“I absolutely love what you have done with the place! I love that huge vase by the door. Where did you get that?” Sam asked.
Grinning at Sam’s energetic excitement, Tonya answered, “That’s an antique Chinese vase I found a few weeks ago at a consignment shop. It was a little expensive, but I fell in love with it and couldn’t resist.”
“Well, I love it and now I want one. It would look great in our place too. I don’t know what Chris would think of it, but he would get used to seeing it.”
“He’ll love it if you do.”
“True. Now, tell me honestly, how are you really feeling?” Sam quizzed her.
“Honestly, I don’t feel too bad. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very tender right now, but they gave me something for the pain if it gets too bad. I’m just glad to be home, and to have my bestie here with me is the best part.”
“I’m excited too,” Sam grinned.
“How was your flight? Did you have to sit next to anyone undesirable?”
Sam laughed. “I was lucky. I didn’t have anyone sitting in the seat next to mine. It surprisingly wasn’t a full plane. Mostly, but not all the way. I watched a movie and slept a little.”
“Well, you are lucky then. How’s Chris? I bet he’s missing you already.”
“Yeah, he is, but he’s good. He drove me to the airport. He had to get off work early to do it, but he didn’t mind. He was picking on me about hating peanut butter sandwiches by the time I got home.”
They laughed at him and agreed he would get over it. Both knew he could handle himself in the kitchen, even if Sam did do most of the cooking.
Sam quietly put her things away as Tonya took a shower. She couldn’t believe she was in Florida. She was so excited to be with her friend and to be where the weather would be a lot nicer over the next two weeks. She was grateful God provided a way for her to be there for Tonya and for the man He blessed her with, who understood her need to be with Tonya.
She already missed Chris. It was the first time she had been away from him since they started dating. She walked to the kitchen for a drink of water and leaned against the counter. She thought about how loving and supportive he was to her. How hard things had to be at times. How he never left her side through everything she had been through and never once complained. She couldn’t help but wonder again what she did to deserve him.
Shaking her head, Sam giggled and closed her eyes. She pictured him and his blond hair. The way one side of his mouth would lift slightly more than the other when he smiles. The way his green eyes seemed to hypnotize her at times when she stared into them. And his touch. She shuddered with building excitement when her mind began to go somewhere it didn’t need to be, with them being so far apart. Laughing at herself she went into the living room and sat, waiting for Tonya.
Sam tried watching some television but couldn’t get interested in anything. Looking at her cast she wondered if she went to the hospital while in Florida if they would remove it. She would have to call and see.
She heard the shower turn off and leaned back in the chair. Tonya would be joining her soon. The thought of dinner crossed her mind. She was tired and most likely Tonya was too. Neither would feel like cooking. Sam didn’t know the area and had no clue where they could go for something decent to eat. She would ask Tonya when she came out and joined her.
“Oh, that feels so much better,” Tonya said a few minutes later when she walked into the room. She plopped down beside Sam and put her bare feet on the coffee table. She had her hair wrapped in a towel, wore a robe, and looked very comfortable. Sam thought about not mentioning going anywhere for food until Tonya said she was getting hungry.
“I have an idea. Why don’t I get dressed and we go to my uncle’s restaurant? You can see where I work and can meet him if he’s there.”
Sam laughed and replied, “What are you, a mind reader?”
“What? Were you thinking the same thing?”
“Well, not that exactly, but I was going to ask if you felt like going out for dinner. I know we are both tired and I didn’t think you would want to fix anything on your first day back from the hospital. I’m tired from the flight. It’ll be my treat.”
“Oh, pish posh! I run the place. It’ll be free.”
“Okay, if you say so. I’m not one to turn down a free meal.”
Getting back up from the couch Tonya started walking away. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes. He will love meeting you so I hope he’s there. Be right back.”
Sam put her shoes back on and got her purse. She reached for her jacket only to remember where she was. Gratefully placing it back where it had been, she patiently waited. Her stomach began to growl and she was looking forward to the food that was going to calm it.
***
Forty-five minutes later they walked into the restaurant that Tonya’s uncle owned and Tonya had been managing. It wasn’t busy and they were able to get in right away. They didn’t get to sit when they first walked in because all the staff were excited about seeing Tonya out of the hospital. Everyone wanted to hug her and ask how she was and how she was feeling. Seeing her friend get so much loving attention from the staff warmed Sam’s heart. Tonya introduced Sam to everyone as they walked behind the bar and into the kitchen and immediately Sam wanted to join in on everything. She had to hold herself back from getting in the way. The kitchen was enormous and held everything imaginable that she could use. Tonya hadn’t been kidding when she told her it was a top-notch establishment.
Tonya’s uncle came out of the office and when he laid his eyes on his niece he looked like he would break out in tears. He took her gently into his arms and kissed her on her cheeks, showing her the affection of a father.
“How are you? Are you okay? I’ve been so worried about you!” he gushed with misty eyes.
Tonya smiled, and close to tears herself said, “I’m better. I had the surgery yesterday so I have to heal for a bit.”
“Well, why aren’t you home healing? You can’t be working tonight!”
Laughing she replied, “I’m not here to work, Uncle Steve. I’m here to eat, but I wanted to see everyone and let them meet my best friend, Sam. She came down from Connecticut to help me for a couple weeks.”
Uncle Steve looked at Sam, took her in his arms, and kissed her cheeks. Caught off-guard she knew her face showed a shocking expression which made Tonya laugh.
“You have to excuse him. He’s an affectionate guy. I should have warned you.”
Laughing with a bright shade of red covering her face Sam said, “It’s okay. It caught me off guard is all.”
Uncle Steve laughed along with them and insisted they go out to the dining room and relax.
“Tell whoever is your waitress what you want and I will prepare it myself,” he told them. “Shoo! Shoo! Out of the kitchen!”
Laughing at him they walked back out the way they came in and Shirley, the hostess, sat them near a window so they could enjoy the view. They looked at the overly large menu and Sam was astounded by all the choices. Tonya basically had it memorized since she was the manager, so she helped Sam out a little.
“There are so many choices. I have no idea what to order.”
“I strongly suggest the potato leek soup for an appetizer, then after that order the ribeye. It’s the best in town and I’m not just saying that because I work here.”
“I’ll take your word on that.”
When their waitress Monica came over with two glasses of ice cold water she was happy to see her boss doing better. She gave Tonya a hug and greeted Sam warmly. After the quick greetings and chatter she took both of their orders and said she would be back with their appetizers.
Tonya ordered the ribeye with a sweet potato and the leek soup, and Sam the same thing, except she chose a baked potato in place of a sweet one. The leek soup turned out to be as divine as Tonya said it would be and the steak was certainly in the top ten list of the best Sam had ever had. It wasn’t long before they were both so full
they had to refuse the dessert menu. They were tempted enough to order a slice of cheesecake to go.
When they finished eating they said goodbye to everyone and Tonya told her uncle she would call him in a day or so to give him an update on how she was doing. The girls decided to take a walk along the beach before driving home. The sun was starting to turn a gorgeous shade of orange to the west of them. They took off their shoes and placed them along with their purses in the trunk of the car.
They held hands and walked along the edge of the sand. When they walked past the vast amount of pebbles that turned into a fine cool sand, they slowly walked along the water where the ocean touched the beach.
They talked about life. They talked about dreams. They talked about anything and everything except the pain they had been forced to handle in the past few months. Sometimes the oceans touch reached far enough to tickle their feet and it made them laugh like little girls. They would jump back from it screaming only to walk along it again when it pulled back.
They walked toward the pier about a mile away from the car then turned around taking their sweet time. They had absolutely nothing to be in a hurry about. Not a single solitary thing.
***
Tonya had gone to bed and Sam pulled out the hide-away bed in the living room. She lay back and dialed Chris, hoping he hadn’t gone to bed yet. He answered on the second ring.
“I miss you,” was the first thing he said.
Grinning, she replied, “I miss you, too.”
“Hey, thanks for the text earlier letting me know that you got there safely. How’s Tonya?”
“Right now, she’s worn out and in bed, but all in all she’s okay. I don’t know what will happen yet while I’m here, but I will do what I can to support her.”
“She knows that, babe. You mean the world to her.”
“I know. What did you have for dinner? Please tell me it wasn’t a peanut butter sandwich.”
“Actually, there was a little lasagna left from the other day. I had that and I think I’m set for a couple days with left over pork loin. I can make sandwiches out of that.”
“I forgot about that. Good idea.”
“What did you have?”
She could hear him grunt a little as he rolled over, and she followed suit.
“We went to her uncle’s restaurant that she’s been managing. It was very nice and the kitchen—Chris, you would not believe that kitchen.”
He laughed because he knew how much she loved to cook and wanted her own place.
“Do tell.”
“It had everything you could possibly think of in there and it was huge! I don’t know if I will ever have one that nice, but if I ever get my own restaurant it’ll be close. Anyhow, after I met everyone including Tonya’s uncle—he is very nice—we had a great meal. We both had their famous ribeye with leek soup and potatoes. It was to die for. We brought home cheesecake.”
“Wow, eating fancy down there already.”
“It was free, but yeah it was very nice.”
“Do me a favor and tell her I said hi, and give her a hug for me.”
“I will. You going to sleep on me now?”
“I’m sorry, but yeah I’m pretty tired. I would much rather be sleeping with you.”
“I know. Me too. I love you.”
“I love you, too. Call me tomorrow?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Sweet dreams.”
“You too,” she whispered.
When they were finished saying goodnight the phone fell onto the mattress. She stared up at the ceiling and let her thoughts travel, unhindered.
She dreamed about owning and running her own restaurant. She fantasized about it being the talk of the town and business being so good that it would be written about in the newspapers. Famous people would travel from far and wide to sample her cuisine and desserts and meet her. She knew it was possible, but still held onto a few insecurities.
The most important people in her life believed in her. She knew she should as well. She did to an extent, but with her recent health problems she couldn’t help feeling slightly off key.
Rolling onto her side she could feel the presence of God with her and she was comforted.
Thank You, Lord Jesus for getting me here safely. Thank You for getting Tonya through her surgery and please Lord make her all better. Thank You for Chris and for Junior being there with him. I love You, Lord. Amen.
Sam smiled as she was glad she ended her day by talking to God. It was something she planned on doing regularly. It was something she needed to do. Without God, she would be nothing.
Chapter Sixteen
Sam and Tonya didn’t do much of anything for the first few days that she was in Florida. The surgery took more of a toll on Tonya than she thought it would. The first day when she woke up she had to take a pain pill to help get through the first part of the morning. She hurt so bad she thought about going to the emergency room until the medicine started working. Sam convinced her to call the doctor at least and let him know. Once she got him on the phone he told her it would be normal to hurt for a few days, but if it got to be too much to go to the emergency room.
That day consisted of mainly lying around and watching movies. Tonya fell asleep for a couple of hours on the couch so Sam went to the bedroom and made a couple phone calls, then read for a while. She didn’t want to disturb Tonya.
She called her doctor in Torrington, Connecticut and asked if she could get the cast off while she was visiting in Florida. He was a little reluctant about it but told her since it had been about eight weeks and if the doctor at the hospital felt it was good then it should be okay. That was a relief to hear.
Next, she called the hospital to see if there was someone there who would do it and they said she could come in, but she may have a long wait since it wasn’t an actual emergency. She didn’t care. She wanted it off. Eight weeks was long enough.
Sam checked on Tonya and she was still sleeping so she watched television in the bedroom. She settled on the Food Network and watched a rerun of Iron Chef America. She loved watching the Iron Chefs be challenged and once in a blue moon actually get beaten by an aspiring chef. On that episode, the main ingredient was tuna.
During the show, she thought about what Tonya had said to her about trying out for Hell’s Kitchen. She knew it would be an incredible experience, but could she do it? Would she be able to make it through to the end and win? She had a lot of confidence in her skills as a chef, but she didn’t know if she could deal with the verbal abuse or the pressure of being on television. Maybe, after she graduated and got a couple of years under her belt she would rethink it. What would be more thrilling for her would be to run her own business. What kind of restaurant would she want? How large and what would the main courses be?
Sam got off the bed and looked for a notebook to begin making some notes. She found some scrap paper in a drawer in the kitchen and sat at the dining room table. She had plenty of ideas and since she was so close to finishing school it was time to start seriously thinking about her future. She could get a loan from a bank to start. She had excellent credit. She wrote that down.
Appetizers and specialties. She loved the idea of combinations of steak and shrimp. Steak and lobster tail. Stuffed flounder with real crab meat. Baked Salmon. Her special pork loin. Her own recipe of lasagna like what she fixed a few days ago. There were so many things.
For the next hour, she wrote everything she could think of. Soups and salads. Desserts and freshly baked breads. She wrote a wine list along with some specialty beers. She added some domestic beers as well. Not everyone that dined at her place would have a sensitive palette like hers.
When she wrote everything that she could think of she admired her list. Three pages. She smiled and was excited about it even though it would take a long time before her dream would become a reality.
Tonya began to stir on the couch and she looked over at her and heard her moan. She worried about her best friend.
She realized and was surprised that with all of the excitement she had forgotten about praying. How could she forget about talking to God? She remembered talking to Him before she fell asleep the night before, but she still felt guilty and closed her eyes to say a silent prayer. She knew without a doubt that if it wasn’t for Him she would have never made it through what she has.
“Lord,” she whispered so not to disturb Tonya. “I know You are here with us and I know You are aware of everything. I ask that You lay Your hands on Tonya and help her. Please, give her strength and comfort. Please, help me to be able to help her get through all of this. I know You can do it so I ask if it’s in Your will to please heal her from the cancer. Please, have made the doctors to have gotten all of it so she won’t have to go through the chemo treatments or at least not too many of them. Thank You Lord for all that you do. In Your name I pray. Amen.”
She opened her eyes and looked over at Tonya still lying there. She thought maybe she should wake her, but decided against it. She needed her rest. She took a shower, washed her hair, and felt better. One of the main things she hated about the cast was when she showered. Tomorrow, if Tonya would be okay without her she would go to the hospital to get the aggravating thing removed.
***
That evening when they were eating dinner and Tonya was feeling better, Sam told her about the list that she had made.
“Oh, let me see it. I know it will be great, but maybe I can help with some ideas.”
Sam showed it to her and waited as Tonya read it to herself. She saw her eyes glimmer and a smile on her face. She didn’t say anything until she had gone all the way through it.
“So, what do you think?” Sam asked her.
Laying the list in front of her she shrugged. “Uhhh, it’s okay I guess.”
“What? Seriously?”
Laughing, Tonya said, “I’m joking. I think it’s fantastic! Honestly, I think you pretty much covered everything except the details of the lobby and dining room.”
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