Big City Little Rebel

“Midge, can we cut through the crap? I know she’s mad at me.” He pulled the menu from the holder and pretended to stare at it, but what he wanted was her motherly advice. He didn’t feel right calling his mom for love tips since she was so far removed from intimate relationships. Bringing up love only made her miss his dad, so he’d have to depend on Midge to give him sound guidance.

She poured two cups of coffee and sat on the stool beside him. “Are you looking for more of my wisdom?”

He lowered the menu. “Yes, that and dinner. How’s the salmon?”

“We’re a landlocked state, boy—how good could it be? Get the country-fried steak and mash.” She yelled the order to the back before he could say yes or no.

“She called me, and I talked to her for three hours last night.” Midge poured cream and sugar into her cup. After the third spoonful, he lost count.

“No wonder I got her voicemail.” He was glad that Bobbie had someone to call and happy their fight had been important enough for her to seek Midge’s wisdom. That had to mean something. “I miss her already, Midge. I slept alone last night for the first time in a week, and I’ve never been so lonely.”

“Beau, if you want to gain favor with me, I don’t want the details of your nocturnal behavior. What I will tell you is this. Bobbie misses you just as much.”

“What do I do?” He didn’t want to sleep alone again tonight. He wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her how her words had influenced his decisions. Not because of love, but because of truth. She was right about seeing things through a bigger lens. At the time, he was thinking on a personal level when it was a much bigger problem.

“Give her a little space. She got a dose of Midge wisdom last night. She’s trying to save the world, which is impossible.” Midge rose to grab the plate that appeared in the window and set it in front of him.

He looked at his meal but pushed it to the side. Talking to Midge took precedence. Figuring out how to win Bobbie back was his top priority. “She’s so strong and smart, and I’m not worthy of her, but I want her.”

“Do you want her, or do you love her? There’s a big difference, you know. Want comes from your pants. Love comes from your heart.” She pushed his plate in front of him and put his fork in his hand. “Can you hardly breathe when she’s gone? Do you look at her and see a future, marriage, children, grandchildren?”

“Absolutely.”

“If she lost her vagina tomorrow, would you still love her?” Midge tossed another spoonful of sugar into her cup.

He made a mental note to tell Bobbie to get Midge checked for a sugar disorder. She obviously liked a little coffee with her sweetener.

“I can honestly say that I’ve given this some thought. Bobbie and I collided like a meteor to land. It was explosive from the beginning. I wondered last week if it was the se … you know, the nocturnal adventures, but when I took them out of the equation, I still wanted her. When I close my eyes, I see my children; they have her hair and my eyes.”

Midge smiled and nodded. “Give her some time. She’s coming to terms with her affection for you, too. This connection you two have is like a nuclear blast. It’s unexpected and has knocked her on her ass.”

“Okay, but what can I do in the meantime?”

“I saw the news today, and I’d say you can look for a job.”

“Shit, did it already air?”

“Yes.”

“You know, I didn’t do that for Bobbie. I did it because of Bobbie. She saw the bigger picture, and I had tunnel vision. I don’t want her to think I did it to get her back. I did it for me. So, I could live with myself. I did it to honor my father because I know he would have done the same.” He thought about that last day. “He was always looking out for others. It’s why he didn’t make it out of the building. He stopped to help a woman.”

“Beau, I’m sure your father is looking down with a smile.”

“I hope so. I came here to make something of myself. I wanted to resurrect what my father had built. I took that job as a way to achieve my dream.”

She smiled at him. “Your father helped make you. You carry on his legacy regardless of what you do for a living. I imagine you were the best of his dreams brought to reality. I know Bobbie was the best part of Catherine.”

“I thought I was doing the right thing by Bobbie.”

“She knows that. She also understands that she expected you to attack things from her perspective, but you couldn’t see it from her point of view. You didn’t lose your mom to a company that didn’t value life.”

“No, but I lost my dad to an ideology much the same.” He took a forkful of his cold potatoes and cut into his chicken-fried steak. Even cold, it was delicious.

“She’s working it out, so give her some time. Bobbie has to devise a plan where no one suffers. She may find a solution or fail, but in the end, she tried, and you can say the same. Now eat your dinner. I have a piece of pie cut for you already. Bobbie says your favorite is cherry.”

He ate his dinner slowly. There was a lot to take in from what Midge said, but there was a lot to gather from what she didn’t say. She didn’t say to give up. She didn’t say to stop loving Bobbie. She said to give her time. That gave him hope she would come around.

When he finished his dinner, he walked home. He was tempted to climb the stairs to her place, but he considered Midge’s advice and went home. If Bobbie needed time, then he would give it to her. He’d be here in a day, week, or a month. Hell, he might be one of the homeless guys she loved to feed, but time was a commodity he had lots of, and he would give her all she needed.