“And don’t forget to get a couple of bottles of water.” He didn’t squeeze my shoulder, just murmured a few words to the hostess and left.
I picked up a pencil and began ticking off items. Wonton soup and egg rolls for Mark, hot and sour soup and shrimp toast for me, and for both of us boneless spareribs, General Tso’s chicken, and shrimp with lobster sauce. I thought again of the ice cream parlor next door. However, I rationalized, it was winter and there was a chill in the air. Instead, I opted for a large package of fortune cookies for dessert.
The woman read the order back to me, made a notation on it, then gestured to a chair and a cooler. “Help yourself to drinks. Order this size, drinks on the house.” She grinned and disappeared into the back of the restaurant.
The cooler held can
