Lunch surprise

My mother would say, “what a lovely lady.” And she was. But Mother (independent German stock that she is) would also say “what a lotta nerve she has”. And she does. But all in all, it was a refreshing chance encounter in an otherwise dull, grey day.

I went to the mall to get a book for my lover’s Valentine gift. Then I went to Café Court, bought a sandwich, sat down, and was about to have lunch with Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Heaven knows, at over 700 pages, I won’t get a chance at reading it for a while.

But there she was, as I looked up from the book, held far to the left of where I was munching on my dripping chopped steak sandwich. Didn’t really want to drip lettuce or onions on a gift book before it was even presented. Yes, there she was, holding her tray, smiling at me and asking if she could join me.

The tables were not crowded, less than half occupied on this Tuesday noon. I really don’t know why she asked, nor why I said yes, but she didn’t look crazy, or like she would try to save my soul, or anything threatening in this wide-open public space. So, she sat down and we chatted. I must admit, I enjoyed my lunch with this senior, mall-walking dynamo, who dropped into my life. We exchanged first names and other life facts like that she’s a retired nurse from Methodist Hospital. We talked about books and our children, especially her daughter who was killed by a drunk driver.

Then we flew off our separate ways as we bid mutual good wishes for a good day. I know mine was immeasurably better for having spent less than a half hour together. I hope hers was too.