That Hits the Spot!

Thomas just moved into his new apartment. He was fortunate enough not to have any roommates. He was as introverted as they come and yet even though he liked being alone in his new apartment he did not like feeling alone.

His parents helped him move in a week ago and he was already missing his mother’s home cooked meals. Especially her meatloaf and mashed potatoes with a side of green beans. It was the type of meal that hits the spot.

The potatoes would be coated in melted butter and salted and peppered to perfection. The green beans were flavored with a touch of vinegar and salted and peppered to perfection as well. And whatever she did to the main course – the meatloaf. Juicy meat with a blanket of ketchup. It was something magical.

Just thinking about it, he could almost taste it. His mouth began to water. The aroma of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans cooking in his mother’s kitchen was the scent of love. One bite made you feel safe. It was the taste of home.

Sitting alone in his new apartment thinking about how much he missed his mother’s cooking stirred up an appetite. Thomas made his way to the fridge and opened the door and looked inside. Left over pizza in a medium sized pizza box set on the shelf next to a bottle of ranch dressing. Next to that was a bottle of orange juice about a quarter full and a jar of pickles.

Thomas loved pickles. He often snacked on them eating about 3 or 4 a day. He grabbed the pickle jar and opened the lid. Taking out one of the pickles he quickly stuck as much of the pickle as he could in his mouth to get the coating of pickle juice before it dripped off the end.

Devouring the pickle, he headed back to his futon to scroll endlessly on his phone. He still felt hungry. The pickle just didn’t do it. Something was just, missing. He just couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

He went back to the kitchen and opened the pantry door. Thomas just stared into the pantry as if gazing into the void of space. It wasn’t very stocked, but he was sure there was something in there to eat.

He grabbed a can of Vienna sausages and went back the futon. Tik Tok reel after reel; mindless scrolling. Boredom and loneliness overshadowing him like a translucent fog. Finishing the last little sausage in the can he got up to go drink the last of the orange juice which he down in just a few gulps. The juice and Vienna sausages still didn’t seem to satisfy.

Thomas needed something, but what? He could hear is mother’s words, “You better not fill up on all that junk! Dinner will be ready soon and you don’t want to ruin your appetite!” Oh, how he missed her meals. The struggle was real.

Thomas wished he had a friend close by that would come over and hang out, but being new in a new city and without school starting he didn’t really have anyone to phone up. Maybe I will just heat up the rest of the pizza from last night, he thought. Maybe that will hit the spot.

He took out the rest of the pizza and threw it in the microwave that his parents got him the day he moved in. He closed the door and set the timer. Just as he hit the start button the power to his apartment went out.

“Of course this would happen,” Thomas said to the darkness. He didn’t mind eating cold pizza, but he really didn’t want to eat in the dark with his phone being his only source of light.

Thomas didn’t have any candles and the only flashlight he had was somewhere in his closet and he would need a flashlight to find it. Sitting alone in his apartment, in the dark, the hunger grew. And for God only knows what. The hunger and the darkness intensified the feeling of being alone.

He walked out into the hallway of his apartment building to see if he was the only one without power. Other tenants were already coming out of their apartments to do the same thing. The whole building was without power.

No one was certain what happened, only Thomas did not feel like staying there any longer. He went back inside using the light of his phone and grabbed his backpack which contained his laptop and headed out to a coffee shop he remembered his dad saying had good lemonade which just happened to be around the corner.

Thomas thought it was weird that his dad went to a coffee shop and grabbed a lemonade. The thing that stood out was how insistent his dad was about him checking it out. He imagined that they had free Wi-Fi and a place to charge his phone and laptop and hopefully some tasty treats to munch on.

As he walked toward the coffee shop, he thought about his mother’s homemade lemonade. Freshly squeezed with honey for sweetener made hot and poured over ice. Sure to quench you thirst instantly!

Just before the entrance he looked up at the name of the coffee shop. GROUNDED. What a weird name for a coffee shop, Thomas thought. It reminded him of being punished as a teenager rather than freshly ground coffee.

Walking up to the counter to place his order Thomas notice the wonderful aroma of coffee and the smell of hot pastries. The lighting was low with little lights hanging from the ceiling like stars in the sky. It was quiet and cozy.

The girl who was working the counter struck Thomas with her beauty. She was just a bit shorter than he was with long light brown hair braided into two pigtails. She had a welcoming smile that stretched from ear to hear and large light brown eyes. She wore a dark brown hat that said, “Grounded” on it and a name tag that said, “Lily.”

“What can I get for you?” she said. Their eyes were locked but Thomas didn’t want to make it weird, so he quickly looked away to the menu.

“Uh, I’ll have one of your hot muffins and a tall glass of lemonade, please,” Thomas said trying to get the words out the best he could.

“I have been working her for a little under a month and only one other person has come here to order a lemonade. To be honest, they really aren’t that great. The owner only sells them because his wife drinks lemonade and lemon tea. He does all the coffee drinking. Do you still want the lemonade,” she asked.

His heart was pounding and his palms started to sweat. “Uh, yeah, yes please,” Thomas said. “My dad came by here about a week ago when I moved here and said they were pretty good. My mom used to make the best lemonades back home so if my dad likes them, they can’t be that bad.”

“Your dad was probably the guy I sold one to, if it was about a week ago. He seemed like a nice guy if it was the person I am thing of,” she said. “But I am not so sure he has good taste. I hope yours is better,” giving him a little wink.

Thomas smiled almost forgetting why he even came here. “What’s your name?” Lily said with another large grin stretching from ear to the other.

“Thomas Langford,” he said.

Lily giggled and said, “I only needed your first name to put on the order, but it’s good to meet you. My name is Lily,” as she pointed to her name tag.

“Right,” Thomas said with a huge smile on his face. “It’s good to me you to.”

“Okay Thomas Langford. If you go have a seat, when it is ready I will bring it out to you.”

“Thanks,” he said. “I will be right over here,” and pointed to an empty table while walking slowly backwards to the table with his eyes still entranced upon her.

Thomas sat down and started feeling like an idiot. She probably thinks I’m a dolt, he thought. He pulled out his phone charger and plugged it into an electrical receptacle that was on the floor below him and then put the other end into his phone.

Lily eventually came bearing one hot muffin and a tall glass of lemonade then set them on his table. They both just smiled at each other with eyes locked pleasantly.

Lily was just about to walk back behind the counter when she stopped and turned back to him. “You said you are new in town, right?”

“That’s right,” Thomas responded. “I have been here officially a week now,” he continued.

“Well, I am having some friends over after I get off work. I am trying my luck at making meatloaf and it might be a good way for you to make some new friends if you want to come. Would you want to come?” Lily still holding her larger warm smile.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Meatloaf and mashed potatoes is my favorite meal!” Thomas quickly responded. He had just been thinking about his mother’s wonderful meatloaf just earlier back at the apartment and was overwhelmed by the surprise.

“Okay! Great! Except, don’t judge me too harshly. It’s my first time making it,” she said looking down toward her feet.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Thomas said. “I am sure you will do great!”

Thomas grabbed a bite of his muffin and chased it with some lemonade. His face cringed at the awful taste of the lemonade. It was like an expired lemon drink that was made from a powder more than a decade old. The best thing about it was the ice.

“I told ya,” Lily said with a laugh and walked back to the counter.

Maybe my dad doesn’t have good taste, Thomas thought. Finishing off his muffin, it just didn’t quite hit the spot. The muffin and the drink left him feeling dissatisfied. Something was still missing. Of course, the after taste of lemonade in his mouth wasn’t helping the flavors of the muffin. It was terrible!

***

“Thanks for hanging around until I got off work and walking me home,” Lily said.

“It was no trouble. You guys were only open another hour and once you said you live within walking distance, I thought it was the least I could do for you warning me about the lemonade. You were right! That’s stuff is terrible!” Thomas said as they started laughing.

Not long after Lily’s friends showed up, they introduced themselves and all the pleasantries began. There was exchange of talk about different degree plans and what they planned to do after school. They swapped stories of home life and old friends. The room was filled with smiles, conversation and laughter.

“Dinner’s ready!” Lily shouted over all the talking.

Thomas was having such a good time. Meeting new people. Especially Lily. He was truly captivated by her. She was kind and made him feel like he was a part of the group. She made him feel welcomed like being back home again.

He could smell the aroma of his favorite meal in the air which felt safe and like being home. He hadn’t really had anything good to eat all day and he was starved at this point. Taking in the whole experience his mouth watering uncontrollably. Thomas couldn’t wait to sink his teeth into Lily’s homemade meatloaf.

They sat down at a small table in the dining area of her apartment. Everyone began to dig in one at a time loading up their plates. Thomas started putting some on his plate trying to be aware of how much to get. He did not want to seem desperate but at the same time he wanted to show that he was excited about her first meatloaf.

Thomas loaded up his fork with what smelled like his mother’s homemade meatloaf. He took a bite and began to chew. The meatloaf tasted burnt, and overly salty. It was drier than a mid-summer drought. It was terrible. Thomas looked around the room to see how the other guests were reacting.

Their faces all looked like they were trying to hold back the truth that would no doubt hurt Lily’s feelings. “How is it?” Lily asked.

After a moment of silence, her close friend Lucy spoke up and said, “The mashed potatoes are spot on!”

“I’m sorry guys!” Lily said looking over at Thomas as if to be rescued.

“I don’t think it’s that bad at all,” Thomas said taking another bite. He forced himself to eat all of it thinking it was a good thing he didn’t grab a large portion.

Lily admired Thomas for making her feel good about the work she had done in preparation of the meal. The rest of the evening was filled with good conversation as they skipped right to dessert.

As Thomas was about to leave for the night Lily walked him out into the hallway of the building. “Sorry about the meatloaf. I still can’t believe you ate it. Thanks,” she said.

“Hey, it wasn’t as bad as that lemonade,” he said as they laughed together.

“Will you come by to see me at the coffee shop tomorrow?” Lily asked.

“Absolutely. Except this time, I am getting a latte,” Thomas said with a smile. “See you tomorrow,” he continued then turned and walked toward the exit. Leaving the building Thomas paused for a moment. He took a deep breath reflecting on what a wonderful time he had and the memory that would last a lifetime. Then he thought to himself, now, that hits the spot!