Hope Was Here

While everyone waits to hear if the Election Board approved G.T.’s petition, they discuss hiring Sid. Slick Bixby disagrees with hiring a spin doctor, but Pastor Hall worries that no one working on the campaign knows enough about politics to be successful. G.T. asks Hope for her opinion, and she compares working with Sid to “working with a brilliant, difficult cook” (68). G.T. takes Hope on a tour of the trees he planted behind the diner, each symbolizing something important in his life, including the death of his wife two years ago.

The tax assessor’s office closes, making everyone suspicious that something shady is happening with Real Fresh’s tax records. The contentious race has everyone in town on edge, even when they come to the diner. Despite the tension, Addie’s food is gaining a reputation around town. Addie is also teaching Braverman new skills, like how to properly butcher a chicken. Adam arrives and delivers the bad news that the board didn’t accept G.T.’s petition because 55 of the signatures didn’t fit the criteria. Sid believes that Millstone somehow bribed the Election Board.

During the dinner rush, Lou Ellen breaks down and tells Hope that her 14-month-old daughter, Anastasia, is ill and she must go home to care for her. Just as Lou Ellen leaves, a large party from the local Elk Lodge arrives, and Hope is slammed with orders. She buoys her anxiety with her trademark humor: “Do they all have antlers?” (74). Braverman barks at her from the kitchen to pick up her orders faster, and Hope summons Yuri for help. Hope compares the Elk men to animals and charms them with her smile and by keeping their coffee cups full. Even though one of the Elk customers is rude to her, they manage the crowd successfully and she gives Yuri a generous portion of her tips at the end of the night. Braverman apologizes for his short temper and compliments her on how well she handled the crowd.

G.T.’s campaign team shows up at the Election Board meeting the following morning to contest their refusal to put him on the ballot. The administrator explains that they refused the 55 signatures because the addresses are incorrect. Pastor Hall delivers an impromptu sermon about how God’s mercies are new each day and everyone deserves a second chance. The administrator agrees to give them until five o’clock to collect 55 valid signatures, so they divide into teams and set out. While Hope is walking, two guys approach her and tease her for her Stoop campaign button. One of the guys says he wants to be her boyfriend and grabs her arm. Remembering her boxing training, Hope lowers her center of gravity and shouts for help. Deputy Babcock hears her call and responds, but Hope is still shaken, even after the Deputy takes the men away in her squad car and Addie arrives. A woman named Mavis Pettibone approaches Hope and gives her a daylily plant and tells her to place it in a sunny spot and it will thrive. Later during the dinner rush, Adam announces that the Election Board approved the petition and G.T. is officially on the ballot.

The following morning, Eli Millstone arrives at the diner with a photographer who snaps a photo when Millstone shakes G.T.’s hand and congratulates him on entering the race. G.T. offers Millstone breakfast but wishes to speak candidly with him about his true relationship with Real Fresh Dairy. Millstone counters that the dairy is the best thing that’s ever happened to the town, but G.T. reminds him that it is too large. As they continue to debate, the photographer continues taking photos, which angers Eli. He briefly loses his slick, polished façade but regains his composure and addresses the diner, telling them that he is committed to being a good leader of the town. Cecilia Culpepper, who works for the newspaper, asks when he will release the names of his campaign contributors. She has called his office to ask, but no one will return her calls. Millstone refuses to answer and leaves the diner.

G.T.’s team turns the office behind the diner into a campaign headquarters and temporary daycare for Lou Ellen’s daughter, Anastasia, who can’t stay at daycare after being diagnosed with developmental delays. Adam tries to entertain the little girl, but she doesn’t respond. Meanwhile, G.T. packs his schedule with speeches, but, against Sid’s advice, G.T. doesn’t plan his speeches, preferring to say a lot in a few words. He does capitalize on his illness and earnestly explains to his audiences that he desires to see a change in the town before he dies. Adam helps create G.T.’s campaign slogan, “STOOP FOR MAYOR: HE’LL DIE TRYING TO MAKE THINGS BETTER” (88).

Hope receives a postcard from Harrison and Miriam. She responds, trying to explain her new life in Wisconsin, especially the lack of diverse food choices. Receiving the letter reminds Hope of all the friends she has left behind. Remembering a poem she read once about a zebra who has lost its stripes, Hope relates to the metaphor, feeling like she has also lost her identity.

Braverman’s twin sisters visit the diner, and they all attempt to entertain Anastasia, who does not respond. Sid Vole asks the students to organize a group called “Students for Stoop” (91) to get the word out about voting for G.T. Jillian and Hope become closer friends, and Jillian tells her that she thinks Adam will one day become President. Jillian creates an impressive website for the campaign and tells Hope that she thinks she and Braverman would make a good couple. Hope doesn’t know how to feel because he does not reciprocate when she flirts with him. Jillian explains that Braverman has a lot on his shoulders. He put off going to college to stay home and care for his two sisters because his mother is sick. Despite having a crush on Braverman, Hope declares she can’t violate her mother’s cardinal rule to never date a cook. Hope asks Addie if she will vote for G.T., and Addie says she thinks he is being too reckless with his health but she will vote for him.

More teenagers join G.T.’s campaign effort, and they write letters for Cecilia Culpepper to publish in the Mulhoney Messenger, demanding that the tax accessor’s office reopen and that Real Fresh Dairy be transparent about their finances. G.T. pushes himself too hard, weakening his health. Tensions flare between him and Addie when they disagree over new menu items, with Addie’s culinary perfectionism clashing with G.T.’s easygoing personality. Her food continues to gain popularity, as her dishes have a powerful effect on people. Anastasia’s condition causes Lou Ellen a lot of stress, and Hope offers to help, but Lou Ellen says, “I don’t need charity” (101). She brightens when Hope tells her she is a brave, good mother.

In the wake of Hope’s assault, crime is on the rise and Adam’s home is burglarized. Since all the victims are petition signees, Deputy Babcock senses that the crimes are connected. Real Fresh’s president, Cranston Broom, announces the dairy’s support for Eli Millstone and pulls their ad support from the Mulhoney Messenger. Millstone spreads lies about G.T.’s campaign, greatly angering Braverman. Hope notices that he is relying heavily on caffeine and worries about his emotional health. Deputy Babcock visits the diner in plain clothes, and Hope delivers her a piece of coconut cake. Hope Is already having a bad day when she hears a female customer scream after finding half of a dead mouse in her salad. Her husband threatens to sue. Deputy Babcock asks the couple for their name and identification, coercing the couple to sign a statement saying that the incident never happened. The deputy then takes the dead mouse away to investigate, convinced that someone planted it to ruin the diner.

Hope joins G.T. for a day on the campaign trail. They begin at the Wisconsin Cheese Factory where G.T. delivers a stirring speech, and by the end, some in the crowd are cheering, “Kick Millstone’s butt!” (111). On the way to their next stop, G.T. asks Hope why people need strong leaders, and she explains that some people need someone to fight for them. G.T. doesn’t think he is strong enough to fight, and Hope realizes that he looks very tired. Next, they visit a cancer survivors’ group at the Tick Tock Clock Shop where several members share their stories of beating cancer. By the time they reach their final stop at the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church bingo group, G.T.’s condition has worsened, and he is pale and weak.

Hope forces G.T. to rest instead of working in the kitchen when they return to the diner that evening. Braverman is supposed to be working nights, but Hope finds Addie instead. Three men attacked Braverman, and he is at home in bed with broken ribs. The attack happened while Deputy Babcock was out of town caring for her mother. Hope races to Braverman’s house, located in a run-down neighborhood, where she meets his mother and finds out his first name is Eddie. Braverman tells Hope that the attack has made him angry. He says, “For the first time in my life, Hope, I think I could have killed somebody” (119). Hope explains that she deals with anger issues also. He asks her to help him get to the Methodist church picnic on Saturday where Millstone is giving a speech, but she thinks he is foolish.

As news of Braverman’s attack spreads through the town, more people join G.T.’s campaign effort. G.T. insists on a full investigation by Deputy Babcock, but Sherriff Greebs assures him that he will handle the situation. Cecilia Graves publishes a letter in the Mulhoney Messenger from Braverman explaining how he was viciously attacked and encourages people not to vote for Millstone, a man who supports corruption and violence. At the picnic, Braverman shouts at Millstone, demanding that he identify his attackers. The crowd begins to shout, “Tell the truth!” (122). The newspaper later runs a story stating that after Deputy Babcock investigated the mouse debacle, she discovered that the couple, who are also criminals, planted it in their food.

Despite becoming a local hero, Braverman becomes increasingly angry and sullen, but when Hope shows concern, he asks her to leave him alone. Without Braverman in the kitchen, Addie’s stress level increases, and when G.T. tries to help, Hope tells him that it would be best to let Addie have full control. G.T.’s platelet count drops and he develops a fever, taking him off the campaign trail. Hope delivers him soup at home and keeps him updated on the diner. She sees a painting of a ship at sea in a storm, and G.T. explains that his mother painted it. She taught G.T. that the storms of life make a person stronger, but Hope wishes that wasn’t true.

Sid Vole must leave to deal with an emergency in another campaign in Virginia. Hope tries to write a letter to Harrison and Miriam explaining all that has happened, especially her developing attraction to Braverman, but she struggles to put it all into words. Finding Wisconsin on her globe, she calls out to her dad to let him know where to find her.