only four blocks away and Kailyn was able to walk there easily. As she entered the cool air-conditioned lobby of pale white marble, a uniformed security officer asked her “Excuse me, miss, can I help you?”

“Yes please, I have a key for a safety deposit box that I would like to open please?” Kailyn hoped her shaky voice didn’t give away her nervousness.

“Oh of course, just head up the stairs and to the left to see Mrs. Green. Her desk is right there, you can’t miss it.” The security officer smiled at her and sat back down at his post. Kailyn turned from him and followed his instructions to the desk of Mrs. Green, a younger thirty something professional woman who was typing away at a computer.

“Um, excuse me, I have a key to a safety deposit box that I would like to open?” Kailyn approached the desk and held up the key in her hand.

“Of course! That’s what I’m here for. Can I start with your name please?” Mrs. Green grabbed a clipboard and pen ready to write down the information.

“Um, well. My name is Kailyn, and you’re going to think this is crazy, but this little old couple left me this key to pay for their coffee last night at the diner?”

Mrs. Green put down the clipboard and pen and sighed heavily. “Let me guess, she wore really bright pink lipstick and they told you it was their honeymoon??”

“Why yes!! How did you know that?!” Kailyn asked incredulously.

“Let me just say that Margaret and George have more money than God himself, and if they have chosen you, well then you must be deserving of it somehow. Just sign your name here on this clipboard and then I’ll show you to your safe deposit box, Miss???”

“Miss Mercer, Kailyn Mercer.” Kailyn scribbled her name and address on the line and signed it, then quickly followed Mrs. Green behind the wooden counter to the door in the back. Kailyn noticed that the door led to a larger area in the back, complete with metal bars. Smaller little boxes like at the post office lined the walls and Kailyn looked around in awe.

“What’s the number on the key?” Mrs. Green asked Kailyn.

“112.” Kailyn glanced down at the key to confirm the number again and marvelled at how strange of a day she was having.

“Here we are. Just put your key in here, and then you can put the box on the table. I will leave you alone in here for a few minutes. Let me know if you need anything else.” Mrs. Green indicated the small box that Kailyn was to unlock, and then she left the area to return to her desk.

Kailyn put the key in the box slowly, unsure of what would happen. It clicked open and she felt it start to slide out towards her. She grabbed the whole box and gently laid it on the table in the middle of the room that she hadn’t even noticed until that moment. The metal top of the deposit box folded back and revealed a brown envelope with note attached.

Dearest Kailyn,

If you have found this note, you are a very clever girl!! George started this bank over 30 years ago and it has made him very wealthy indeed, but money isn’t everything and it’s taken us too long to figure that out. There is $20,000.00 in cash for you to start a new life with and we mean that with all our hearts. Life is short Kailyn, make good choices. Remember to write it all down.”

Margaret and George Hamilton II

Kailyn sat there stunned for a moment, and then opened the black notebook.

“Day One: I think I have just met my guardian angels….” she wrote.