"There she is!" I bump into Tobias, slightly pushing him in her direction. 

Evelyn looks like Tobias, brunette hair that flows a little bit past her shoulders, speckled with grey. Her eyes are just like his, a beautiful blue, just as captivating. There are gentle wrinkles etched near her lips and eyes, making her look like a perfect, caring mother. 

Toby walks faster, almost running to his mother. She is sitting in a booth, waiting anxiously. 

"Tobias!" She exclaims, jumping from her seat. 

The moment is so surreal, Evelyn jumping into his arms. He holds her tightly, taking in the moment. She sighs, pulling away, "Tobias, I-" 

"I go by Four." He interrupts, stepping into the other side of the booth. 

I climb in next to him, trying to leave the two of them to talk. 

"Well, then, Four, I'm so ecstatic to see you!" She gushes, holding his hand. 

His smile is genuine, showing more love than I've even seen for myself. It still hurts a little, this woman did leave him to Marcus, but she is still his mother, someone he has longed to see for thirteen years now. 

"Can I just ask...why? Couldn't you have fought harder?" Tobias' voice is almost a whisper, and we both know that question has been itching at the back of his mind. 

Evelyn's gaze cascades, a tear trickling down her cheek, "I did, I swear baby I did. He punched me, pushed me away, threatened our lives. I tried many times to come get back to you, but he was always there." 

Toby smiles gently, "It's okay Evelyn, really it is. You did what you could." 

She pulls her hand away, wiping the droplets from her cheeks, "Thank you darling. Enough with this sappy mess, why don't we order some food?" 

I haven't eaten today, being stressed about this lunch. 

"Ah, yes, Beatrice was it?" 

"I go by Tris, but you can also call me Bea around Tobias." I correct, with a smile. 

Evelyn takes my hand, "I'm glad to say my son has somebody as amazing as you to take care of him, thank you sweetie." 

I laugh, "He's helped me just as much as I've helped him, I'm lucky to have him in my life." 

She smiles, "It's sounds like you've built a lovely life, T-Four. You live with a lovely young lady, you're getting your own apartment, you have a job now. It's wonderful to hear how well you have turned out." 

"Speaking of job, we should order, I've got to go to work in an hour." I add, pulling up my menu. 

"Oh of course darling!" She says, looking at her own. 

I look over the burgers, having been trying something new each time we come. 

"What are you getting to eat?" Tobias asks, nudging my elbow. 

I glance over the options, "Probably the brunch burger, it's got egg, bacon and extra cheese with the hamburger." 

He cocks his head, reading the description, "I'll have to steal some of that, I'm getting a bacon burger." 

"Hello ya'll, I'm Sam, I'll be you waitress, " The girl smiles, pulling out a notepad, and slipping the pencil tucked behind her ear to her hand, "What can I get you folks to drink?" 

I look up, "I'd like a raspberry sweet tea, no lemon." 

She writes it down, nodding, "Alright, and you?" 

"Root beer." Evelyn and Tobias speak in unison, which is honestly creepy. 

"See, there's something you have in common." I pipe up, smiling. 

They both laugh, looking at each other. 

"Thanks ya'll, are you wanting any appetizers?" The waitress asks, placing a hand on her hip. 

Evelyn requests an order of mozzarella sticks, which is funny considering we always get them when we come here. She writes it down, and walks back to the kitchen, swaying her hips. 

"This is a lovely little joint, do you come here often?" Evelyn asks, looking around at the odd decorations. 

I gaze around the room, glimpsing at our familiar surroundings. The walls are wooden, an old oak that looks like it has been there for decades. There are cute little posters, with cheesy sayings and fancy pictures. Rusted old street signs are hammered into the walls with giant screws, displaying old street names, a rail road crossing, and a sun washed old stop sign. There a few pictures of the Dauntless Diner in it's first year, the original owner and his family giving cheesy smiles. The entire building has a homey feel, the seats covered with foe red leather, the tables the same oak as the walls, and a beautiful crown molding  lines the edges of the ceiling. 

"I've come here a lot, getting away from Marcus, usually. Bea and I like to come here on dates, it's comforting, and the owners know us." Tobias explains, slipping his hand into mine, under the cover of the table. 

I look down, and smile, my cheeks turning to a rosy pink. He squeezes my hand gently, a reassurance. 

"I'd love to come here with you again, even just to catch up." Evelyn absentmindedly mumbles, picking at some chipped polish on her nail. 

I look up to her, beaming, "I've just gotten the best idea!" 

She and Toby both turn their attention towards me, leaning in. 

I straighten up, trying to feel more confident. It's still important to make a good impression on Evelyn, even if she already likes me. I clear my throat, "What if we set up a monthly, or weekly, or biweekly, just something. You know, a set period of time every once-" 

"BumbleBea you are rambling." 

I nod, shaking my head a bit, "Right, well what if we set up something where we can just meet with you, Evelyn, and just talk. We can check up on one another, help each other, or just have a fun time. I think it would be good, not just for your relationship, but in general, being able to talk about whatever is wrong or right in our lives." 

They are both grinning, the exact same smile. "That's sounds like a wonderful idea!" Evelyn pipes up. She tosses her speckled brown hair across her shoulder, and folds her hands in front of her, "We could do it every two weeks, in case somebody has something going on, and that way we can reschedule if need be. You are a smart girl, Tris." 

I laugh, my foot tapping in a nervous rage, "Thank you Miss. Eat-" 

"I know I kept the last name, for legal reasons, but really, just call me Evelyn. It'll be Evelyn Johnson soon enough." She finishes the statement for me, a hint of aggitation in her voice. 

Immediately, I regret almost calling her by the last name of the husband who tried to kill her. 

To break the quickly growing tension, the waitress sashays over with a small tray, containing our drinks. 

"Alright, I've got the raspberry sweet tea, no lemon, and two root beers!" She carefully sets them down, cautious enough to keep the almost-overfilled, chill glasses from pouring over the drinks. I put some salt on a napkin, and set my drink on top, so it doesn't make the table wet. 

"Are you three lovely folks ready to order yet?" She asks, flipping the pencil between her fingers. 

I nod, "Yes, thanks." 

She taps her foot gently, "Alright then, what would you like to eat?" 

My eyes dart to the menu, just for confirmation, before answering, "The brunch burger, with the house chips on the side." 

She writes it down, shifting her weight over to her right hip, "That's one of my personal favorites here. Would you like it with or without the avocado?" 

"With." 

"Perfect. And for the lovely lady?" She projects a bright smile in Evelyn's direction, which reaches her eyes. Evelyn hesitates, thinking over for another second.

She finally replies, "It would be fantastic to have the soup of the day, gnocchi was it?" 

The waitress, who's name I finally remembered to read off of her tag, Jo, nods, tapping the led of her pencil on the edge of the pad. 

Evelyn bobs her head to confirm. "Yes, that's it. Could I get some steamed veggies with it?" 

"Of course ma'am." She assures, writing down her order, "And last, but certainly not least, what could I get you young man?" 

Tobias looks up, seemingly snapped from a daze, "Oh, of course, I'd like the bacon burger, with the seasoned fries." 

"Nice and simple, that's a classic here." Jo adds, before pivoting on her heel, affirming she will be right back, and heading towards the kitchen. 

"So, Evelyn, what area are you looking to move to?" Tobias asks, finally letting himself break away from his hard, stern shell. 

She rests her chin on her hand, elbow holding up her head. She sighs, "I'm hoping near the school district, so I can at least be closer to you. You are still my son after all." 

He looks pleased, "That's actually really comforting to hear, thanks." 

Over the course of the meal, I let myself back off, more focused on the brunch burger, that Tobias took half of. Evelyn and Tobias go on and on, talking about college, work, the future. 

Evelyn questions me a bit, but nothing like my brother did to Tobias. The lunch goes way better than I expected, and he actually seems to be warming up to his mother. At this very moment, although surely it won't last for long, my heart feels full.