“Well, we need dinner. Let’s see what’s around here.” He opens the Maps app on his phone and putsfoodin the search bar.
I laugh as I see very few options pop up, all at least twenty minutes away. I’ve never used this feature on my phone because I have so many options, all within walking distance from my house. The idea of a restaurant not being a short walk away is totally foreign to me.
“Around here, it’s a lot of locally owned diners. Are you okay with that?” he asks, showing me his phone.
“Yeah, something local sounds fun.”
He clicks on the one in between where we are now and our hotel, and then we get on the road.
Thankfully, it’s a quick drive, so we’re there before we know it, and we both exit the car.
“Hey, you two. Go ahead and sit wherever you’d like,” a woman calls out when we walk through the door.
David motions toward a booth off to the side, and I slide in first.
“Hello,” the woman says as she walks toward our table with two menus in her hand. “Haven’t seen you before. Are you guys just traveling through?”
I giggle in surprise. “Do you know everyone around here?”
She lets out a sharp laugh, but David speaks up first.
“Sorry. Please excuse my friend. She grew up in New York City. She doesn’t understand how life is here, in Montana.”
“New York City,” she announces in a much higher tone than before. Then she laughs, as if she told a joke that we seemingly weren’t in on. She waves to us, dismissing the fact that we missed the pun. “You guys are too young. It’s from a salsa commercial back in the day.”
“I got it, honey!” a man from the kitchen yells out, holding a spatula.
“See, he gets my humor. Well, anyway, welcome to Montana. What brings you to town?”
I glance at David, wondering if he wants me to speak. I’m glad he decides to speak first.
“We’re here for a work trip. We just met with a client up the road.”
“If people as fancy as you two are here for a work trip, then that means it has to be with the old Sutton Ranch.”
David nods. “That’s the one.”
“Only they would bring that New York crowd to these parts. None of them stop here though. Guess we ain’t fancy enough for them.”
David places his hand on his chest. “I grew up in small-town Montana a few hours from here, so to me, a place like this is home.”
“Then welcome home, baby. We’re glad to have you. What kind of drinks can I get you?”
David motions for me to go first.
“I’ll take an iced tea,” I respond.
“I’ll just have water for right now.”
“You got it. Go ahead and look over the menu and let me know if you have any questions.”
She leaves, and I open the menu, laughing at how simple it all is. There are no fancy dishes or elegant fonts. It’s just a list of the food they offer.
“It’s a different world here, isn’t it?” David asks.
“I’m shocked, but it is!” I flip the menu, realizing that’s all they offer.
“Life is simpler here. I think that was the hardest part of moving to the city. Sometimes, I miss the slow life.”
