Patiently, Doc Brown waited. It was a long minute. Finally, he saw a young lady come from the kitchen toward his table. He looked at her closely. Could it be...? It was! He did not know whether to shout or dance. What could he say?

The chef was Lizzie Jane!

Chapter 12

Doc Brown looked at his watch. He did not like leaving Carter's Bend because an emergency could arise, but he felt this trip had been necessary. He had missed the last few medical conferences and it was important for him to keep up with any new information that could help his patients. Well, at least this conference was over. It had been held in Chattanooga and he had to go back through a small portion of Georgia to get back to Alabama.

He had heard so much about the meals at the "Just Like Home" Restaurant that he just had to stop there on the way home. The restaurant was not too far off his route, somewhere near Rising Fawn, Georgia.

Doc Brown did not mind going out of his way. This was mountainous country and he loved the mountains. Lookout Mountain, in Tennessee, was a tourist attraction from which it was claimed that a person could see seven states on a clear day. After leaving the Golden Corral Restaurant in Georgia, he would go up Sand Mountain and enter Alabama.

Three states in just a few hours. He could make it quicker, but he wanted to stop at the famous restaurant. He did not have any problem finding his destination.

He doubted that any restaurant could come up to Aunt Maudie's cooking. He was pleasantly surprised, after entering the crowded establishment, at the huge crowd of happy people enjoying a good meal. He was even more surprised to find that the food was just as good as Aunt Maudie's. He must see the chef and give his congratulations on such a fine meal.

"Oh, I will see if she can turn loose long enough to see you," smiled Carol after learning of Doc Brown's intentions. "You might have to wait just a minute."

Patiently, Doc Brown waited. It was a long minute. Finally, he saw a young lady come from the kitchen toward his table. He looked at her closely. Could it be...? It was! He did not know whether to shout or dance. What could he say?

The chef was Lizzie Jane! He wondered if her memory had improved much.

Now, he knew why the meal was as good as Aunt Maudie's. She had been Lizzie Jane's cooking instructor.

Doc Brown was a very wise old man, so he knew he had to be careful. Before she had been frightened and ran away after Doc Brown and Lizzie Jane's only family came into the room. He did not want her to run away this time.

Lizzie Jane introduced herself, "Hello, I am Elizabeth. I understand you wanted to see me."

'Elizabeth,' thought Doc Brown to himself. 'That was Lizzie Jane's name. Maybe she knows who she is'.

"Well Elizabeth, I want to compliment you on your cooking."

"Thank you, kind sir," replied Lizzie Jane. "I am happy you liked it. My aunt taught me how to cook. She was the best cook in the country."

"Well, not many thirteen year old girls can cook -- much less as delicious as this was. By the way, what was your aunt's name, if you don't mind me asking."

Lizzie Jane stood there a moment. She did not know her age. How did this man know she was thirteen years old? Was he guessing? And why did he ask for her aunt's name?

She wondered if he was from the orphan's home that she escaped from? She didn't remember where she came from, but she was convinced that it must have been an orphan's home -- or someplace more terrible!

Trying to think of a way to throw this gentleman off the track, she replied, "Thirteen? Whatever gave you that idea? I am sixteen years old. My aunt died some time ago, so I would rather not discuss her."

Doc Brown quickly realized that Lizzie Jane was trying to get him off the subject , so he apologized. "I am sorry. I did not mean any harm. You were such a great cook, I had to meet you and tell you so."

Lizzie Jane replied, "Well, thank you sir. Now I must get back to the kitchen. Come back soon. Okay??"

Although fake, Lizzie Jane gave him a cute little smile, a little curtsy and walked back to the kitchen. She didn't trust him -- a stranger asking such personal questions. By the way he said she was thirteen years old, it seemed that he must have known her before. Whatever she had run from, maybe she had not ran far enough.

Carol came back to the table and placed the courtesy bill face down. Doc Brown said, "I would like to thank the owner, too. Is he around here?"

"No, he is at home -- in bed sick -- with the flu."

Not knowing what else to do, Doc Brown said,"Thank you". He walked with her to the cashier's stand, paid his bill and handed Carol a good tip.

"Here is another tip for the good cook," he said with a smile. "I haven't had such a good meal since I ate at a friend's house the other day. Her name is Maudie and a great cook, too. If I didn't know better, I would think that Maudie taught Elizabeth how to cook."

He mentioned Maudie's name on purpose, hoping that it would get to Lizzie Jane and ring a bell. He didn't notice that Carol looked up at him in a peculiar way when he mentioned Maudie.

"We are pleased you visited us. Where are you from?" asked Carol.

"A little place called Carter's Bend."

This seemed like a good time for Doc Brown to drop another bombshell.

"Maudie lost her desire to cook since her niece disappeared. I feel so sorry for her."

What happened," asked Carol. "Did her niece die or something?"

"No, she just lost her memory and could not recognize her family. So, she just ran away."

Carol became curious. "What was the niece's name?"

"Oh, we called her Lizzie Jane." Doc Brown was hoping that Carol would connect Elizabeth and Lizzie together.

Carol thought fast. "Ah -- we sent out thank-you cards to our out-of-town customers, so if you don't mind giving me your address..."

"Sure, I don't mind," smiled Doc Brown as he picked up his bill and wrote on the back. Evidently his sly way of getting out information was working.

Carol stood there a minute thinking -- 'The girl who ran away was known as Lizzie Jane and she had an Aunt Maudie. Maybe our Lizzie Jane is remembering things and doesn't realize it. She had adopted the name, Lizzie Jane, herself to use around here. Somehow that must had been impressed on her mind -- and she remembered having an Aunt Maudie who taught her how to cook. Now, here comes this man and says that our food was as good as Maudie's.'

Carol did not know what she should do. One thing was to discuss it with Sam. She would do that tonight. First, she would make up some excuse to see Sam and leave Lizzie Jane at home alone. But, would that work? The girls went almost everywhere together. They were like inseparable twins. Well, she would think of something.

Carol watched Lizzie Jane. She seemed very nervous at times, but still managed to serve up tantalizing dishes. Old and new customers kept coming in all afternoon and into the night. Finally, it came time to close and Carol put up the "Closed" sign and the girls waited patiently for the last customers to leave. Both were exhausted. It was clear that Sam was going to have to hire some extra help -- a lot of extra help.

On the drive home, Lizzie Jane spoke first. "Remember that man who asked to see me?"

Carol nodded her head.

"Well, I have just about decided that he was checking around, trying to find me and get me back into that ole orphan's home. I love you and Sam, Carol, but I may have to leave. I can't let them find me."

'Oh, no', thought Carol. Lizzie Jane may not be from an orphan's home. Surely her Aunt Maudie is still alive, so she may have a real home. She had to think of something -- but what?

"Oh, Lizzie Jane," she said with tears coming in her eyes. "You can't leave. We are sisters. Remember? I love you and Sam loves you, too."

"But, I have to. That man will report back to the home and they will come and get me. I just know they will."

"Let me talk to Sam first. He may know what to do." Carol thought it was best not to keep her meeting with Sam a secret. If Lizzie Jane had thought that Sam might think of a solution, she might stay awhile longer. A few more days, at least. "Please let me talk to Sam first."

Lizzie Jane just stared out the car window. Should she wait and risk getting caught? Or should she leave without telling anyone where she was going? What if Sam had a logical answer. Men are known to be logical.

"Please answer me," Carol cried.

Lizzie Jane did not know how to answer. She did not know what to say. Did she need to go on the run again? Maybe she was only 13 years old. She really loved Sam and Carol, but she did not want to go to an orphan's home.

What should she do??

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To Be Continued
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Copyright 2008 by Starla Anne Lowry
Under the pen name of Billie Sue Pilgrim
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"Just Like Home" Restaurant is ficticious and not intended to protray an actual place at or near the location indicated. I had used another name originally, but discovered that there was a chain of restaurants with the name I had chosen, so the restaurant name has been changed from the original.
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