“Matthias, you made it.” My head snaps up, hearing the host use Matthias’s name.
“Of course, sorry we’re a little late.”
“No problem,” the host says, grabbing a couple of menus and leading us to a table in the back. All the tables look private, but this one is particularly intimate. The host pulls a reserved sign from the table and hands us menus. The chairs are an eclectic mix of different shapes, sizes, and colors, all with cushions to make them more comfortable. “Your server will be with you in a minute.”
“Thanks, Nick,” Matthias says.
“This place is so cool. Thanks for bringing me here.”
“I’m glad you like it. Hopefully, the food’s good. Nick’s other restaurants are great, but I haven’t had the chance to try this one.”
I turn back to catch a glimpse of Nick returning to the host stand at the front of the restaurant. “He’s the owner?”
“Yep. He owns four restaurants around Cardinal Falls. This is the only vegan one, but I think the others have decent choices. We can look through the menus sometime.”
He’s already planning future dates? I’d swoon, but it’d probably kill the mood. I start to say something, but I’m interrupted by the arrival of our server. “Hi there, I’m Stephanie, and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with a drink tonight?”
I haven’t even opened my menu yet. “Water,” I say. While a beer would help with the nerves, I want to be at the top of my gametonight.
“Same,” Matthias says.
“Great, I’ll be right back with that. Let me know if you have any questions about the menu. I do recommend sharing a few things. Everything comes ready to be served family style.”
“Thanks, Stephanie.” Matthias grins and opens his menu. When she’s out of sight, he turns to me and says, “Why don’t you pick out a couple of items from the menu for us?”
I do as he requests, going through the menu and figuring out which items sound best. It’s fun to look through and pick what I want rather than what I’m able to eat. I get a little choked up part-way through.
MATTHIAS
We order the items Frank picks from the menu. I recognize most, but not all, of the dishes. I’m a creature of habit, always ordering the same sweet and sour chicken from the place down the street, so it’s nice to broaden my horizons.
“Tell me more about your family.” I got a glimpse today, but I’m anxious to hear more about the situation. They seem loving and fun, but also a lot. Given that Frank rarely wants to go home, I’m guessing there’s more to the situation than meets the eye.
“There’s not that much to say.” He shrugs and takes a drink.
“You’ve got a brother, too, right? Are you close?”
“Fuck no.” He slaps a hand over his mouth. “Sorry, I mean, we’re different. He’s older and lives about ninety minutes away.” I sense some hesitation in answering thatone. “He’s the golden child in the family. Works in a big firm doing… something. He goes on and on about it.”
I always thought it would be nice to have a sibling, a built-in friend around the house and on family trips. Some of my childhood friends had older brothers, and I thought it would be nice to have someone around to look up to. They always seemed so cool. Looking back, I can see a few of them were more bully than friend, pushing us around and making us do things for them.
I’m about to ask a few more questions when the food arrives at the table. It’s all so colorful and plated like artwork. Steaming plates full of tofu and vegetables, all with sauces that smell incredible.
“Oh my God, that’s so good.” Frank grabs the first bite of a bright red dish. “I didn’t know tofu could be this good.”
Me either. I’ll eat it, but it never brings me any real satisfaction. It’s nice to see him enjoying it. I know food’s a big issue for Frank. Not only because of his allergy, but because of how much of our social lives revolve around eating. Constantly explaining why he can’t eat certain things while watching others eat what he can’t must be exhausting. It’s part of why I chose this restaurant. It means we can share everything in front of us without any concerns. He says he doesn’t care, but I would feel like the world’s biggest asshole if I was sitting here eating a ribeye in front of him.
“So how long have you been back in school?”
“Well, this is my second semester at Cardinal Falls Community College, but I have some credits from my prior school that transferred over.”
“Where did you go to school before?”
“At this small school down in Alabama.” My expression must give away my shock. “I know, a bit of a weird choice.My best friend from high school was going there, so I figured, why not?” He shrugs like he’s still not sure how exactly the decision got made. “It’s near some of his family and was pretty nice until I got sick.”
Fuck. I feel so bad thinking about him there, all alone, dealing with this. He would’ve been nineteen or twenty, barely old enough to take care of himself and dealing with a serious medical condition. Not only did he lose so much of the food he loves, but he also lost his position in school and his social life.
“That’s when I moved home. I don’t want to stay with my parents forever. It was the only real option.” I can hear the defensiveness in his voice.
