FanStory.com - Madge's Cafe`by papa55mike

Jesse is driving through a pitch-black night down a curvy, two-lane highway trying to stay between lines. He's barely doing fifty-five with the radio turned down, and his pregnant wife is smiling out the window beside him.

Cari looks over at him and says, "This is so cool, Jesse. It's like we're on a grand adventure, touring through a dark land, searching for the evil to destroy." She tosses her short black hair from her glistening dark blue eyes.

"You think this is cool." Jesse shakes his head. "I can't see a thing past my headlights and expect Bigfoot to pop out waving at any minute. We just left Parsons, and the next town is Linden, twenty-six miles away. You're just an eight-month-pregnant thrill junkie!"

"That's why it's so cool," Cari smiles and continues, "Besides, Grandma hasn't seen me big and pregnant," She rubs her belly. "She'll have a fit over me. Then, Grandma will make us the best breakfast you've ever eaten in the morning."

"All of this is for breakfast?"

"Yeah." Cari throws her head back and laughs.

Thirty minutes later, they're inching up a steep hill, and Jesse hopes there's a road on the other side. He can barely make out the thick forest on both sides of the road. There's a huge sawmill at the top with a streetlight at the entrance. Still staring out the window, Cari finally says, "Linden is at the bottom of the hill."

"Really, how can you tell? Who knew that three streetlights made a town?"

At the bottom of the hill, the sign reads; Welcome to Linden, Logging Capitol of Decatur County.

Cari's eyes glisten with tears when she begins her story, "I've ridden through Linden so many times I could drive it blindfolded. Highway Eighteen crosses here, and you turn right to go to Flatwoods. That's where you rent a canoe to float the Buffalo River. I've been down it so many times they have a section named after me, Cari's Curves."

Jesse sees her glowing smile in the window, staring down Highway Eighteen. He teases her a little, asking, "Well, how many of your old boyfriends brought you home this way, and was there a place you would park for a while?" Jesse gives her a curious look.

"That's none of your business, and before I met you. If you're lucky, I might take you there one night." An evil grin appears on her face - the one Jesse likes.

They cross the river on an old metal bridge and hear the water swirl and tumble below them. The mileage sign reads twenty-two miles to Hohenwald and fifty-six miles to Columbia! Jesse shakes his head, then rolls his eyes at Cari while she snickers in the darkness.

At least Hohenwald is bigger than Linden and has a McDonald's. Jesse stops so Cari can use the restroom while he gets them two bottles of water.

The next sign declares it's thirty-four miles to Columbia, and Jesse thinks they should arrive around midnight, depending on how many Aliens and Bigfoot they encounter along the way.

The highway seems to have straightened out, so Jesse turns the radio up a little. He notices Cari looking out the window in deep thought. She's collecting all of her favorite memories and dreams from her life here. Now, there's a documentary playing in her mind on the windshield. Tears gather in the corners of her eyes while her beautiful smile widens. Cari has always been a collector of moments, whether good or bad. To her, this trip was essential, and he was glad to be sharing it with her.

The next sign on this perilous voyage through the darkness says twenty-two miles to Columbia. The journey to grandma's house is almost over.

Cari suddenly grabs her belly and says, "Oh, that hurts."

In an instant panic, Jesse exclaims, "What do you mean that hurts?" He quickly looks for a place to pull over, and there isn't one.

"Jesse, I need to pee right now!" Cari is rocking back and forth, and he can see a slight panic in her eyes.

"Why can't there be a store or something out here?" Suddenly a light appears, like a star in the sky. The car slowly comes around a curve, and there is a building with its lights filling the darkness. It seems to be an old tin-sided restaurant from the fifties. The sign reads Madges Cafe. Home to five-cent burgers and beers. Jesse quickly pulls into the parking lot and says, "What a beautiful old place, and look at that sign, Cari. I wonder how old it is?"

"I don't care what the sign says! Get me to the bathroom if they have one." Cari walks a little hunched over from the pain.

Jesse and Cari slowly walk in the door, and a beautiful woman with long gray hair rushes to their aid. She's dressed in a long blue dress with a gray apron asking, "My, my, what do we have here?" Her smooth southern drawl puts both of them at ease. That smile of hers is breathtaking, and what gorgeous hazel eyes.

Cari smiles as soon as their eyes meet and asks, "Can I use your restroom for a minute?"

"Why sure, Darling. It's right back here and let me help you." She puts her arm around Cari and leads her to the restroom. "I sure hope your water ain't about to break, Sweetie. If it does, don't you worry. The new hospital in Columbia will fix you right up. Just tell Dr. Henry James that Madge sent you. He's been a good friend for years and loves my coffee."

"We'll do that, Madge." Cari can't take her eyes off her.

Jesse sits at the long stainless steel bar, and Madge returns to pour him a steaming cup of coffee. "This smells amazing, Madge."

"Thank you. Don't worry about a thing, Honey. I'm sure everything will be fine."

Cari hollers from the restroom, "Jesse, I need my bag. It was my water breaking."

"On my way."

Madge puts her hand on Jesse's, then says, "Your lovely wife will make you a proud father soon. What a wonderful blessing." The touch of her hand warms his heart, and it's like she radiates love.

After Jesse gets Cari's bag, he heads to the restroom. A delicate hand reaches through the door, and Cari meekly says, "Thank you."

"Don't worry, Honey. We'll be in Columbia soon. I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll be out in a minute." Cari blows him a kiss through the crack of the door.

Jesse walks back to the counter to finish his coffee and says, "It looks like a long night ahead."

Madge grabs a paper sack when Cari walks out of the restroom and says, "Here's a bag for your clothes, honey." Madge puts her arm around Cari. "I want you to know that everything will turn out fine, and God is watching over both of you right now." Her faith warms their hearts.

Jesse and Cari are almost at the door when Cari turns. She hugs and kisses Madge on her cheek, saying, "Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome, Honey, and if you come back this way, please stop. I'd love to see the baby."

Madge's smile lights the way to their car, and they both wave before climbing in. Jesse can see Madge waving while they pull onto the highway.

Cari says, "I've never met anyone like her, Jesse."

"Neither have I. What a beautiful soul."

Four days later, the sun filters through the trees, enhancing the fall colors, and the leaves gently drift across the highway. Rachel is asleep in her car seat, and Cari looks out the window. Jesse thinks Cari is more beautiful than ever. It must be that new mother's glow.

Cari says, "It must be around here somewhere, Honey. I know we were twenty-two miles from Columbia. But where is it?"

"Yeah, there are a few things I want to ask Madge about, like the new hospital. It opened in 1950. She must have meant they rebuilt it recently. But when I asked them about Dr. James, they said he retired thirty years ago."

"Oh, it doesn't matter, Jesse. I can't wait to show Rachel to Madge, and I can picture her smile in my mind."

"Well, we should be close. We're twenty-one miles outside Columbia."

Jesse slows down and turns into what was Madge's Cafe. Someone had boarded up the building long ago, the roof had collapsed where Cari went to the restroom, and ivy now grows over the door. The sign fell long ago and lies in the gravel in front of the place. Tall grass and weeds surround the building. There hasn't been anybody here in many years.

Cari and Jesse slowly get out of the car with shocked expressions. They look at each other for answers, but there aren't any.

Suddenly, an older man steps around the corner of the building. He stops, smiles, and asks, "Can I help you, folks?"

Jesse has to think about what to say, "Well, what would you say if I told you that my wife and I were here four nights ago? Lights filled the Cafe, a star hung above it, and a lady named Madge met us at the door dressed in her long blue dress and gray apron. She took us in and helped us. But how?"

The older man shakes his head, chuckles, and then answers, "I'd say you met the most wonderful woman I ever knew. A touch of her hand would warm you inside, and her smile was like no other." He looks down for a moment and rises with a sad smile. "Madge bought this place in 1938. She ran it for many years, and there wasn't a person within fifty miles she hadn't helped in one way or another. I came here daily for the best coffee in the county and to look into her beautiful eyes. Every man in the area was in love with her, and so was I. Me in my twenties and her in her fifties."

Cari asks, "What happened to her?"

"Do you see those trees over there and the burnt remains of a little blue house?" The man choked back a sob, and his lip quivered before answering. "Madge died in that fire nearly sixty years ago. Everybody around here lost their best friend that night. It was the saddest time of my life."

"But she was here," Cari's tears flow down her cheeks. "I felt her arms around me and kissed her cheek before we left!"

"Oh, I believe you, ma'am. You're not the first she's helped after her death. Over the years, I've had twenty people tell me the same thing. The Cafe was brightly lit, and Madge was there to help in any way she could. I wish it would happen to me, just once. If I could look into those hazel eyes and see that glorious smile again." He slowly wipes his eyes and then adds, "You folks have a nice day." Slowly, he walks to an old red Jeep they didn't see until now.

"Jesse," a determined look comes over Cari, and she continues, "I'm showing Madge our baby." She walks over to the car, gently takes Rachel in her arms, and then slowly returns to the door. Jesse puts his arm around Cari and Rachel with a big smile.

The feeling of two arms wrapped around them fills their hearts with love.