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I slipped my arms into the sleeves of my overcoat. “Where’s it going to be today?”
She slipped her gnarled hand onto my elbow. I deliberately slowed my pace so she could easily keep up.
“Debbie’s?” I suggested.
“We go there every time.”
“When we meet for breakfast, I suppose,” I said. “We’ve mostly been meeting for breakfast lately.”
Today was a special day for Faye. One of her grandkids had a birthday party later that afternoon. I’d suggested breakfast instead, and here we were.
“Then we’d better stop in at Debbie’s,” Faye said. “Don’t want them to forget us.”
“We definitely wouldn’t want that,” I said with a chuckle and held the door open for her.
Frigid air brushed toward us, giving us a cold greeting with flurries of snow. The gray sky was the perfect shade for sleigh bells and snowball fights.
“You know, you’re the highlight of my week,” Faye said. “Might as well be everyone else’s.”
“You’re mine too, Faye,” I said, “but that doesn’t mean everyone remembers us when we go into their establishments.”
“Oh, you might be surprised.” She tucked her chin into the collar of her purple coat.
I stroked her hand, wishing I could help her stay warm. Faye always insisted we walk to our destinations since my office was central to several restaurant optionsand she wanted her exercise.
Maybe I should get her a new pair of gloves for Christmas this year.
She claimed staying fit was harder at her age. I wasn’t sure what that number was, exactly. I valued my hide far too much to ask outright.
Indulging her request to walk was the best option.
Today, I would have loved to drive her somewhere. The hazy fog made a lace skirt on the street. Snow spun around us, chilling my nostrils and stabbing my ears. I shivered.
“Hey, how about La Comida Buena for one of their breakfast burritos?” I suggested, pointing to the establishment, which was less of a trek than Debbie’s. “It’s closer.”
I waited for her protest, but instead, she considered the snowfall around us and agreed. “Let’s do it.”
The crosswalk was hidden somewhere beneath the slush, but I guided her across it and then past a handful of shops. The two of us stomped snow from our shoes, and I waited for Faye to step inside before I followed her in, grateful for the restaurant’s heat and tempting aromas.
A glass pane displayed the company’s logo. It was backed by colored lights and bubbles.
I knew the menu by heart—and I suspected Faye did too by now. Even so, she let go of me and hobbled across the black mat, which was collecting snow from our shoes, and toward the line of people waiting to order.
I trudged along behind her. After watching employees assemble our burritos and prepare our coffee, I paid for our breakfast.
“How have things been?” I asked, setting the tray of food on the rack in front of the drink dispensers.
“I’m getting by,” Faye said. Her lined cheeks were rosy, and a fresh glint lit her smiling eyes. “Though I have to say, Social Security isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.”
I retrieved a few napkins and placed them on the tray.
“What’s happening?” I picked up the tray and led the way to the nearest vacant table. “I thought you said things were going well financially.”
I’d had a hunch that wasn’t the case, but I wanted her to be the one to tell me.
Faye unbuttoned her coat and placed it on the back of the chair before sitting. Once the tray was before her, she busied herself assembling her silver foil bowl and mine, along with our utensils.
The smell of eggs, sausage, and cheese drifted straight to my stomach.
