Dinner With New Friends

Dinning Out

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Dinner With Friends

Dawn and I had a great dinner out last night.  Not only did we get to eat at one of the best steak places in the country, we were treated to it by our customers and to top it all of we made new friends.

Dawn and I had been hired by a local author to photograph his combination anniversary party and appreciation party.  The appreciation was for the company that did the restoration on his house after a small fire.  J. Michael Blue--an award winning crime novelist--wanted us to take candid shots of the evening and to take a video of one dance, a tango, that he and his wife--Shirley--was going to do.

The event was held in the lower dinning room at the Ruth Chris’s Steak House.  During the dinner Jim, politely, asked us if we would like to eat, and I said: “That is OK, we have work to do.”  Well, that must not have set well with him, so a few days later he called up and asked about the pictures, which I said that his ears must have been burning because I was gong to call him to see if he wanted me to mail them to him or how best to deliver them to him.  He then began to tell me that he felt bad that we did not get to eat that night and that he wanted to take Dawn and I out to dinner.  I thanked him and said he really did not have to do that, but he insisted, and I (easily) gave in.  We set a time and day and I said that I would bring his CD of images and his DVD of the video that we had taken.

Dawn and I arrived at the restaurant at about 6:30 pm and as we walked to the front door a very smartly dressed woman was getting out of a car and we noticed that it was Shirley and Jim.  We all said hello and commented on the timing we all had, and the three of us walked in and waited for Jim to park his car.

After Jim joined the three of us, a nice young lady walked us to our table and sat us, where we were promptly greeted by our waiter, Stephen.  He handed us our menus and quickly left after taking our drink orders.  We started talking right away and we quickly found that it was very easy for us all to talk to each other.  Normally I am not the best at starting conversations, I generally rely on Dawn for that, however, with Jim and Shirley I found myself at ease talking with them, but I still let dawn do most of the talking.

We talked for quite some time, and somehow we must have ordered our food in between our conversations, because our waiter appeared with our food.  Dawn and Jim both had the filet, I had a ribeye and Shirley had the chicken.  I can’t vouch for the taste of the chicken, but Dawn and I shared our steaks with each other and they were both great!  My compliments to the grill-master.

The conversation never came to a lull, and with each new topic that was brought up, a new segway into the next topic found itself naturally.  It really was a good evening for conversation. Jim and Shirley have led a very interesting, and long, life and Jim’s writing combined with that life makes the conversation so very interesting that Dawn and I hated to see it end.  In the end, the lights came up and the staff began to leave, so it was time for us all to go home too.  Much to early.

Dawn and I seem to always make friends out of our customers, and I think that is just great.  There are not enough opportunities in the world to make new friends, so when we get the chance it is good to know that people want to be our friends too.

About J. Michael Blue: Mr. Blue is the author of five mystery novels, a collection of short stories, and more than 150 stories, articles, and essays. His short fiction has won several awards, and his novel, Justified Crimes was chosen as one of the Ten Best Hard-Boiled Novels of 2000 by Plots With Guns. Mr. Blue is also the author of a P.I. novel, A Favor For Zodiac, featuring Micki Garrity.

Justified Crimes: A Ray Fox Story 

by J. Michael Blue 

Mystery Writers Of America Presents, Paperback - 04-2002, ISBN 0595221297

A Favor For Zodiac: A Micki Garrity Mystery 

by J. Michael Blue 

Mystery Writers Of America Presents, Paperback - 04-2002, ISBN 0595221335

Second Sinning 

by J. Michael Blue 

Mystery And Suspense Press, Paperback - 08-2003, ISBN 059529216X

3 Lady Blues + 12 

by J. Michael Blue 

Mystery And Suspense Press, Paperback - 04-2002, ISBN  1469781131