Adele’s Chocolates (and Other Sweet Things) cont’d

A continuation of our story about Adele and life in her chocolate shop. So far, Adele has learned her daughter is planning a visit from California, but is confused because she hasn’t heard from Julie.  And the news came from her gossipy shop helper, Margie, whose brother ran into Julie at a restaurant when he was on a sales trip.

“Well, I suppose that means there is a letter in the mailbox. She’s pretty good about writing about her plans, if she does any planning, that is.”
“Do you want me to run down to the post office right now, Mrs. Sweet?”
“No, Margie, I’ll walk down at the usual time. It doesn’t do any good to go earlier. You know Big Tom. Eleven o‘clock and not one minute sooner.”
Margie already had her coat off, apron on, and hair tucked up under her hair net. Adele appreciated that she didn’t just talk fast, she also worked fast.
“Any special orders today?”
“No.”
“That’s too bad. Seems like we’ve been pretty slow since Valentine‘s.”
“Yes, we have.” Adele sighed. Valentine’s Day had been busy. A lot of young men were buying but they weren’t exactly big spenders, maybe because there weren’t nearly enough odd jobs for all of them. The magazines had been reporting that the population in the United States, was going up quickly. They even had a name for the children, “baby boomers.” Adele couldn’t help but hope all those future romances might help business. Today, though, she was happy to make a few sales and cover her costs, which now, unfortunately, included a new rug for the front of the store.
“Go ahead and get started checking the current stock, and the supplies, as usual. I’m going out to sweep the front step.”
Adele grabbed her coat again from the rack, not in too big a hurry to go back out into the wind, but she was a stickler for neatness. A dirty store meant dirty chocolate, and that would never do. And the first part of her business her customers saw was the front stoop, the wide display windows and the red and white awnings now flapping hard in the breeze. So it would look as perfect as she could manage.

- – -
As predicted, there was a letter from Julie in the mail. Adele was too curious to wait until she got back to the shop, so she stood by the service counter and opened the envelope.
“So how’s she doing?” Big Tom, the postmaster, knew everything that went on in town, of course. Three hundred mail boxes, three hundred households. Not too difficult to keep up, particularly since he’d grown up in an apartment at the back of Charlie’s Market, and had seen the same families and business proprietors walking in and out the post office door every day for 30 years.
“Oh, I’m sure she’s doing fine. As soon as I read her letter, I will let you know.” She liked Tom. He had nearly been her son-in-law, but then Julie met Jim and moved to California. Tom later married Margie, but still asked about Julie every time he saw the familiar postmark.

Dear Mother,
Big news. Will tell you everything when I get home Saturday. Republic flight 145.
Love, Jules

It didn’t take Adele long to read the letter, scribbled onto a tiny note card. It was practically a telegram. Well, that was interesting, Adele thought, and not helpful in any way. “So what‘s the good word?”
“She’s coming for a visit.”
“Really? What’s the occasion?”
“I have no idea. She says she has big news.”
“Another baby?”
She looked at him with pursed lips. Tom had five kids, but Julie hadn’t been able to have any more children after Frances was born. Nobody really knew about that, and even though Tom was just asking the normal question, it wasn‘t any of his business.
“I don’t think so. In fact, she didn’t even mention Frankie.”
“Well, if he comes, you know it’ll be noisy in Grandma’s house, won’t it? That boy’s a pistol if I ever saw one.”
Adele nodded, and gathered up the rest of the mail and moved toward the door. Tomorrow was Saturday and she had a lot to do to get ready for company.
“I’ll tell Tommy,” Tom called to her as the heavy glass door closed behind her. “He and Frankie have a blast together.”
She hurried across the street toward the shop. The weather was no longer a concern. She had to make a shopping list, freshen up the guest room and prepare Frankie’s favorite red Jello and bananas (with colored marshmallows). For once she hoped she and Margie wouldn’t be busy so she could go home at noon and get things ready. She also needed Margie to run the shop the next day so she could drive to the Des Moines airport.
“Any mail?” Margie looked up from counting chocolate behind the counter.
“Yes, there was a letter from Julie.”
“And?”
“And, she is coming.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Oh my goodness, Mrs. Sweet. That means you are going to busy.”
“That’s what Tom said. Margie, can you take care of the shop this afternoon and tomorrow for awhile? I have many things to do at home today, and have to go to the airport tomorrow afternoon.”
“I certainly can.”
“Thank you.”
“Did she say why she was coming? This is an odd time of year, isn’t it? Is she bringing Frankie?”
“She didn’t say. She did mention ‘big news’ in her letter, but I have no idea what that could be about.”
“Maybe it had something to do with the people she was with when Jim saw her.”
“Maybe. But I don’t suppose we’ll know any of that until she gets here.” Adele dropped the stack of mail, mostly bills, onto the desk and exchanged her coat for an apron. “In the meantime, we’d better get to work. Twelve o’clock will be here before we know it.”

(end of chapter 1)

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