nursing. Now she works with cancer patients. I suppose how her father died had a lot to do with that decision."
Ba took Mary 's hand and smiled. "But this little one here, she's my miracle baby. She brought my daughter home to me. And now she's a smart, talented, and beautiful young lady herself."
Carter looked at Mary. She blushed but didn't look back at him.
Carter looked at Ba again. "Thank you for telling me your story."
Ba chuckled. "You're welcome, dear. And thank you for listening. Well, I feel like a little dessert. What about you two?"
Mary looked at her watch. Half past seven . "We should probably head back. I said that I'd get you home by eight."
Ba chuckled. "Oh, it'll be all right if I'm a little late. There's a great café on the way back, and they have the best desserts."
Carter seconded dess ert, so they hopped on the bus and headed for the café. Mary glanced at her watch frequently. When they arrived, they sat down at one of the little round tables. A waitress came. "Welcome folks! What can I get for you?"
" I think I would like some crème brulée ," Ba said. "Oh Carter, they have very good crème brulée . You can try some of mine if you want to get something else."
The waitress looked puzzled. "I'm sorry ma'am. We don't have the crème brulée anymore."
Ba looked surprised. "Not anymore? When did you take it off the menu?"
" I think it was about two years ago," she said. "Is there something else I can get for you?"
Mary's alert went up. This wasn't good.
"Two years ago?" Ba said. "But we had that just last week!"
Mary was now on high alert. Ba's memory had lapsed. Calmly, she took hold of her grandmother's hand. "It's all right, Ba. Let's get something else, all right?"
" We have a really great tiramisu," the waitress suggested.
Suddenly, Ba slapped her hand on the table. "But I don't want tiramisu. I want crème brulée ! We've had it here for years. Why did they take it off the menu? Is it a new chef?"
" Ba, please—" Mary tried.
" I-I'm sorry," the poor waitress stuttered. "I can ask my manager."
" You do that!" Ba snapped. "And you should be ashamed of yourself. Two years. Like I don't know what I had just yesterday."
" Okay, Ba. Come on." Mary stood and helped her grandmother from the table.
" Where are we going?" Ba asked.
" We're going home. They'll have crème brulée there. Better than this place. Come on." As she ushered her grandmother from the café, Mary mouthed her apologies to the waitress. Carter followed.
By the time Mary got her outside again, Ba was calm. She took a deep breath. "What a wonderful night. Oh, Mary! Look at all the stars!"
Mary breathed a small sigh of relief. The spell had passed. "It's a great sky, Ba. Look, the bus is here. We'd better get on."
The bus ride back was uneventful, thankfully. They arrived at Agape about a quarter past eight. Mary and Carter accompanied Ba to her room. A nurse met them there to administer Ba's medicine and get her ready for bed. They waited in the small sitting area in her suite until the nurse returned with Ba in her nightclothes. Mary kissed her goodnight and then left with Carter.
" We should catch this bus," she said. "The next one doesn't come for another twenty minutes."
They b oarded and sat across from one another. As the bus rolled down the street, Carter spoke for the first time in a while. "Mary? What happened tonight at the café?"
" Ba had a lapse in her memory," she explained. "It's confusing for her, you know? She takes medicine for it, but the lapses still happen once in a while. This was a small one, so it wasn't too bad."
" I see." He was quiet for a moment, but then he asked, "What does a 'big' one look like?"
Mary though t about what to say next. "She hasn't been at Agape for very long. She used to live at home with us. But between Mom's crazy schedule and my school, it was hard to keep up with her medicine. And it was harder to keep an eye on her all the time." She shifted her weight. "It
Ba took Mary 's hand and smiled. "But this little one here, she's my miracle baby. She brought my daughter home to me. And now she's a smart, talented, and beautiful young lady herself."
Carter looked at Mary. She blushed but didn't look back at him.
Carter looked at Ba again. "Thank you for telling me your story."
Ba chuckled. "You're welcome, dear. And thank you for listening. Well, I feel like a little dessert. What about you two?"
Mary looked at her watch. Half past seven . "We should probably head back. I said that I'd get you home by eight."
Ba chuckled. "Oh, it'll be all right if I'm a little late. There's a great café on the way back, and they have the best desserts."
Carter seconded dess ert, so they hopped on the bus and headed for the café. Mary glanced at her watch frequently. When they arrived, they sat down at one of the little round tables. A waitress came. "Welcome folks! What can I get for you?"
" I think I would like some crème brulée ," Ba said. "Oh Carter, they have very good crème brulée . You can try some of mine if you want to get something else."
The waitress looked puzzled. "I'm sorry ma'am. We don't have the crème brulée anymore."
Ba looked surprised. "Not anymore? When did you take it off the menu?"
" I think it was about two years ago," she said. "Is there something else I can get for you?"
Mary's alert went up. This wasn't good.
"Two years ago?" Ba said. "But we had that just last week!"
Mary was now on high alert. Ba's memory had lapsed. Calmly, she took hold of her grandmother's hand. "It's all right, Ba. Let's get something else, all right?"
" We have a really great tiramisu," the waitress suggested.
Suddenly, Ba slapped her hand on the table. "But I don't want tiramisu. I want crème brulée ! We've had it here for years. Why did they take it off the menu? Is it a new chef?"
" Ba, please—" Mary tried.
" I-I'm sorry," the poor waitress stuttered. "I can ask my manager."
" You do that!" Ba snapped. "And you should be ashamed of yourself. Two years. Like I don't know what I had just yesterday."
" Okay, Ba. Come on." Mary stood and helped her grandmother from the table.
" Where are we going?" Ba asked.
" We're going home. They'll have crème brulée there. Better than this place. Come on." As she ushered her grandmother from the café, Mary mouthed her apologies to the waitress. Carter followed.
By the time Mary got her outside again, Ba was calm. She took a deep breath. "What a wonderful night. Oh, Mary! Look at all the stars!"
Mary breathed a small sigh of relief. The spell had passed. "It's a great sky, Ba. Look, the bus is here. We'd better get on."
The bus ride back was uneventful, thankfully. They arrived at Agape about a quarter past eight. Mary and Carter accompanied Ba to her room. A nurse met them there to administer Ba's medicine and get her ready for bed. They waited in the small sitting area in her suite until the nurse returned with Ba in her nightclothes. Mary kissed her goodnight and then left with Carter.
" We should catch this bus," she said. "The next one doesn't come for another twenty minutes."
They b oarded and sat across from one another. As the bus rolled down the street, Carter spoke for the first time in a while. "Mary? What happened tonight at the café?"
" Ba had a lapse in her memory," she explained. "It's confusing for her, you know? She takes medicine for it, but the lapses still happen once in a while. This was a small one, so it wasn't too bad."
" I see." He was quiet for a moment, but then he asked, "What does a 'big' one look like?"
Mary though t about what to say next. "She hasn't been at Agape for very long. She used to live at home with us. But between Mom's crazy schedule and my school, it was hard to keep up with her medicine. And it was harder to keep an eye on her all the time." She shifted her weight. "It
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