In case you missed it I wrote a little blurb about a new friend a couple of weeks ago. Today was our Ladies Lunch Day so I could catch up with the rest of her story. It did not disappoint! It turned out to be a best lunch day ever. Well, at least for me.
My little Charlie R. and I got to La Coronilla a few mintues early. When my friend, I will call her Mac for short, came in I could see her face light up. It was her first time to the charmingly decorated La Coronilla. So when she saw the menu and started to read it she totally fell into her roots speaking Spanish. It seemed like Mac started speaking a hundred miles an hour. She went Spanglish on me. Her hand and eyes wandered all over the menu while she explained several of the dishes, saying “this is authentic Mexican food. This is what I grew up with!” And her eyes flashed with happiness like a child on Christmas.
And then, when the waitress came to take our order Mac’s order was out of her mouth before I could say ¡Ay, caramba!
Mac asked what I was going to get.
I had no idea. I was wondering what she ordered. How could I know what to order after being so pleasantly stunned with what had transpired in but a few seconds. I sat back in amused amazement imagining her growing up in the colonies. Mac seemed to feel at home in this, my favorite restaurant, as though she had known the owner and staff since forever.
Because I had preordered for Charlie R., I was a mere observer, just feeding the toddler, lost in watching my Mac, my new favorite television program. There are not words to describe the happiness I felt for my friend as we talked about the tamales she always serves at Christmas time as part of her family tradition, as she talked about how the salsa was just like what she makes, and about the soup she ordered is traditional and mostly served a lot during the Christmas season.
I learned so much because Mac was open and excited to speak to the waitress and the owner in their native tongue. She was able to learn more of their stories so she could then share them with me. She asked them several wonderful questions. Their responses, she translated for me so I should share in her excitement, were equally wonderful. And it truly seemed as though we were all uplifted and edified by the experience.
Anyway, I ordered. We ate. The time flew by so quickly while we chatted between bites. What I loved best was the speed of our moment in time. We talked about so many, many things. And we brought a ton of leftovers home along with a great desire to do this again, to sit and enjoy each other’s company.
321/365
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