SCHILLINGSBURG

Just As We Finished The Oysters Amber Appeared With Two More Frosted Mugs Of Dixie Draft. Dolph Kept Firing A Steady Stream Of Questions At Me As We Consumed The Oysters. I Answered Most Of Them Although A Couple I Avoided By Asking Him A Question In Return. I Wanted To Avoid Any Questions Regarding Sex Religion Or Politics For Now. I Felt We Would Get Into All That Soon Enough. I Noted Dolph Was Careful To Do The Same. We Ended Up Talking Mostly About His Businesses And The Firm I Was Building. Amber Arrived Along With Another Waiter Whom She Addressed As Andre’ Who Was Carrying A Large Tray Laden With Two Plates A Large Covered Serving Dish And A Covered Loaf Of Warm Buttered French Bread. Amber Arranged The Plates And Uncovered The Serving Dish And The Most Delightful Aroma Assaulted My Nostrils. I Observed A Pile Of Angel Hair Pasta In A Creamy Alfredo Sauce Topped With Plump Jumbo Shrimp Juicy Oysters And Succulent Crawfish Tails. Amber Dipped Generous Servings Onto Our Plates And Grated Fresh Romano Cheese On Top. She Asked If We Would Need Anything Else. I Thanked Her And Dolph Told Her That Would Be All. She And Andre' Removed The Tray And Left. Dolph Uncovered The Warm Buttered Bread And Tore Off Two Large Chunks Placing One On Each Plate. I Bowed My Head And Said A Small Silent Prayer. As I Opened My Eyes And Made The Sign Of The Cross Dolph Was Doing The Same. We Dug In. I Felt As Though I Had Died And Gone To Heaven. I Said Dolph This Is Fabulous Your Chef Is A Genius.” He Smiled Thanked Me And We Finished Our Lunch Amid Small Talk. Amber And Andre' Reappeared And Once They Had Cleared The Table Dolph And I Continued To Make Small Talk. Shortly Amber Returned With Two Steaming Cups Of Cafe Au Lait And A Large Saucer Of Bread Pudding With A Rum Sauce And Two Spoons. I Wasn’T Sure I Could Eat Another Bite Until Dolph Picked Up A Spoon Dipped It Into The Bread Pudding And Offered It To Me. I Gazed Into His Eyes Opened My Mouth And He Slipped In The Spoonful Of Pudding. I Closed My Lips Around The Spoon As He Withdrew It. I Closed My Eyes And To My Horror Heard Myself Moan. As Good As The Pasta Had Been This Bread Pudding Was Beyond Heaven. I Opened My Eyes As I Swallowed And Saw Him Staring At Me. Smiling He Asked Good? I Felt Myself Blushing And Knew My Face And Neck Were Turning Red. Yes It'S The Best Bread Pudding I'Ve Ever Eaten.” Dolph Said “J'Nell Sharing A Meal With You Watching You Enjoy Food Tells Me More About You Than Any Question And Answer Session We Could Have. Watching You I See Your True Self Your Raw Passion Your Emotions And Your Honesty. When You’Re Enjoying Something You Hide Nothing. I Studied Him For A Few Moments As I Sipped My Coffee And Asked Dolph Why Did You Invite Me To Lunch? What I Mean Is Why Lunch Rather Than Dinner?” He Smiled And Took A Sip Of Coffee Well You Are As Bright As I Suspected. I Wondered When You Would Ask. You Notice I Said When; Not If. I Knew You Had To Wonder. I Felt Lunch Would Be Much More Informal And You Would Be Less Guarded. A Dinner Date Has Too Many Implications And Sexual Overtones. It'S At Night There'S Normally Lots Of Wine Possibly After Dinner Drinks Maybe Even Champagne. A Person Tends To Get Too Relaxed In That Setting And Who Knows Where It Leads. J'Nell I Didn'T Want That To Happen To Us On Our First Date. I Wanted To Know The Real You.