EPILOGUE
Bethany
ONE YEAR LATER
“So, this is it huh,” Manny said to me.
I nodded. “This is it, Manny. For the next minute you're a diner cook, working for Canfield Grille, but after that, you'll be unemployed.”
He smiled.
“And then from the first day a' next month, I'll be manager a' The Verde, one of the finest dining establishments that Detroit will ever have seen.”
I smiled and gave him a big hug.
“That's right! See what happens when you’re nice to the owner?”
Manny beamed a toothy grin at me.
“I never did think I'd be the manager of a real fancy restaurant. No sirree, I never did see that one a-comin'. This'll be the best job I ever had in my life! An' I promise you, Miss Verde, I'll be the best darn manager y'all have ever seen. You an' Mr. Sciotti, I'm gon' make y'all proud! I guarantee that!”
I smiled warmly at him.
“I know you will, Manny, I know you will. After tomorrow, though, I won't be Miss Verde anymore.”
“Nope, guess you won't! You'll be Mrs Sciotti! An' I gone an' dusted my ol' suit an' tie an' nice shoes off just fo' the occasion. I can't wait ta' see you married! Your mama woulda been so proud! And your pappy, too! Hell, I'm proud a' ya, Miss Verde! I think I'm gon' have ta' try real hard tomorrow not ta' start bawlin' at your weddin'! I do get emotional at these things, Lord knows I do!”
“Aw, Manny, I'm so happy you're gonna be there tomorrow. You're pretty much the only family I have now. And the fact that you'll be there on my big day means a lot to me.”
“I wouldn't miss it fo' the world, Miss Verde. Oh, and look at the time! The Canfield Grille is now officially closed fo' business... fo'ever.”
I looked up at the clock and saw that we were indeed officially closed, and he was right – since this was the last day that the diner was in business, this was the last time I would be locking up The Canfield Grille. The next time I opened the doors, after all the renovations had taken place, it would no longer be The Canfield Grille.
It was a bittersweet moment for sure, as I walked up to that old glass front door and closed it for the final time. This had been my home ever since I could remember, and this diner was all I had known growing up. Aside from a fresh coat of paint every decade or so and a few new tables and chairs here or there, the place hadn't really changed that much since I was a toddler.
And now, all of this would be gone, replaced by state-of-the-art fittings and expensive designer furniture. It wouldn't look like this at all when I stepped in here next.
I took my phone out and started recording a video of the place before I turned the lights off for the last time. I wanted to have this record to keep, this reminder of how my old diner had looked before it was gone. I walked slowly around the place, recording every little detail that I could, getting every little bit of information in. Finally, I had captured everything.
“You done there, Miss Verde?” Manny asked.
“I'm done, yeah.”
“I'm gon' hit the lights then.”
He reached up to the main light switch and flipped it, leaving just the glow from the neon sign outside, the one that had always been there, with the words CANFIELD GRILLE written in a curvy font, in red and blue to provide light.
“And now for the last one,” I said, walking up to the switch that would turn the neon light off.
“Goodbye Canfield,” I said, choking up as a sob rose in my throat and tears stung at the corners of my eyes.
I hit the switch, and that was it – the light went out, and The Canfield Grille was no more. I took out a tissue and dabbed at the tears rolling down my cheeks, and then walked through the darkness to the back. Manny was waiting for me.
He opened the back door and stepped out into the alley where Tino was waiting for us.
“That's it then, Miss Verde,” he said, and I could see in the glow from the lamp outside in the alley that his eyes were wet with tears as well. “That's the last time we walk outta the Canfield Grille.”
“Yes, it is, Manny... yes, it is. Have a good evening, and I'll see you tomorrow at the Cathedral of The Most Blessed Sacrament. Don't be late!”
“For yor' wedding, Miss Verde... I'd never be late! Never! I'll see you then!”
He started whistling an old blues tune and shuffled away down the alley. Tino and I watched him go in silence. Eventually, Tino spoke.
“Emotional evening, huh?”
“Yes. It’s the end of an era, but it's also the birth of The Verde.”
He smiled. “I've tasted just about every dish you guys are gonna serve there, and I know for a fact that it's gonna be a hit. A huge hit! You're gonna be a very wealthy woman in your own right, Bethany. Hell, if this goes well, you could probably even start opening up branches of The Verde in other cities.”
I laughed. “Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We'll have to see how well this one does first.”
“I know, I know,” he said with a smile. “It's just that your recipes are so damn good! I know people are gonna go real crazy for ‘em, trust me on that. So, you ready to go?”
I nodded. “I'm ready.”
“Let's go then.”
I got into the car and turned on the little television screen in the back as Tino drove. I flipped through the channels until I came to a news channel on which a familiar name caught my attention.
“And in the latest news, notorious gang leader and alleged drug lord, Tyrese Wilson, apparently known in underground circles as 'One Hand Tyrese' was brought to trial today on charges of drug trafficking, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and possession of illegal substances.”
Tino heard this from the front and chuckled.
“One hand Tyrese. Ha, I remember shootin' that bastard's hand off. Good thing I carry a Magnum with me! Just took one big-ass bullet!”
I continued to watch the news as the reporter spoke about the case.
“He is expected to plead not guilty to all charges, but the state believes it has a watertight case against him. He is strongly expected to be found guilty of all charges. Mr. Gibson himself was not available for comment, but one of the investigating officers did agree to appear on camera. Detective Jenkins, what are your comments regarding this case?”
The screen then showed a police officer.
“Good evening, Camille,” he said to the reporter, “and thanks for letting me speak. Tyrese Gibson is a known gangster, leader of a gang known as the Coup Militants, who my department has been after for quite some time now. We were very pleased to finally apprehend him, and considering that we have video footage of him committing a number of the crimes he has been accused of, provided to us by a source who has requested to remain anonymous, we're pretty damn sure that we're gonna get a conviction in this trial and Mr. Gibson is very likely going to spend the remainder of his life behind bars. The streets of Detroit are going to be a safer place without him and his gang of criminals prowling.”
“Thank you so much for your comments, Detective Jenkins,” said the reporter. “Now, in other news...”
I looked up in the rear-view mirror and saw Tino's eyes on me.
“It was you guys who gave the cops the video footage they need to put Tyrese behind bars, wasn't it?” I asked.
“You know the rules now, Bethany,” he said. “What the men of the Sciotti family do in the family business is for them to know, and them only. You know I'm not allowed to give you an answer on that.”
I nodded. “I know... but, considering that Tyrese's life of crime affected me in a direct way, I thought that maybe you could bend the rules just this once.”
“Well, I ain't sayin' nothing for sure,” he said with a wink, “but maybe we had somethin' to do with it. Maybe not.”
THE NEXT DAY
The wedding had been beautiful, and everything about the day had felt like a fairy tale. When Ben and I had stood in front of the priest, staring deeply into one another's eyes, I had felt as if I was the most loved girl in the whole universe. Saying “I do” to him was one of the greatest moments of my life.
Now we were here at the reception at the Yacht Club, a fitting location, as this was where we had had our first kiss. And now, a year after that, I had just shared another passionate and fiery kiss – but this one had been in front of all of the wedding guests, as Ben and I danced the first dance while the band played our song.
“You know, Bethany, you've always been absolutely stunning, seriously,” Ben said as we danced. “When I say that you're the most beautiful woman in the world, I am not exaggerating. But today, in your wedding gown, you're angelic. You're too beautiful for this world. I can't believe I've married an angel, a real live angel!”
I held him a little more tightly.
“You’re supposed to say that on our wedding day,” I teased.
“I will tell you that every day from here on out,” he replied.
“Well, you look as handsome as any fairy tale prince could dream of being. I am the luckiest girl in the world.”
“Well then I guess we're both feeling pretty lucky,” he said, placing a kiss on my forehead.
I leaned closer to him as we danced and closed my eyes as the last few notes of our song rang out. Everything was going to be perfect... just perfect.