“What could you do in ten days?” Jack asked.
“Two days we’ll spend on the first island, seven days we’ll cruise around three other islands, and one day we’ll stay on the big island before we fly back home. We are taking several inland tours that should be interesting. I think we have a whale watching planned and at the end of the cruise, there’s a luau dinner,” I said, opening my door to the frigid blast of air.
“We’ll have a whale of a time,” Trisha joked.
We all started giggling.
“Say, I read there was an accident on one of those cruisers. Two men fell overboard,” Jack said as he drove into the parking lot.
We were laughing so hard at another joke Trisha had told, we didn’t pay attention to his comment. He parked the car and with reluctance, we removed ourselves from the warm vehicle to hurry into the small café. Colin, another of my acquaintances from Vesda stood before us as if he had anticipated our arrival. He was wearing the apron I gave him for Christmas.
He has large hands and short arms and Like Thyla, he has to trim his long fast growing nails so the customers aren’t too uncomfortable. Since he prefers to live underground, his friend, Bosloe, had sealed and dry-walled the shallow basement under the café. Bosloe himself rents a comfortable little house a block away.
“Four?” Collin asked us as he held his broad hand up to his chin.
“Yes,” I said.
He gestured us toward an empty booth.
We all began to remove our heavy coats except Thyla who kept her sweatshirt on to hide her tail.
“And what are you having today?” Colin asked with his notepad ready to take our orders. Since the café only had two entrés, Bosloe didn’t bother to make up menus.
“I want stew,” I replied, scooting into the booth next to Trisha who whispered to Jack.
“We want chili,” Jack said, after hearing Thyla’s request.
“I’ll have a bowl of stew, too,” my neighbor said, “with some hot cocoa.”
Stew was Bosloe’s specialty. When I ended up in Vesda, his stew was the only thing he made. Those who lived there were getting tired of the same old entré. I helped him out by making a fruit pie. After he arrived back with us in Firth, he bought a former fast food building with his interest compounded savings, and after many requests, he began making chili. I helped him out by making pies or cobblers once in a while. Cooking made me feel like I had something to do since I didn’t have a job to go to.
“Me too,” I added.
I looped my jacket on the outer hook between each of the wooden booth frames.
“Uh, coffee for Jack and I’ll have some warm milk,” Thyla said, clasping her cold hands.
We snuggled close together in the booth and praised Colin for his speedy service with the hot drinks.
I wrapped my cold fingers around the warm mug and blew on the chocolate surface. Staring back at me from the moving froth were eyes of a man. I put the cup down fast, too fast and spilled a little on the table.
“Susan? Are you all right?” Trisha asked me.
“Oh, yes, clumsy me. The cup was too hot,” I lied. “Say, René told me she was starting up another pottery class in March or April. Do you want to do that again?” I asked Trisha.
“My sister wants to come for a visit in April. If the class doesn’t interfere with her visit, I will. I had lots of compliments on my cups, and I want to make more sets for birthdays and next Christmas,” she replied, holding onto her hot cup with both of her gloved hands.
“Well, if she does, just tell her to join us if she wants.”
Colin brought out our steaming bowls of chili and stew and set them down in front of us along with a basket of rolls. The smell of roast beef and chili pepper excited our senses.
“How is O’ Mae?” I asked. When we returned from Vesda, she decided to stay in a small rental home outside of town.
“Okay, I guess,” Thyla began. “The last time we visited her, she talked about going to the assisted living home in Idaho Falls. We tried to convince her to locate closer to us, but she seemed to have her mind made up.”
“I called her last night and she said she would be moving to the Twelve Gables tomorrow,” Jack added.
“I wish I had more time to go and see her.”
Trisha waved at Colin to come over to our booth. He saw her hand motion and strode over.
“Colin, tell Bosloe to come out here so we can say hi,” Trisha said. . She removed one of her mittens that covered her fingers in order to handle the soup spoon with ease.
“Will do,” he replied and trotted through the opening in the center of the counter and into the kitchen.
First, we heard some metal pans clatter in the back of the kitchen, and then we saw Bosloe’s frame fill up the space within the kitchen archway behind the counter. Even thin Colin would never be able to squeeze by him. His imposing height just missed the head jamb of the archway as he wiped his hands with a kitchen towel hanging on a nearby hook and strode toward us. Bosloe still sported a black beard around his chin and under his wide nostrils. In his gruff direct manner, he had a kind soul that saved me from my house intruder last fall. For that, I will always care about him.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite people,” he said, strolling up to our table.
“Bosloe, do you have enough pies until I get back from my vacation?” I asked.
“Both of my freezers are packed. I won’t be needing anymore. Thank you, Susan. You have a good trip. Well, good to see you all. I smell stew cooking–wouldn’t want it to burn,” he said, turning around to return to
