And we did. We followed her to a table that, while not necessarily hidden, was out of the view of the main dining room. It overlooked the kitchen, and I presumed that it was the chef’s table.
“I’ve never been here,” I told him as I took a seat.
“Genesis went to culinary school with the guy who owns this place. He was looking for investors, and she brought the opportunity to me. Once I tasted dude’s food, I immediately became an investor. I eat here all the time. Everything is fye.”
“Okay.” I looked over the menu. “What do you recommend?”
“What do you like, Ry?”
“I’m simple. My favorite foods are fried chicken and macaroni and cheese.”
He gave a small chortle. “Those foods are simple in theory, but they take a lot of skill. Not everybody fries good chicken.If it’s your favorite food, you already know that. Whose fried chicken do you actually like?”
I thought about it briefly. “You’re right. I like my momma’s fried chicken and Genesis’s. Oh, and this one restaurant in Vegas.”
“Exactly, not simple. And we won’t even talk about macaroni and cheese. You know only two out of every ten people knows what they’re doing when it comes down to it.”
I giggled. “True. What’s your favorite food?”
“If it’s off season or a cheat day, I’m having tacos. Or Pizza. When I’m on my healthy athlete regimen, there’s this jerk salmon that Gensie makes.”
Gensie was what Genesis’s family called her as a nickname.
“Oh, she makes that for Christian.” I let my eyes roll into my head. “That is so good. She usually makes him some healthy kind of mac-n-cheese that I don’t like. But what does she make you to go with it?”
Brixton and I fell into an easy conversation about food until the waitress arrived.
I still hadn’t narrowed down my decision. “Uhm…” I hesitated.
“Yo, let us get the ox tails, gumbo, shrimp and grits, deviled eggs, and the red beans and rice. Oh yeah, and the buttermilk biscuits.”
“And fried green tomatoes,” I added.
The waitress gave a smile. “Can I get you anything to drink while I go put your order in?”
“Just water for me.”
“Sweet tea, please,” I said before turning my attention to Brixton. “That’s a lot of food.”
“I’m a lot of man.” His shoulders bounced up and down in a shrug.
“And are,” I agreed. We both laughed. “But I know you don’t eat like this during the season. You have a game tomorrow.”
“I’ll be cool. I’mma graze around the table once the food comes. I’ll eat a little of this and a little of that. Then, you’ll take the rest of it home with you. Like I said earlier, while you’re going through this process, I want you off your feet as much as possible.”
I remained quiet.
“Ry, all of this medicine forcing your body to do something isn’t the way your body was designed to work. I’m not criticizing. I believe in IVF. I’m thankful for IVF. It got my sister where she needed to be. It’s about to get you where you need to be. But if I’m being honest, IVF isn’t my preference. I think it’s a lot on the female body. If I had my way and we were on it like that with each other, I would much rather you get pregnant the old fashioned way. But I’m a realist. I know that sometimes circumstances prevent that. So, since this is the way you have to do it, I want you to do it with care. I want you to give your body grace. When you can get off your feet and chill… please get off your feet and chill.”
“But take-out and restaurant food are full of sodium and unnecessary fat. I definitely don’t need that.”
“I agree, you don’t need that. Which is why I already set up meal delivery for you with Gensie.”
My mouth fell open. Genesis wasn’t just my sister-in-law; she was my homegirl. We talked. I knew she wasn’t taking on new clients. I knew she had a waitlist a mile long. “How did you get her to squeeze me in?”
“I added you to my account. Whatever she makes for me, she’ll just double it. When I’m out of town, a courier will deliver it.”
“And when you’re in town?”
