She emerged to find her mother was nowhere to be found. Gary stood by the door, and his friends were gone with exception of Herc.
“Father’s arrived,” Gary said, motioning toward the door. “Mother went to speak to him.”
“I can well imagine.” Susanna sighed heavily. “Thanks for being willing to wait. I have no idea what Mother wants, but I’m sure it won’t be pleasant.”
“You look mighty pretty, Mrs. Jenkins,” Herc declared. “I don’t suppose you’d like to accompany me to the dance hall on Saturday night?”
Susanna shook her head. “No. I’m not much into dancing, but thank you for the invitation.” She gave him no time to respond and made a quick exit into the lobby.
Her parents stood whispering at the check-in desk. Susanna decided to say nothing and stood in silence until her mother concluded and patted Father’s arm. No doubt she was reassuring him that she would get Susanna to cooperate with them one way or another. It was hard to imagine that they were unable to comprehend their responsibility in all that had happened, but Susanna believed they honestly thought themselves completely innocent of blame.
“Let’s go,” Mother said, coming to her side. “I heard there is some of the very best black forest cake ever made. A special recipe the new German cook is presenting.”
Susanna forced a smile. “Sounds delicious.”
They arrived at the Harvey House just moments later and were immediately seated and waited upon. Susanna loved the order and civility of the place. It was such a perfect eating establishment, and she’d heard that the hotel rooms were equally well-ordered. In her own life of chaos, Susanna found a deep appreciation for such harmony.
“Hello, ladies,” the Harvey Girl greeted. She handed them menus and then asked for their drink order. To Susanna’s surprise, her mother ordered coffee. Susanna did likewise, then looked for something substantial to eat before indulging in the cake her mother was so eager to try. She settled on some chicken noodle soup and focused on her coffee as she waited for the food.
Mother was strangely silent even when Susanna prompted conversation. Thankfully the soup arrived quickly, and Susanna offered grace.
She removed her gloves, eyeing her mother the entire time. “I haven’t yet had supper. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not.” Her mother’s tone was curt but not overly annoyed.
Susanna decided to ignore it and began to eat the soup.
It wasn’t long before the Harvey Girl brought the cake and a bowl of freshly whipped cream. She smiled at the two women. “The whipping cream really enhances the flavor of the cherries and chocolate. Chef recommends having a little with each bite of cake. I’m confident that you’ll find this dessert quite enjoyable.”
With that, she left them to their strange feast. Susanna ate her soup in silence while her mother spooned a dollop of the whipped cream onto her plate. Susanna tried to imagine what this meeting was about. Was her mother going to apologize? Or perhaps she wanted to further berate Susanna for her attitude. The latter seemed unlikely as they were in a public setting. Hermother would surely have saved such a thing for private. Whatever had motivated this meeting, Susanna couldn’t quite shake a sense of trepidation. How she wished Owen might show up so she could invite him to join them.
Susanna finally sampled the cake and cream and agreed it was probably the best black forest dessert she’d ever eaten. “The cake is so moist, and the cherries are just the perfect combination of sweet and tart, don’t you agree?”
Mother looked at her for a moment, then nodded. “I do. It is everything I hoped for.”
After this exchange, they continued to eat in silence, which surprised Susanna. After all, her mother was the one to call for this meeting. She no doubt had something on her mind.
Lord, I don’t know what she has planned, but I’m asking You to give me wisdom and clarity of mind. I don’t want to react in a manner that will cause us both embarrassment.
The silent prayer helped calm Susanna as she waited to see what her mother would do or say. Finally, the waiting was over.
Pushing back her empty plate, Mother pulled her cup and saucer closer. “That was superb. I’ve never had better.”
“It is quite delicious.”
Mother put the cup to her lips and seemed to take a long sample of the coffee. Susanna couldn’t help wondering if it was simply for effect, however. She’d never seen her mother drink much coffee, and now she nursed the cup as if it were a cure to save her life.
“I know you must wonder why I’ve invited you here tonight,” her mother said, not even bothering to put the cup down.
“You did say that I was dead to you.”
Her mother wasn’t the least bit embarrassed. She simply nodded. “I want to apologize for that. Father said I let my nerves get the best of me, and I suppose he was right. I was just overwhelmed by the situation.”
“Apology accepted.” Susanna refocused on her cake. Shedidn’t want to belabor the matter. There was more to this than her mother feeling the need for absolution, and the sooner this part could be done with, the sooner Susanna would learn what this was all about.
“In my condition, there is never any certainty of being able to apologize at a later date,” Mother began again. “The Bible says that where it is up to us, we should live peaceably with all men. I’m sure that must be true for women as well. Especially mothers and daughters.”
Susanna knew her mother expected her to ask about the implied condition, but she refused. If there were truly something wrong, Mother wouldn’t hesitate to explain it in vivid detail. So rather than speak, Susanna added sugar to her coffee and sampled it. It was now too sweet, but she wasn’t going to waste it. She took another sip, then put the cup back on the saucer.
