Penance

I walked this morning down along the beach. Not something unusual for me, but I'd been waiting for the cold that I've been battling since the beginning of October to finally blow over. But last night, I think I ate way too much food so the need to return to my weekend walks made itself very apparent this morning thanks to the extended belly feeling.

Last night, we were supposed to join a dinner party in order to meet our friend's new boyfriend. However, a family emergency for the host derailed those plans so we decided to meet our friend and her boyfriend in Belmont Shore at a Lebanese restaurant called Open Sesame. Caesar and I had been wanting to try this restaurant for our anniversary back in August, but the nightly throng of people, the hour-long wait, and the fact that they don't take reservations kept us from eating there.

Caesar and I arrived a bit early and put our name in then wandered around the shops until our friend arrived. First stop was the Rock Mountain Chocolate Factory, and I'd say that I resisted temptation incredibly well. Chocolate-covered cupcakes, chocolate-covered Twinkies, gigantic peanut butter cups, taffy, candy apples, and chocolate-covered bacon sat in their rows, looking delicious and calling to us. What? Oh yes, you heard right: chocolate-covered bacon. BACON. COVERED IN CHOCOLATE. I almost broke down and bought a slice, but Caesar pulled me out of that store quick. Instead, I spent money at Papyrus on Christmas cards.

Our friend arrived as we left Papyrus. She was all smiles as she and her new boyfriend met us in front of the restaurant. The first impression of the new beau was favorable: tall, salt-and-pepper hair, handsome face. And he didn't seem uncomfortable meeting the Gay Best Friend and His Partner. So we headed into the restaurant and crammed into a small table near the window.

We managed a good conversation, though we struggled against the clanging plates and glasses and the loud conversations around us. I think the boyfriend passed Caesar's questions with an "A" -- intelligent, funny, good job, family man, good listener, and really likes our friend.

We stayed in the restaurant a good two hours, enjoying the company and the food. Especially the food! I tried the kafta (beef and lamb mixed with parsley and onions then formed into kabobs and served over basmati rice) with the fattoush (a salad or romaine lettuce, onions, sumac, tomatoes and pita bread croutons), along with hummus and pita bread. Caesar's chicken tawook tasted wonderful; I had to sample some. For dessert, we walked across the street to Sweet Jill's for Red Velvet Cake, a chocolate walnut brownie, and two large, soft pumpkin cookies. (I felt my waist band stretching as the night progressed.)

So that's why I walked this morning.