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HELEN'S JOURNAL |
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| Date: 19th April
| Time: Midnight | Place: California | |||
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Once more following Tom's instructions, we stopped at the Frontier Cafe, Truxston, 'the coffee's good, the food is some of the best anywhere along the route and the stories are on the house.' We'd just filled up on two large malts from the Snow Cap Malt and Shake Shack, Seligman, where they had a telephone and a TV in the (ladies) outhouse, so we weren't exactly hungry, but the chance of a story - now that was a different matter altogether. As with many of the diners we've stopped at, this one was empty, apart from Mildred, who took our order, and a tiny old woman in a red top eating lunch at a table by herself. Mildred has worked in the Frontier for 26yrs, with her mother-in-law (the woman in the red top). Vera, has had to stop working, much to her dismay, due to a fall. I would say being 89 years old would be reason enough. She kept a beady eye on the proceedings and followed us into the souvenir room on her zimmer frame. As we looked at the items, Vera would make quiet 'Mmmhmm' sounds if we asked her opinion, or just anyway, punctuating the silence and making the small dusky room quite intoxicating. Mildred's husband was an ardent Route 66 supporter and together they went to meets all over. Since he died in 1990, Mildred hasn't know what to do as regard the diner, 'I'm 69 - 70 this year - and I know I should give it up. But it was real important to my husband. And anyway, I always think, you never know who you might meet tomorrow.' In this sentence Mildred sums up the excitement and daily anticipation of this project. Today the road was at its most glorious and for the most part we had it to ourselves. We left Mildred and Vera a tea towel with Irish recipies on and a Polaroid of us that Mildred took. As I left, Vera called me over to watch the picture develop, 'You girls came out real good. Mmmhmm. You come in and see us on the way back.' Oh, Vera - I can't wait. |
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