A couple of hours later, my stomach gave a loud rumble. It was then I realized that I’d left my lunch sack on the floor of Ted’s truck. I bet he hadn’t seen it, or I was sure he would have brought it back to me.
“I’m going to go eat my lunch,” Hollis said as he walked past me. “Would you like to sit with me?”
“I’m okay,” I said. “I think I’ll keep working.” I was starving but I didn’t want to admit I’d forgotten my lunch. Of course, just then, my stomach chose to growl treacherously.
“You don’t have anything to eat?” Hollis had stopped right in front of the table where I was working. He cocked an eyebrow at me. “I thought I told you to bring a sack lunch.”
“I did. I brought one, but I forgot it on the floor of Ted’s truck,” I said. “I’m okay. I can hold out until dinner.” My stomach rumbled loudly to announce that I’d lied.
“Come on up to the house,” he said. “I’ll fix us something hot to eat. It will be a nice break from peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”
“You could just give me the PB and J. I like those.”
“Now, that wouldn’t be very hospitable of me, would it? Come on. I’ll make us soup and grilled cheese. Does that sound good?”
“That sounds perfect.”
Hollis let me into his house through a side kitchen door. He grabbed a pitcher of ice tea from the fridge and poured us both a glass. I sipped the cold, sweet drink while taking in my surroundings.
The kitchen was clean and bright. The cabinets were a golden oak, and the countertops were pristine white granite.
“I can help,” I said as Hollis put the tea away and grabbed butter, cheese, and bread from the refrigerator.
“You can do the soup if you want. It’s from a can. All you’ve got to do is heat it up in a pan,” he said and set the ingredients down on the counter. “I’ll get a pan. There’s a big spoon in that drawer.” He pointed to one of the drawers while getting a sauce pan from a cabinet.
Hollis and I stood next to each other while we cooked. I stirred the soup in the pan, he cooked the grilled cheese sandwiches. All told, it only took about ten minutes to get lunch on the table.
Once again, Jada curled up at my feet while we ate. “Where did you get Jada?” I asked between bites. “This is really good by the way. You make an excellent grilled cheese sandwich. I am impressed.”
“You don’t mind the tomato soup? I probably should have asked,” Hollis said.
“Oh, I love tomato soup. I normally eat a vegetarian diet. I don’t each much cheese either, but I’d always make an exception for a delicious sandwich like this.”
“Thanks,” he said and cracked a smile. “I’m glad you like it. I don’t eat much in the way of animal products either. A little cheese for special occasions and an egg from time to time if Fanny up the road has a few extras for me and Jada.”
“Speaking of Jada…”
“Oh right, you asked where I got her. Sorry about that. I met Jada in Kabul when she was a pup. She was trained to be a search and rescue dog. Once she was done with training, Jada became my partner.”
“So, Jada is a soldier,” I said.
“Yep, and I had to fight to bring her home with me after I was injured. I just couldn’t fathom leaving her there to keep working while I went home. I was terrified that the next time she was hit with an IED, she wouldn’t be as lucky.”
“Is that why you had to come home?” I asked.
“Yes, and Jada was very fortunate. The blast threw her back, but she was spared serious injury. Fortunately, it was me that triggered it instead of her. If it had been her, the explosion would have probably killed her.”
I could tell he got a little choked up when he told me that, and I couldn’t lie, I did too. “She’s a good dog.”
Jada chuffed under the table. It was as if she knew we were talking about her.
“The Humane Society helped me bring her home. They got a lawyer and everything. I can still remember when they brought her off the plane and I got to hold her again. It was like magic. I’d been drowning, but Jada brought me back from the brink.”
“You were injured badly?” The question slipped out before my brain-mouth filter could kick in. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. “I’m sorry. That slipped out. I didn’t mean to mention it. You don’t have to answer,” I stammered.
“It’s fine,” he grumbled. “Just put your dishes in the sink. I’ll wash them later. We need to get back to work.” Hollis stood up from the table, tossed his plate and bowl into the sink with a clatter, and went back outside without another word.
Hollis didn’t say much to me the rest of the day. He brought me seedlings a couple of times, but that was about it. When Ted came to pick me up on his way home from work, I asked Hollis if I should come back the next day. He just grunted at me.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” I said optimistically.