Chapter Eight
When I arrived at Miss Bessie’s in the morning, there was already a buzz in the shrill morning air. But the cloudless sky and brilliant sun were not the only reasons for the frenzied and agitated commotion around the diner. The parking lot was crowded with vehicles and so it seemed the diner was also packed, unusually so for that time of day. I went inside through the back door, as was my custom, and I found the place so filled with people that you could barely move.
“Damn, girl, I’m glad you’re here!” Miss Bessie greeted me. “We got more business this morning than I can handle alone.” I could see that for sure, but why?
“What’s going on?” Both the counter seats and the tables were full of customers, many I recognized as locals. But there were others, strangers, mingling a
