The Waitress
By J. Craig Mecham
© 2007 J. Craig Mecham
An elderly couple on a long journey stopped at a small roadside restaurant for a quick meal before resuming their trip. Melvin and Gladys were both in their late seventies and were feeling the effects of their travels and their age. The waitress was much younger than they, an energetic woman probably in her late twenties. She greeted them with an enthusiastic smile.
“Good evening,” she said brandishing her pencil and order book. “You two look pretty tired. Been a long day?”
“Indeed it has miss,” answered Melvin. “And it’s not over yet. It would be the greatest thing if we were finished with this trip and could rest.” The waitress stared at the couple for an uncomfortable minute before she spoke again.
“I’ll tell you what I’ll do,” she said. “You look like nice folks. You remind me a little of my grandparents on my mother’s side. They’re both gone now, but I loved them so much. You just said that the greatest thing in the world would be if your journey were over. I don’t believe you really think that’s the greatest thing in the world. Here’s the deal. If you can tell me what the greatest thing in the world is, your dinner is free tonight.” The old couple smiled and seemed to perk up a bit.
“Sure, we’ll play along,” said Gladys with a smile.
“OK, I’ll be right back with some water for you. You decide what you’re having for dinner and let me know what really is the greatest thing in the world.” With that, the waitress spun around and walked away.
Melvin and Gladys looked at each other and smiled. This unexpected diversion was a welcome relief from the cold sadness that always permeated these monthly journeys. In all the years since their son had been in prison, they had never missed their once a month visits. Eighteen years. Two hundred and sixteen months in a row they had made the six hour drive from the warmth of their small home to the grey walls and razor wire of the prison. Their only child Roger was there. He had always been a difficult child. Headstrong, mischievous and filled with boundless energy, from the time he could walk, it seemed Roger was always in some kind of trouble. Everyone said he’d “grow out of it” but as he got older his troubles only grew bigger. Then one night, the phone rang waking them from a deep sleep. The voice was Roger’s but the words seemed to belong to someone else.
“I’ve been arrested Dad. Can you come right away?”
The next few months almost killed Melvin and Gladys. The lawyers, courts, judges, trials, juries, verdicts, appeals and finally the sentence: Twenty-five years. Their finances and their emotions were completely spent. They collapsed tearfully into each other’s arms. Their hearts broken.
Despite eighteen years of monthly visits, they never became comfortable with the routine. It was always a shock to see the fences, guard towers and razor wire. The sound of heavy metal doors closing behind them as they entered the visiting area felt like a kick in the stomach. In eighteen years, the environment never changed. Same colorless room, same cracked and worn tables and chairs, same sounds and smells. The faces of inmates and guards would change periodically, but the feeling remained constant. Cold, sterile, empty, sad. It was only their undying love for Roger that drove them to breach the walls of this hell month after month. It was several years before Gladys could make the entire journey without tears. But each time, as they lay in bed at the conclusion of their trips, she would sob into her pillow when she thought Melvin was asleep.
The prison surroundings never changed, but Roger did. He was no longer the brash, tough guy without a care in the world. He became quieter, more calm, almost studious. He took advantage of the programs offered in prison and finished high school and most of his college degree. Lately he seemed almost happy. Somehow in this awful place he managed to find a love for the scriptures. Each month, he would greet them with a smile and would talk excitedly the entire time about what he had learned from his study of the Bible, and a new book they’d never heard of before. A dark blue paperback book with the title printed in gold. The Book of Mormon. Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Melvin and Gladys were a little concerned about this strange book at first, but seeing the light in their son’s eyes, they couldn’t bring themselves to question it. It seemed to be so much a part of his recent transformation. They soon took to bringing their Bibles with them to the prison so they could more fully participate in Roger’s fresh excitement. It made the visits almost bearable for them. Almost.
“OK, so what’s for dinner you two?” Suddenly the perky waitress was back.
“I think we’ll both have the special,” announced Melvin. Gladys nodded in agreement. “And just water to drink.”
“Coming right up,” said the waitress with a smile. She turned to go but then stopped to face the couple once again. “So what’s the answer to the question? Have you thought about it, or are you buying your own dinner tonight?” She laughed playfully as she waited for their response.
Melvin and Gladys laughed. “Are you kidding?” teased Gladys. “Melvin has never turned down an opportunity for a free meal in his life! Tell her the answer dear.”
Suddenly Melvin was serious. “Love is the greatest thing in the world. Everyone needs love.”
“Yes, that’s true,” said the waitress, “but people live without love all the time. If love is the greatest thing in the world, how do they live without it? You gave a really good answer, but it’s not quite, exactly 100% correct. I tell ya what. You two talk about it some more and when I come back with your dinner, I’ll give you another chance. How’s that sound?”
“Well, that might be the best answer we’ve got,” said Melvin, “but we’ll give it another try.” With that the waitress disappeared into the kitchen.
Melvin and Gladys were puzzled. How could love have been the wrong answer? Isn’t that what the scriptures say? Isn’t love what has caused them to wear a path from their home to the prison each month despite snow and ice and sickness and poverty? What could be greater than love?
Melvin thought hard. Gladys stared at Melvin. “What are you thinking?” she finally asked.
“Well, one thing I’m wondering is what makes a twenty-something waitress smarter than us two old folks who have seen so much of life?” Gladys had been thinking the same thing. What did she know that they didn’t, and what’s more, how did she know it?
The restaurant was suddenly busy, so when their food was ready another waitress delivered it. Melvin and Gladys began eating but were still deep in thought about how to answer the waitress’s question. They mostly ate in silence with each one offering an occasional one-word answer for consideration. But, one by one they dismissed each answer as inadequate.
They were nearly finished with dinner before the waitress again appeared at their table. “Sorry I’ve kinda ignored you for a while, but we got real busy all of a sudden. I hope you’ve used the extra time to come up with the right answer and let me buy you dinner.” She placed her hands on her hips and looked down at them like an expectant grade school teacher. Melvin and Gladys laughed.
“We’ve been talking and thinking and deciding all through dinner,” explained Gladys. “I’m afraid we gave you our best answer first.”
“Is it compassion?” asked Melvin.
“Nope,” the waitress responded.
“Kindness?”
“Nope again”
“Courage?”
“All great things, but not the greatest. Give up?”
“This better not be one of those trick questions,” Melvin warned with a smile.
“No. No tricks involved. See! Nothing up my sleeve,” she smiled as she quickly rolled up her sleeve.
“OK, we give up,” said Gladys, “what’s the answer? The waitress paused and looked at the old couple for a long minute. There was no mistaking her seriousness.
“The answer is hope! Hope is the greatest thing in the world. People often live without love, without kindness or compassion, but they can’t live without hope. Even people who live terrible, tragic lives, live for the hope of love, the hope of compassion, the hope of healing, the hope of peace.”
Melvin and Gladys sat there stunned. It was wisdom they couldn’t deny. While there was no denying that love for Roger had propelled them each month into a monstrous foreign world to be with their son, it was hope that kept them praying for miracles in Roger’s life. Hope that Roger would learn and grow. That he would change is ways and that he would eventually emerge from prison, a new person and take his place as a productive member of society. That was their hope, their prayer. It’s what allowed them to face the world each day. It’s how they learned to deal with the rude comments of people in town. Someday, Roger would be free and then people would see his goodness, his humility and allow him to take his place among them. This was the unspoken hope they nurtured for 18 years.
“You’re being kinda quiet, don’t you believe me?” The waitress’s question brought them out of their thoughtful silence.
“How old are you?” Melvin asked directly.
“You’re never supposed to ask that of a lady,” the waitress teased, “but if you must know I’m 28.”
“I think what my husband is trying to ask,” explained Gladys softly, “is how did someone so young as you are become such an expert on love and hope?” The waitress smiled and pulled up a chair.
“Well, if you really want to know,” she explained, “I’ll tell you. My mom died when I was born so my dad raised me alone. He was the most wonderful man I’ve ever known. He tried so hard to be both Mom and Dad to me. Even today I smile when I think of his huge callused hands trying to do my hair for picture day at school. It never turned out very well, but I really didn’t care that much. He tried hard because he loved me. I knew that. Money was always tight and sometimes to make ends meet, Dad would fill in on the graveyard shift at a convenience store just down the street from our house. One night when I was ten years old Dad was working the store when a bunch of kids came in and robbed the place. A scuffle broke out and they ended up shooting him. He died the next morning. It was the worst day of my life. Even after all these years, I can still sit down and have a good cry about it.” A tear found it’s way down her cheek as she continued.
“The next few years were filled with anger and hate. I lived with my mother’s parents and I was a real problem child. I wanted justice. I wanted revenge. I hated the whole world. My daddy was gone and I was miserable. I was headed down a terrible path. My grandparents could see where I was going and did all they could, but nothing seemed to work. Then something magic happened. One night as I was laying in bed, I picked up a book and began to read. It was the same book that had been on my nightstand since I was eight years old. But somehow this night, it spoke to me. I read all night long. I couldn’t get enough. I didn’t really understand all the words, but I loved the feeling in my heart as I read. I knew I was reading the word of God. And, if that was true, then everything my grandparents had been telling my since my dad was killed was also true. Suddenly I had hope. I knew that I could be with my father and my mother again. I knew that, because of what our Savior did for us, my family would be together again. For the first time in years I felt the warmth of my Heavenly Father’s love fill my heart and I knew that my hope was not in vain. That was a few years ago, but a lot has happened since then. One Easter morning as I was sitting in church I realized that I could not truly profess to follow my Savior unless I specifically reached out to the group of men responsible for my father’s death that night so long ago. So I found out where each one of them were and I wrote them a letter and sent them the book I took from my nightstand that wonderful night. I prayed that they would accept my expression of forgiveness and it would be meaningful to them. I also prayed that, just like me, they would find hope within the pages of this book. They would learn that the atonement of Christ is infinite and eternal and that there is indeed hope for all of us. I want you to have a copy of the book too.” The waitress smiled wide and reached into a pocket of her apron and handed Melvin a blue paperback book.
Melvin then did something he hadn’t done since his son’s trial and sentencing. He cried as he read the words printed in gold on the cover. The Book of Mormon. Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
