We drive to the nearest restaurant that serves steak and laugh at stupid dad jokes he tells me. Not long after getting there we are seated.
"Is this the place with that onion thing?" I ask him.
"Yeah, why? You want one?"
"Yes! I love them."
"Alright."
We sit back and look over the menus, and when the waiter comes over, Troy orders the onion flower thing and our drinks. I set the menu down after I figure out what I want.
"What else is on the agenda for the room?" I ask him.
"Tomorrow I need to paint, the next day install the shelves and then put it all together. Chris said there are boxes of books in the garage that Sarah hasn't had a place to unpack so I guess I will unload those onto the shelves."
"No," I say.
"No?"
"Yeah. No, don't do that. She likes having her books on her shelves a certain way. It's best to just let her do it."
The waiter gives us the onion and our drinks, and I dive right in.
I moan when the sauce and fried onion hit my taste buds. It's seriously so good. I look at Troy, and his eyes are wide.
"What?" I say through a mouth full.
He shakes his head. "Never heard someone sosatisfiedwith their food before."
"What can I get you folks today?"
I startle as the waiter materializes next to me. I’ve been so focused on Troy and this fried onion, I didn’t see him approach. But his timing is perfect, saving me from having to come up with a response to Troy’s statement…a statement that stirs up something inside me I’m determined to ignore.
"I'll take filet mignon medium-well, a loaded sweet potato, and broccoli, but I want it loaded like a baked potato."
Troy is looking at me with one eyebrow up. People are usually confused when I order loaded broccoli.
"And for you?" the waiter asks, turning towards Troy.
He puts his order in then looks at me. "Loaded broccoli?"
I point a piece of fried onion at him.
"Don't knock it until you've tried it," I say then pop the onion into my mouth.
He puts his hands up in surrender. "Alright."
It's not long before our meals are set in front of us. I stab a piece of broccoli with my fork and make sure it has a little bit of everything on it before I hold it up to Troy.
"Come on. Try it."
He opens his mouth, and I give him the bite. I watch his face to see what he thinks but he doesn't give much away.
"Well?"
He nods his head.
"That is surprisingly really good."