The Pie's The Thing

She felt a chill in the air as she walked down the sidewalk. “Glad I grabbed my sweater,” she thought to herself. Head down, hands in her pockets she slowly walked replaying over and over the events of the evening. Mindy still can not believe Jake walked out on her.

This dinner had been planned for a week and everything had to be perfect for her to tell him the news. The perfect salad, the perfect veal parmigiana, the most delicious wine, it was all there. She wore the little black dress he said he loved to see her in. The night was magical, she knew this was the time to tell him. He pulled her close to him, “That was the best meal, thank you for going to so much trouble,” Jake said to her. He leaned in and gave her the sweetest kiss. “Jake,” Mindy said, “I have something to tell you.” “Anything baby, anything at all,” Jake said as he nuzzled her neck. “Jake, I’m pregnant,” Mindy said with a smile. “What?” Jake replied grabbing her shoulders. “I’m pregnant, eight weeks,” Mindy said. They looked at each other but the look on Jake’s face was not what she expected. “Well, you’re getting rid of it right?” Jake said. “You want me to get rid of the baby, our baby? No, I want our baby, I want us – all three of us.” Mindy said as she studied Jake’s face. He was in shock and didn’t understand why she wanted this baby. Everything was perfect, just the two of them. No, he didn’t want a baby. “I’m not ready to be a dad. I love what we have, I love just the two of us,” he said. “But this is a baby, a wonderful addition to our lives. We can get married, we can be a fam—” Mindy tried to explain but Jake interrupted her, “No, no, no this is not what I want at all. We never even talked about a baby.” “Well, things happen. We’ve been together for over a year now. What’s wrong with taking the next step?” Mindy said. “No, no, no this is not what I wanted for my life, not at all” Jake said as he stood up and grabbed his coat. “No, I’m outta here. This is not what I want, not one bit.” Jake opened the door. Mindy grabbed his arm, “Wait where are you going? What is happening?” “Call me when you come to your senses and get rid of it.” Jake shrugged off her arm and walked out the door into the night. Mindy stood in the doorway stunned.

She slowly closed the door. As she walked back into the apartment she saw the table, dinner was still on it. She started to clean off the table when she burst into tears. Sitting down she realized she was shaking. “What just happened?” she kept asking herself. “This is not what I had planned at all.” Leaving the clean up for tomorrow Mindy thought a good night's sleep might help. She changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed, still in shock, and unable to stop crying. Unable to sleep she decided a walk might help. Grabbing her jeans and a sweater she dressed and headed out. No plan, no direction, just out.

As she walked, she could not believe how wrong this night had gone. There was no way she was giving up her baby. If she never saw Jake again she would be fine with that. What about her family? She had not told anyone she was pregnant, she wanted Jake to know first. “Well, we know how well that plan went,” she thought to herself. She felt her eyes welling up again.

Coffee would taste good right now. Mindy lifted her head and saw the neon “open” sign in the window at the diner across the street. The doorbell jingle made her jump. She grabbed a booth and settled into her seat. “Whatcha need hun?” the waitress was at her booth already. “Coffee, black, please,” Mindy said. “Ok, be back in a minute,” the waitress said as she disappeared behind the counter. Mindy looked around. She was the only person in the diner. The sign on the door said 24/7. Funny she never noticed this place before.

“Here ya’ go, hun,” the waitress said as she placed the coffee in front of Mindy. “Thanks,” Mindy said as she lifted the mug. It was warm and felt good in her hands. She didn’t realize how cold she was and the warm liquid felt great as she swallowed. She had made some decisions for herself and felt the coffee would give her the courage to follow through. Had she made the right decisions though? Should she wait for Jake to come back? Would she be able to handle a baby all alone? She felt her eyes welling up again just as the waitress came over. “Still one piece of pie left hun if you’re interested?” the waitress said. “Maybe in a bit,” said Mindy. She noticed the name “Elsa” stitched into the waitress's uniform. Mindy started to sob again. “Hun, ya’ mind if I sit a minute? My feet are killin’ me” said Elsa. “No, be my guest” Mindy sobbed as she motioned for the waitress to join her. Elsa leaned back and said, “Hun, I’ve been working this diner for over 20 years and I’ve heard it all. Do you want to talk about it?” Mindy hesitated, but then sobbed as it all came out. The dinner, Jake, the baby, all of it. Elsa put her hand on Mindy’s arm. “You need to give it a few days, hun before you make any decisions. You have a lot goin’ on and you’re all emotional. Now is not the time for a life decision” Elsa said gently. Mindy looked at her for a moment, blinked back a few tears and realized Elsa was right. She was keeping the baby regardless but needed a few days to decide about Jake and how to tell her family. “You’re right Elsa, I need to focus on what the baby needs right now. Jake can wait. He can call me, I’m not calling him,” Mindy said. “I think I’ll have that pie now,” Mindy added as she saw the piece on the counter. “One piece of pie coming up,” said Elsa. Mindy looked out the window, it had started to rain. Elsa slid the pie in front of her. “Pie helps get past anythin’,” Elsa said. Mindy could not disagree, she was beginning to feel better already. While eating the pie she noticed the clock above the counted read 4:25. “Is that clock right?” Mindy asked Elsa. “It has been for over 20 years, hun,” Elsa said. Finishing her pie, Mindy got up from the booth. She placed some cash on the table and walked toward the door. “It’s time for me to head home, and to bed,” Mindy said. “Come back anytime and let me know how it goes,” Elsa said. “I’ll be back, you can count on it,” Mindy said. She pushed open the door and walked out into the rain. She was wet but felt much better. Elsa was right, Mindy thought. Pie does help get past anything. She walked to her apartment, went in the door, and ran herself a hot bath. She will give herself some time and make better decisions tomorrow. She also planned a trip to the market for more pie.