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“Good idea, wish me luck,” Sophie said. She walked down the aisle and approached the man with a friendly smile, which hadn’t looked that way from a distance. He had a scar that had distorted his face, and she felt guilty that she thought he was leering at her. Sophie waved off Clive. “Is there something else I can get you?”
“I’m still working on this Australian Cabernet sampler, but thanks for checking on me. I couldn’t help noticing you and hope you didn’t mistake me for some type of nefarious character. You look so familiar, and I couldn’t place your face. I thought you were someone from the Syracuse area, but up close, I can see I was wrong. I figured it out. My name is Sam, by the way,” he said.
“Nice to meet you, Sam. I’m Sophie. I think you’re obligated to tell me who you thought I was. I hope it was someone fabulous,” Sophie said.
Sam smiled. “I think she’s outstanding because she helped save my life. I was in a horrible car crash and all I have left to show for it is this scar. My ER nurse in Utica, New York, applied pressure to my vein, and if she had missed one second, I would have bled out. You resemble her, especially around the eyes.”
“They say everyone has a doppelganger somewhere in the world. I’m glad mine is a compassionate soul. I have no cousins or siblings, so it can’t be a relation, but I’m glad you pulled through,” Sophie said.
“Her hair and build are different, but the way you move is similar, too. When I couldn’t move and was in my hospital bed, all I could do was visually observe what was going on around me. I knew I wanted to remember her because she’s the reason I’m here today.”
“That’s a good story. Let me know if you need anything else,” Sophie said.
She continued to serve customers on a busier than normal weeknight. Sophie had a headache from the night before, but it had been worth it. Things with Laden were better than ever, and she didn’t even mind getting dumped as a romantic partner. They were friends, which was much better for both of them. Laden had promised to nag her to step outside of her comfort zone, and Sophie said she would keep her eyes peeled for a woman who might be interested.
Sophie’s night got a whole lot better when Nina and Zeth walked in.
“Guys, this is an amazing surprise,” Sophie said as she cleared a place at the bar for them. “What’s the occasion?”
“Do we need one?” Nina asked.
"No, but I saw you yesterday, and I know the doctor here doesn’t get out much. I guess that happens when you work sixty hours a week as you try to cure cancer,” Sophie said.
Zeth blushed because, despite his countless accolades, he remained humble.
“I’m trying to have a work-life balance so I can spend time with my phenomenal wife. She wanted to drive out here to see her bestie, so I obliged. I’m driving, so serve her up whatever she desires, but I’ll stick with a seltzer,” Zeth said.
Zeth had the patience of a monk. He was the perfect complement to Nina, who was more on the gregarious side. Some people compared Nina to the actress Melissa McCarthy or at least the characters she played. Sophie didn’t think she was that zany but could see the similarities.
“You were supposed to keep me posted about the meeting you had with the lawyer. I’m guessing it was no big thing, and she just needed a signature or something.”
“It was rescheduled. I do have so much to tell, though, because the rest of my day yesterday was eventful,” Sophie said.
“You haven’t had anything eventful happen in a very long time,” Nina commented. “No offense, but the most interesting thing you’ve had happen to you was your son moving back home.”
"I know. Laden pointed that out to me when he dumped me last night.” Sophie waited for her reaction.
“What?” she asked, and her jaw dropped.
Sophie explained everything to her and poor Zeth who probably wanted to be anywhere else but there. She told Nina that Laden had opened her eyes to how few chances she had taken lately.
Nina nodded in agreement. “Seems that we were wrong about Laden, and I’m glad he got through to you because goodness knows, I tried.”
"Have I been that bad?" Sophie asked.
“You just seemed to fall into middle age so quickly. You had all this trauma in your life, and I get that, but time marches on. If you don't get back on the merry-go-round, it’s your loss, and it keeps going on without you," Nina said as she sipped her Chardonnay from the Willamette Valley in Oregon.
“Next time I’m presented with a situation that I instinctively want to avoid, I’m jumping in with both feet,” Sophie promised.
“Good for you. I’m going to hold you to your word,” Nina said.
Sophie told her about finding the picture. She pulled it out of her purse to show Nina and Zeth.
“Do you want my opinion?” Zeth asked.
“Sure, I’d like to hear what a man thinks,” Sophie replied.
“I think it’s probably a female friend. They seem to be happy and comfortable. If your father was having an illicit affair, he’d be a heck of a lot sneakier. He wouldn’t be taking a photo of the two of them at the Finger Lakes.”
