by Donna Moore

Created on: November 22, 2009

DOTTY'S DINER CHAPTER ONE

I'm Maggie Hale. I'm 16 and just finished my sophomore year in high school. My friend Mary Jo has worked at Dotty's for a year. She two years older than me. She helped me get a job there this summer. I am thrilled. It is more time out of the house, some spending money and meeting new people.

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Dotty's diner is in the building closest to the river in the business district of the small river town of Chestnut. The diner's location is ideal. It is a busy place with a wide range of customers. Farmers, local businessmen, fishermen, recreational boaters, river rats. The after-church crowd on Sundays. The Pines motel is four blocks to the north and that brought us the old bachelors who live there year round and the migrant workers in the spring and fall.

Dotty's has been around since the early 1950's and looks like it. The counter, tables and booths are dark wood. It has large, noisy ceiling fans hanging from the very high ceiling. It is air conditioned now but the fans are still used to keep the cooling cost down. It is bright in the front by the counter due to the large windows in front. The rest of the diner is darker.

Two generations of customers have carved their initials in the sturdy wooden booths. It is a tradition and Dan doesn't even bother to stop the carving anymore. Dan is very thrifty, some say cheap, but he is fair with the help and his prices are fair. Inexpensive meals, free coffee refills. The centerpiece behind the sturdy old counter is the glass enclosure filled with whole or partial fresh pies. Homemade pies, 5-6 kinds each day.

Dan has run Dotty's and cooked there for as long as I can remember. Dan is Dotty's only child. She ran the place for years and is still around a lot. She still does some of the cooking, but Dan is also a good cook. Dotty taught him everything she knows. That's why the place is so popular. Dotty can still be found in the kitchen at times, either cooking or watching over the other cooks, making sure they are doing everything correctly, i.e., her way. Aunt Ruthie's pies were very popular too. Ruthie is Dotty's sister and Dan's aunt but everyone calls her Aunt Ruthie.

Aunt Ruthie makes pie crusts in a 10-gallon tub. If one of the regulars brings in fresh apples, peaches or berries, Aunt Ruthie would make them a pie for free. Until Dan found out.

Dotty is at the restaurant a lot. If not cooking or intimidating the kitchen help, she's holding court at the table back by the kitchen. Friends stop

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