Chapter One

Monday, July 25, 2020 at 10:00am

Pots of coffee flowed endlessly into bottomless mugs - regular, decaf, half-caf, double-caf, nonfat, low-fat, skim, mocha, caramel, hazelnut. Sounds of eager forks clinked against plates topped full of flapjacks, eggs with sausage links, burgers and fries, meatloaf, turkey surprise, and country fried steak. The smell of sizzling bacon was the signature aroma. Everything on the menu offered a side of bacon, even the macaroni and cheese. The customers were an odd assortment of businessmen in suits, church-goers, families, and truck drivers passing through. The regulars were sitting proudly at the counter reading the daily newspaper.

“Hey mama, I need some more coffee over here!” Destiny heard a customer say. She was holding a tray full of dirty dishes and still needed to clear and wipe down two other tables in her section.

“I’ll be right with you.” As she was hustling back to the kitchen, she passed by a young man with do-rag on. He smiled at her, revealing a gold tooth. He blew a kiss at her. He had two friends at the table who seemed quite amused by his antics.

“Ey, why don’t you try and get her number?” One of his friends suggested.

“Bet.” Was all the gold tooth man said in response.

“Baby girl?” He called her again. Destiny pretended she couldn’t hear him over the loud clash and clatter of plates clinking and customers chattering. Destiny walked by the man again, with food for the next table.

“Yo, baby girl?” He called again. What is with Goldy Tooth? She thought. Destiny dropped off the plates to the customers and began cleaning the other tables in her section.

“I told you I will be right with you.” Destiny hurriedly dropped off the dirty dishes and the kitchen and picked up her order for Goldy’s table.

A waitress with strawberry hair and a bright pink apron was passing by. Destiny called her Miss Piggy for she was a rotund woman with a short nose and round, rosy cheeks. She wore entirely too much makeup on her chubby face, usually a bright colored lipstick and eyeshadow. Today it was red lipstick and light blue eyeshadow.

Miss Piggy’s shoulder bumped into Destiny, causing plates, cups, silverware, and bits and pieces of food to scatter all over the floor. Miss Piggy stepped over the pile.

“Get out of the way, freak.” Miss Piggy retorted.

Destiny started picking up the mess.

“Daaaaaamn. Yo’ girly, you got a fat ass!” Destiny looked over her shoulder and saw Goldy and his friends staring at her behind.

Destiny ignored them and continued cleaning. After she was done she headed back to the kitchen and was welcomed with another order ready.

“Order up, table six.” The chef called. Destiny grabbed the heavy tray along with a fresh pot of coffee and made her way back to table six where Goldy Tooth and his posse were.

“Here you go.” Destiny placed down two plates piled high with buttermilk pancakes, bacon and sausage, fried eggs, and hash browns - a vegan’s nightmare. “And your coffee.” She added, refilling his cup.

“So you gonna give me your number of what?” Goldy asked.

“Not.” Destiny said.

“Come on, baby. You know you want some of this.” Destiny started to walk away.

“Fuck you then, lesbo!” It was all Destiny could do not to yank that hideous tooth out of his crusty mouth.

As Destiny headed back to the kitchen, she walked by Miss Piggy again.

“Hey, why don’t you try getting out of the way, pothead so the rest of us can get some work done!” Miss Piggy scolded. Destiny turned to her to say something in response but hesitated. Miss Piggy was a manager and the owner’s daughter so she got to do and say whatever she wanted. Rent was due in three weeks, so Destiny decided to leave it alone.

Destiny gave a polite smile and went about her business bussing tables and bringing customers their food. When Destiny walked by the old man sitting at the counter reading the Brookside Daily News. The old man ate breakfast at Roxanne’s every single morning. Suddenly the man reached over and pinched Destiny on the butt. Destiny turned around in anger and glared at the seemingly feeble old man. He was smirking his snaggle tooth grin as if he has won some type of perverted contest. She had to fight the urge to slap that silly grin off his face.

“Pour me some more coffee, sweet cheeks?” Destiny’s thoughts took her back to how much she needed to this job to pay her bills, so put on her phony smile and said nothing. She filled his mug with coffee, as she did, she could feel his beady eyes staring at her chest. Destiny picked up the man’s empty plate and started walking away. He pinched her butt again. Destiny said nothing and returned to the kitchen to unload her items.

Destiny needed some fresh air. She walked through the kitchen to the back door. Miss Piggy saw her heading outside and called after her.

“Where you going, dreadhead?” Miss Piggy barked.

“Taking my fifteen.”

“Hey, pothead.” She turned to Destiny and looked her up and down. She was pointing her chubby finger in Destiny’s face. You invite your loser boyfriend over here to fight your battles? How pathetic. I’m docking your pay. You’re going to have to make up for it by working a double shift next weekend.”

“Fine by me.” Destiny didn’t want to hear another word. She thrust the back door open and stepped outside into the back alley. She sat down on an old vegetable crate and looked up at the sky. Destiny tried her best to ignore the rotten garbage smell emanating from the dumpster. She wasn’t sure how long she could keep working these pointless dead-end jobs. There had to be more to life than getting groped by creepy customers and called names by fat managers. Destiny was never the type to feel sorry for herself or play the victim. She had been in worst jams than this and she would make it through this one just as she did the others. But it was times like this she wished she had someone to turn to who understand how truly crappy life could be. It was why she missed her big brother Nick so much. He always had a way of making even the darkest of times seem like a temporary layover to your final destination. Destiny would have given anything to see his face again, to hear his voice telling her, It will all be alright, Z. We can make it through anything as long as we are together. It is you and me versus the world kid, so the world better watch out!

Destiny pulled out a joint from her pocket. She took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of the weed through the wrapper. She had to fight the urge not to light it right now. Six more hours, she thought. Then she could leave this hell hole. Destiny took another deep breath of the weed and felt reenergized. She stuck the joint back in her pocket and went inside to resume her shift.

“Order up, table five!” The chef called. Destiny grabbed the tray of food and went to deliver it to the big burly family at table five.

“Uh...excuse me?” Destiny was interrupted by the perverted old man sitting at the counter.

“What?” Destiny didn’t bother to hide her irritation.

“I dropped my napkin. Could you pick it up for me there, darling?” The crusty old man said.

“Get it yourself.” Destiny snapped. She finished out her shift.

---

By the time Destiny left the diner, the late afternoon was pouring into early evening. Even though it was still daylight, the three-quarter moon stood out in the pink sky. Roxanne’s diner was in the middle of everything -- located on the busiest street in the middle of downtown Brookside. There was still a considerable amount of activity for a Sunday. Cars and buses moving through traffic. People hustling through the crowds hurriedly making their way to their destinations.

Destiny waited for a lull of oncoming cars before crossing the street to a nearby parking structure. She was carrying two styrofoam takeout boxes. Since it was the end of the day, the structure was almost entirely empty with only a few cars, most likely belonging to employees who worked nearby.

Along the right side of the structure next to a row of handicapped parking spaces sat a dark skinned woman approximately in her fifties and a young child. They were wrapped in a grungy blanket, it's original color was indiscernible but from the looks is appeared to be some sort of red or pink.

Destiny leaned over and kissed the woman on the cheek.

“Hey, Martha.”

“Hey, honey. Right on time.” Destiny handed the woman the boxes she was carrying along with some plastic ware she had taken.

"Here you go, Martha. I had the chef put extra gravy on the mashed potatoes just like you like. And there's some corn and green beans in there for Sammy." The woman graciously took the takeout boxes of food. She was wearing a green jogging suit and had a black do-rag on.

"Thank you, Z." Martha said. She handed one box to the young girl next to her. The little girl was about eight years old. Her hair was thick and matted. She wore an oversized t-shirt and grey jeans. Sammy jammed her plastic spoon in a big heap of mashed potatoes but Martha stopped her before she could put it in her mouth.

"Wait, Sammy. You know we say grace first." Sammy dropped the spoon and bowed her head.

"Thank you, Lord for this wonderful spread you have laid before us. And thank you for the blessings you shower us with on a day to day. And last but not least, Lord, we thank you for Z. For she is a great blessing to me and Sammy. Jesus name we pray. Amen." Martha said. Destiny stood silently while Martha prayed. Sammy picked her spoon back up and dug ravenously into the food.

"There's something else." Destiny reached in her pocket and took out the two hundred dollars the young man from the diner had given her. "Here, I want you to have this."

Martha stared at the money but didn't reach for it.

"Oh, honey we can't accept that."

"I insist. Some customer left me a large tip. I’d prefer if you and Sammy took it.” Martha’s eyes began to tear up but she refused to accept the money.

“Oh, dear you are so sweet, but I can’t take that money. You need it for your tuition. But may God bless you for your good heart.” Destiny sighed heavily.

“You know I don’t believe in your god, Martha.”

“Our God." She corrected. "And you may not think you believe in Him but you live according to His word. Romans 8:28 said, ‘and we know that God causes all things to work for good to those who love God, those are called according to His purpose.’ Do you know how many people pass by us every single day and most don’t even have the decency to look directly at us? They all walk quickly with their heads down hoping we don’t ask them for money. But every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, like clockwork, we can count on you to bring us delicious food from Roxanne’s diner. You are a gift, Z. Your compassion is astounding.” Destiny shook her head. Martha was another mindless drone who believed in this so-called Almighty God who, as far as Destiny was concerned, sat on his holier than thou throne in the sky judging and condemning the earth-dwellers for all their weaknesses and mistakes.

Destiny didn’t believe in a higher power. Her adopted parents, Wayne and Kimberly, went to church every Sunday and were the biggest hypocrites of all. They made sure the car was scrubbed clean, then they would put on their best clothes and finest jewelry, and drag her and Nick to Saint View Church. They would sit reverently in the pews intently listening to the Pastor Leland drone on about some man who is the flesh embodiment of God and how that man was beaten, whipped, tortured and nailed to a large piece of wood. And somehow the gruesome and horrendous acts that this man endured would atone for all the bad shit people do to each other every damn day of their miserable lives. This twisted belief was like a green light that permitted bad people to keep doing bad things so long as they went to church, paid their tithes and offerings, and celebrated Christmas. To Destiny, it was nothing but a huge con that the majority of the world bought into.

Try as she might, Destiny never quite learned how to make sense of it all. She couldn’t bring herself to pray to a god who sat and watched while bad things happened over and over again. She definitely couldn’t believe in a god who would absolve her adoptive parents from all blame for all tyrannical behavior and unrelenting abuse they delivered to her and Nick. This god had never even been there for her - not the day she was found in an abandoned car on the side of the road. He wasn’t there for her when she was thrust into the foster care system and forced to live in a group home for the first nine years of her life. He definitely wasn’t there when she was adopted by a horrible couple. He hadn’t been there when her adoptive mother would beat her senseless every time she left a dish in the sink, a crumb in the kitchen, or if her bed had too many wrinkles. God sure as hell hadn’t been there when she ran away from the Rogers’ house at age 16.

No, the fact was, the only one who had ever been there for Destiny was Nick. He was her only family and her best friend. And when Nick turned up dead, it was obvious God hadn’t been there for him either. This high and mighty God, if he did exist, stayed proudly in his castle in the sky. He had given her nothing but the crappy hand of cards she’d been dealt. At the same time, He had taken everything from her that ever mattered. Who in their right mind would want anything to do with a god like that?

“Well, I’m not so sure about that, Martha. Right before the customer gave me that $200 - I, sort of, yelled at him…”

“Did he deserve it?”

“Not exactly. He just kept sticking his nose where it didn’t belong and I got fed up. I guess I could have handled it better. Truth is, I feel kinda bad. Maybe he was just being nice...”

“So was he cute?”

“What?”

“Your thoughts seem pretty preoccupied with this man. I’m just wondering if you found him somewhat attractive.” Destiny’s face turned pink.

“No! I-mean not really. He wasn’t unattractive, but he’s definitely not my type. Besides, I have more important things on my mind.”

“Okay, okay. Whatever you say, dear. Remember Matthew 6:7 says, ‘Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy’.”

“Oh yeah. Well in Jeremiah 21:14, your god says ‘I will punish you as your deed deserves’.”

“John 3:16 ‘for God so loved the world that He gave his only son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life’.”

“There is no such thing as eternal life, Martha.” Destiny said.

“There is for those who know Him and believe and trust in His word.”

“Look at you, Martha. Homeless, covered in dirt. You can’t even feed yourself or Sammy when you want to. Not a penny to your name. How on earth can you believe your god is so wonderful if he would let you sit here suffering like this?” Destiny asked. Everytime Destiny came to visit Martha and Sammy they were always caked in dirt from head to toe. With the new Mayor of Brookside “cleaning up” the streets of Brookside, most of the surrounding businesses were none too friendly to the homeless community. Martha had often told Destiny that upon trying to enter a public facility to wash up, the manager would tell them to leave or threaten to call to the police.

Destiny knew how it was to be a female on the streets. Every day was a battle to try and keep what few belongings you had. The moment you put your guard down - someone would run off with it. A lot of women and young girls Sammy’s age often traded sexual favors for money, food, drugs - whatever they needed. Martha refused to let something like that happen to Sammy. She met Sammy when she was huddled in a bus station bathroom. Sammy had been curled up in one of the stalls when an attendant found her and threatened to call social services. Luckily Martha had been using the ladies room when it happened so she told the attendant that Sammy was her daughter. Ever since then, Sammy has stuck to Martha like glue. Destiny wished she had had someone like Martha looking out for her when she was living on the streets.

“I could quote a hundred verses to you about God’s love, His mercy, or even His wisdom. But none of it would change how you feel or what you went through. Instead, I’ll tell you that God works in mysterious ways. Maybe you can’t understand that by looking at my situation but why not look at your own? You came from nothing. No advantages in life. You were out here on these streets on your own as a child. Yet you survived! Now, here you are working two jobs. Soon you’ll be going to school and go on to become a doctor or a lawyer or whatever you want to be. You wouldn’t call that a miracle? A sign of God’s love for you?”

“No. I wouldn’t." Destiny didn't hesitate. "Everything I have, all I have accomplished is my doing. Not some invisible spirit or holy ghost.” Destiny expected Martha to quote some more scripture, sing a hymn, or lecture her some more on religion and spirituality but she didn’t. Instead she just smiled.

“One day, it will all make sense to you. Thanks again for the food, my dear.”

“Alright take care, Martha.” Destiny leaned down and kissed Martha on the cheek. “See ya, Sammy.” Sammy waved goodbye to Destiny and gave her a smile, her mouthful of food. Of all the time that Destiny had known Martha and Sammy, she never heard Sammy utter a word. Destiny could imagine the things she’s seen and had to endure to make her mute like that. If social services got wind of their predicament, they would take Sammy away in a heartbeat. But Destiny knew even with their situation, the best place for Sammy would be with someone who cared about her rather than in an overcrowded foster care system or group home that was none too kind to little black girls.

Destiny left the parking structure and headed to the nearest bus stop. She had 45 minutes before she had to be at the Brookside library for the closing shift.