Hope Was Here

Hope’s mother arrives at the diner, but she pays more attention to the menu than to her daughter, and she gets angry when Hope asks her not to call her Tulip. Hope disappears into the kitchen before she bursts into tears. Addie offers to take over, and Braverman pulls out a red clown nose, making Hope smile. She dons the nose and goes back into the dining room with renewed vigor. Turning her every move into a show, Hope brings a smile to everyone’s face, including Deena’s, and she gets good tips. Deena is leaving to visit her new boyfriend. She asks Hope if she still boxes, claiming that Hope struggled to control her anger as a child. The visit is mostly a disappointment for Hope, although she does learn a few more waitressing tips that she plans to add to her “Best of Mom” book (143). Hope notices that all the tips center around making the customers feel seen and cared for, and that is the part of waitressing that Hope likes the most. However, she wishes that her mother cared for her as much as she does her customers.

One day, while G.T. scarfs down Addie’s meatloaf, praising its deliciousness, he asks her out to dinner. All the diner staff are shocked, and Addie and Hope hide in the walk-in fridge to talk. Braverman knocks on the door and asks Hope out to dinner, but she freezes and doesn’t respond. Addie accepts G.T.’s invitation, and they stay out until 1:00 a.m. Addie says she had a good time, but Hope worries about them getting too close since Addie has a long history of disappointment with relationships.

Later, Hope apologizes to Braverman, explaining that she fears starting a relationship with him will complicate their work environment. They agree to have a practice date at the diner, and Braverman cooks them a meal and sets the table with flowers. After the meal, Braverman asks Hope if he can kiss her. She enjoys the kiss, but then they both realize they must wash their dishes.

As summer comes to an end, Hope is nervous about starting at a new school, but everything else in her life is going well. Flo catches her and Braverman holding hands, and G.T. finds out his cancer is in remission and celebrates by asking Addie to marry him. His popularity surges, and his poll numbers increase. Deputy Babcock catches the two men, both named Carbinger, who broke into Adam’s house, and they plead guilty to intimidating Stoop supporters and reveal that they were paid by Real Fresh Dairy. However, the sheriff releases them due to lack of evidence. The brothers claim that the Millstone campaign paid Greebs to ignore the crime spree, which Greebs denies, and Millstone claims this is a tactic by the opposition to derail his campaign.

As the election approaches, polls show that the opponents are nearly even. On the way to the Octoberfest celebration, Braverman and Hope hear a political ad on the radio from the Millstone campaign claiming that G.T. is lying about his health and that his cancer has spread to his brain. Though Braverman writes an article for the newspaper refuting the lies, G.T.’s poll numbers drop, and when election day arrives, he loses by 114 points.

Everyone struggles to accept G.T.’s defeat, but he remains in good spirits and thanks Hope for how much effort she put into the campaign. Sid Vole called the governor to ensure there was no voter fraud. Hope’s faith waivers and she looks to Braverman for strength, saying, “What kind of a world is this when Gleason Beal gets away clean and free, and G.T. Stoop gets beaten by a crook?” (164) Hope’s political science teacher, Mr. Sage, uses the election to teach the students about the importance of voter turnout. Mulhoney had a record voter turnout, and Hope is happy to see that Mr. Woldenburg voted for the first time in this election. However, when she sees him at the diner and commends him for voting, Mr. Woldenburg says that the numbers are fake because neither he nor his wife voted. They report the fraud to the Election Board, which discovers that the Millstone campaign falsified 120 votes. The students hold a rally to protest the election, demanding the truth. Millstone’s campaign manager resigns, and on January 12, G.T. is inaugurated as the mayor of Mulhoney, with Pastor Hall praying a blessing over him.

G.T. jumps right into his mayoral duties. He makes Brenda Babcock the sheriff and forces the dairy to pay their back taxes. He and Addie quickly plan a wedding, and she insists on making all the food for the reception. Addie is so stressed by the food planning that Hope must select and purchase her wedding gown. After a quick honeymoon, the couple returns, and G.T. tells Hope that he wants to become her adoptive father. Overwhelmed with joy, Hope gathers the scrapbooks that she saved for her biological father and tells G.T. the story of her life. Hope considers giving him a shortened version, but G.T. says, “I don’t want to miss a thing” (171). She tells him every important moment of her life but holds back the letter she wrote to Gleason Beal after he stole Addie’s savings. When she is done, G.T. takes a cutting from two different trees and ties them together, hopeful that they will grow into a new tree. Hope worries that the grafted tree won’t survive, but she watches it carefully through the winter as it grows.

G.T. is a successful mayor and fulfills his promises to make the community more unified. Adam becomes the leader of “Students for Community Involvement” (175), Mrs. Pettibone begins planning for a geriatric community center, and the community holds civilized, uncontentious town planning meetings. Brenda Babcock cracks down on Real Fresh Dairy for their violations and begins investigating Millstone’s corruption and fraud. Hope joins a group of teens who volunteer in the community for people in need, and the teenagers learn the value of servant leadership.

The narrative moves forward to the summer after Hope graduates from high school and G.T.’s cancer has returned. Torn between preparing to leave for college at Michigan State in the fall and spending all the time she can with G.T., Hope must accept the truth that she will lose her father. Addie, Hope, and Braverman take turns sitting with G.T. in his final days, and Hope reads him the letter she wrote Gleason Beal. The letter reveals that in the wake of Gleason’s treachery, Hope considered giving up her name as she had lost faith in humanity. G.T. thanks her for sharing the letter and tells her that had Gleason not stolen their money, they would never have come to Mulhoney. G.T. passes away the next day with Addie by his side.

Gospel of Grace Evangelical Center hosts G.T.’s funeral, and the church is packed with people paying their respects. The diner fills with flowers sent in memorial. Hope works to begin healing over the next few weeks, but everything in the diner reminds her of G.T. and what she’s lost. Hope, Braverman, Jillian, and Adam all prepare to leave for college in the fall, but they reconnect in the diner and share stories about how G.T. made an impact on their lives. Hope writes her signature phrase, “HOPE WAS HERE,” under the counter, but this time is different because she isn’t leaving this place forever and knows that she will return (184). The novel ends with Hope waitressing in the diner one last time before she leaves. She thinks about how she only had a real father for two years, but it was worth it to have only had him for a short while rather than not at all.