Hot Chocolate

By Roger Arsht

January 11, 2021

                Joanne Bloom walked into Pete’s Coffee Shop and hesitated before joining Dan Kotler. She could see that her octogenarian friend looked upset.

                “Are you alright?” Joanne asked as she sat down.

                “Better than alright. I’m ecstatic.”

                “You look like you’ve been crying.”

                “From happiness. I can’t believe how I get more and more emotional as I age.”

                “Tell me more,” Joanne said with a smile. “I would love to be crying from happiness after all that’s been going on in this country.”

                “I just learned that one of my charitable initiatives bore fruit.”

                “Did someone get a college scholarship? Did the women’s center get a significant grant?”

                “No, nothing like that. Three brothers got hot chocolate.”

                “What?” “There’s this diner I go in Francis…maybe Oakley. You know I can’t keep track of where one town starts and others end in that part of Utah. It’s such a great dinner but it’s only been half full or less since COVID-19. The pandemic is knocking the crap out of families and businesses. This state and virtually every state are so incom…”

                “Let’s leave the politics out of this,” Joanne interrupted. “What happened?”

                “I was really frustrated. I told Sam, the owner, to feed anyone in the community who’s hungry.”

                “And you would pay for it?”

                “Yes. I’m tired of seeing people struggle. I want to make a difference. I don’t want anyone to go hungry.”

                “So, what about the boys and the hot chocolate?” Joanne could see Dan’s eyes start to water again.

                “Sam picked up his kid at football practice and he told his friend, the coach, that he had a sponsor who would pay for meals for struggling families. The coach sends a father and his three sons to the restaurant. They sit down, and the father tells his sons to go ahead and have hot chocolate. The kids thought they’d be drinking water. According to the server, the kids’ faces glowed.”

                “That’s nice.”

                “It’s not just nice. It smacks of normality. Imagine the scene. A father tells his kids that they’re going out to dinner when that hasn’t happened in months. They get to have burgers, fries, hot chocolate, or anything they want. Most importantly, the father doesn’t have to worry if the kids are going to order something too expensive or if there won’t be enough money in his wallet to cover the check and the tip.”

                “What’s the father’s situation? Is he unemployed?”

                “I don’t know, and I don’t care. The fact that these kids see that their father can afford to take them out to dinner just like their friends’ families is magical.” 

                “This whole thing makes no sense. No one is going to come into a diner if they have no money. It’s too embarrassing.”

                “It would be embarrassing if I told people they could get free meals. I’m not part of the community. Sam knows people who are experiencing hard times. He’s part of the fabric of that community. He put out the word. The church and Sam’s friends are responding.”

                “That’s great.”

                “You see, we don’t need the government to do everything. The Democrats…”

                “No politics! Just enjoy the moment. Tomorrow will bring new challenges.” Joanne took a sip of her coffee. “Nice job. Whatever you’re spending, put me in for half. Better yet, whatever you told Sam he could spend, tell him that he can spend twice that amount.”

                “Thanks.”

                “You’re really becoming a softy in your old age. There might be a few silver linings to this COVID-19 thing.”