“Welcome back, sweetie.”
Nydia hugged Tonya. “I’m sorry I missed seeing you marry yourmuy-sexy Papi.”
Throwing back her head, Tonya laughed. “When I told Gage you were coming down, he said he couldn’t wait to meet you.”
Nydia had caught a glimpse of the talented musician for the first time when Hannah had taken them to a jazz club during their initial visit to the city, and she doubted that she was the only woman in the place transfixed by the handsome trumpet player’s Creole, Cajun, and African ancestry. Not only was he a gifted musician, but he was also a skilled Parisian-trained chef. Tonya and Gage Toussaint had begun a whirlwind romance once she became an apprentice at his family’s local restaurant, Chez Toussaints, and were married eight months later.
Nydia looped her arm through Tonya’s. “I’m planning to be here for a month; that is, if the heat doesn’t get to me like it did last summer.” She, Jasmine, and Tonya had cut their two-week stay short because of record temperatures and humidity.
Tonya shook her head. “After moving down here I realize I’d rather put up with the heat than the cold and snow.”
Hannah joined them. The tall blonde had put on a little weight since she’d married St. John, and Nydia had to acknowledge she looked wonderful. “Welcome back,” she drawled, smiling.
Nydia’s lids fluttered as she forced back the tears filling her eyes. She hugged Hannah, the recognizable scent of Chanel No. 5 wafting to her nose. Everyone was welcoming her back as if she’d left home. She hadn’t spent as much time in New Orleans as Tonya or Jasmine, yet there was something about the city that beckoned her to come and stay. It wasn’t called the Big Easy for nothing, because she always felt completely relaxed whenever she came for a visit.
“I’m glad to be back. And you’re looking good, Mrs. McNair.” Hannah was dressed entirely in white: cropped slacks, a man-tailored shirt, and ballet-type flats. Her silver-streaked, chin-length platinum hair was pulled off her face with a black-and-white pinstriped headband.
An attractive blush darkened Hannah’s fair complexion. “I feel wonderful.”
“Should that be attributed to married life?”
A fringe of pale lashes shadowed her cheekbones when she demurely lowered eyes. “St. John’s a wonderful husband.” Her green eyes narrowed as she gave Nydia a long, penetrating stare. “You’ve lost a lot of weight.”
Nydia glanced down at the navy-blue stretch capris she’d paired with a white tank top. “Not so much that I lost my booty.”
“Stop playing yourself,” Jasmine said, as she gave her ayou have to be kidding melook. “I didn’t say anything earlier, but I wanted to tell you that you look a hot mess. And I’m going to make certain as long as you stay here, you’ll have regular meals and gain some of that weight you lost.”
Nydia wanted to tell her friends that the pain before the appendectomy had been so debilitating she had almost stopped eating altogether. Once she was discharged from the hospital she’d refused to take the prescribed opioid because she feared becoming addicted, so she endured the lingering discomfort as she waited for the incision to heal. However, in recent weeks she had regained three of the fourteen pounds she’d lost.
Tonya dropped an arm over Nydia’s shoulders. “I’m with Jasmine. Every day Mama’s going to make a special plate for you and have someone bring it over to you.”
She felt a warm glow flow through her from her friends’ concern about her. After she’d called Jasmine to tell her she was in the hospital, it was apparent she’d informed Hannah and Tonya, because they’d called to check on her condition, while Jasmine had sent her an enormous basket filled with fruit, gourmet confectionaries, cheese, crackers, and nuts from all three.
“Speaking of eating,” Jasmine said, “it’s time we head to the restaurant because everything has been set up for us.”
“Are we going out?” Tonya asked.
Jasmine shook her head. “No. I reserved one of the small private rooms here at the hotel where we can eat at our leisure. I hope y’all don’t mind that I ordered for us, because the kitchen gets real busy around this time.”
“I don’t mind,” Hannah said.
“You won’t get an argument out of me,” Nydia quipped. In addition to her friends, she missed the local dishes. She’d bought a cookbook featuring New Orleans cuisine and attempted to duplicate some of the recipes. It had taken several tries before she was able to perfect her favorite dish of red beans and rice. Even her mother raved about the kidney beans flavored with Cajun seasoning and spicy andouille sausage.
Nydia entered the room with the others, smiling when she saw the round linen-covered table with seating for four set with china, silver, and crystal. Mouthwatering aromas wafted from a number of chafing dishes on the buffet table. There were also bottles of wine, water, soda, and a large bowl of ice.
Jasmine picked up a plate. “Don’t be shy, ladies. Let’s eat.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Nydia said, smiling. There were trays of fried chicken and catfish, red beans, rice, grilled shrimp, jambalaya, and jalapeño cornbread.
“I hope that’s not all you’re eating,” Tonya said, as she stared at Nydia’s plate.
“No. As soon as I finish this, I’m going back for more.” She’d selected shrimp, cornbread, and beans and rice.
“Once you’re finished with Jasmine’s wedding, I’d like you to teach me how to makepasteles.”
Nydia nodded. She did promise Tonya to show her how to make the tamales filled with pork, chickpeas, yucca, olives, capers, and other spices. There was never a holiday or celebration in a Puerto Rican home wherepasteles,perñil, andarroz con gandulesweren’t on the menu. Before Tonya moved to New Orleans, Nydia had taught her to makemofongoandalcapuría.
“No problem.” Every year she joined her mother, sister-in-law, and grandmother to make at least one hundredpastelesfor the Christmas holidays.
