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"Theo!" I yell as I let myself in to her apartment after leaving the Sagendorf estate. "We got it! Doors stay open, yay!"
"I told you you could do it without me," she says from her perch on the couch under her favorite quilt. Then she sneezes. Poor baby has a cold.
"Yes, yes, you told me. How're you feeling? I brought homemade chicken soup for you and some of your favorite bread, too. And if you feel up to it, there are cheesecake bites left for dessert."
"You really do love me best. Thank you, Bet. How long can you stay? Maybe we can watch a movie or something."
I move around her kitchen finding dishes and silverware easily and fill a tray with soup and bread and then a bouquet of daisies I grabbed on the way over. Then I carry the tray over to the couch for my lifelong best friend. "I can stay. Nowhere to be until it's time to feed my beast."
"How is Oscar these days?" she asks. Oscar is my grumpy ginger cat.
"Oh, you know Oscar. He thinks he has it rough but he runs the house."
She laughs, holds the bouquet to her nose and sniffs and sighs. "Yay. I can't smell these, but they sure are pretty, thank you."
"You bet. Eat up." I sit next to her on the couch and watch her closely as she eats her lunch. I come from a family that believes you feed a cold to make it go away.
"I'm eating, I swear," she mumbles and hands me her tv remote. I navigate to Hulu and put on The Golden Girls, our favorite show. "Ah, good choice," she says around a mouthful of soup. Comfort television is healing in my opinion.
"I thought so." I stifle a yawn and stretch.
"I have more good news," Theo says as she eats. "This is so yummy."
"Tell me, tell me. I'll take it all today," I say.
"Polly wants you to make all the baked goods for the diner from now on."
"Steady income!" I shout and she laughs.
"I know, can you believe it?"
I don't know if I can. Maybe I should play the lotto tonight. Things were becoming dire for us. We were considering moving in together if things didn't improve with the business. My success this morning will go a long way toward keeping us buoyed for a while. And with Polly's new business, we're going to be okay.
It's such a relief. Neither of us was keen on trying to shove everything we own into one of our places. We might both be pack rats.
Theo nudges me, "Earth to Betty, you in there?" she asks. I must've been quiet for longer than I thought.
"Just thinking. When does Polly want her first order and what exactly does she want?"
Theo sits up and grins. "Day after tomorrow. I have a list. You're gonna be busy."
Thank goodness for that.
gus
"Mom,I'm still not sure why I need to be here," I complain. "There are a billion people here already and I know none of them."
She hits me with a glare that would've had me shaking when I was younger. As a 42-year-old man now, I'm made of sterner stuff. She must realize because she frowns at me and plants her hands on her hips. "August, stop acting like you have something more important to be doing right now." I do, but she carries on when I open my mouth to challenge her. "You're already here, dressed very nicely by the way," she says, patting my chest. "Just mingle and eat. Have fun, I promise it won't even hurt." I nod without enthusiasm and she frowns at me. "What did I say?"
"Eating, I'm going to do that," I say, snapping to attention when her hazel eyes narrow on me. "Promise Mom, I'll be fine, go ahead and find Don." I should be at home grading essays. Now I will most likely leave here as early as possible and find fast food on my way home for a late night.
I turn and look for a buffet line, but instead, I see servers dressed in black and white ferrying trays around. Everything smells amazing. I sample a stuffed mushroom and immediately grab another from the tray before the server can escape.
I'm surprised and I really shouldn't be.
Mom has impeccable taste but these events are usually stuffier than this one seems so far. The decorations are fun but elegant, the holiday music low key. It would appear that I won't be forced to sit at a formal table next to someone I don't know and have no interest in. I would be having fun if I wasn't so worried about the work I have waiting for me at home.
I look up from my fourth stuffed mushroom when I hear my name. "August Bennett, there you are. It's been ages."
