Chapter 12

The following week seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye. Sitting in his hotel room, true to his word, David called Sophie on Monday. He told her about his negotiations finally producing the results that he and Joe could live with. So now it seemed that their “baby” The Toxic Avenger the Musical was finally headed to an Off Broadway theater. They chatted for about half an hour. As he hung up, he realized that this also meant that it was time for him to go home.

As he drove his truck to Colts Neck that night, he could not stop thinking about Sophie. Her gentle smile, her soft touch, her shy kisses, her smell, her taste…

Ok Lemma! Snap out of it and concentrate on driving! He told himself after hearing an impatient driver’s honk and receiving a “Jersey Salute” for lingering at the intersection after the traffic light has changed from red to green. Since his divorce from April, he had been with many of women. He even managed to sustain a relationship with one of them for almost a year. But none of them had touched him so fast and so deeply as Sophie has managed to do.

He got home in one piece, and after locking up and re setting the alarm he made his way to the kitchen. Raiding the fridge, David threw together a sandwich and settled to eat. The first bite of his roast beef sandwich immediately brought back the memory of last night’s brisket dinner. Well, not as much as the dinner itself but the company. What was it about that brown eyed sparrow that got so deeply under his skin…? He glanced at his watch Damn after ten ! Too late to call her again. Guess I’ll have to wait till tomorrow to hear her voice again… Although Not too late to bother Kidd!

He dialed Jon’s cell and updated him on his “Broadway Quest”, laughed at Jon’s tales of woe about keeping Jake and Romeo out of the Christmas gift stash and the headache and triumph of finally getting something special for his “girls”. With a promise to stop by on Christmas Day, David said goodbye and finally went upstairs to try to sleep.

Thursday morning found David at Jon’s , wrestling with his honorary nephews and opening gifts in his family room. When all the gifts were finally opened and appropriately responded to, he helped Jesse clean up the mess. Later, after lunch, he joined Jon and Dot for a cup of “adult” Eggnog and a chat.
“Soooo David, what you been up to?” Dot asked him. “You’ve been unusually quiet lately”

David shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

“You know, same old… same old. I guess I miss the kids a bit more around this time of the year”

Dorothea nodded, reached out and squeezed his shoulder.

“So Bro, do you have any plans for New Year’s Eve?” Asked Jon. “Got anything or anyone special stashed up your sleeve?”

Noticing the dreamy look that came over David’s face, he cocked an eyebrow and pressed on “Spill Lemma!”

“Well, I sort of met someone over the weekend.” He said, smiling at his two friends whose eyes immediately focused on him. “So, no plans so far… but I’m working on it.”

Suddenly, they were interrupted by Romeo and Jake, who pulled their uncle David away to play.

David stayed around the Bongiovi house for few more hours, playing with the kids, chatting with the adults that came and went through out the day, enjoying the family atmosphere.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sophie’s Christmas was entirely different. She spent most of her day at the hospital working. Spending most of her time at Mrs. Gaskin’s bedside. The elderly woman had end stage of colon cancer and was receiving palliative care to keep her remaining days as comfortable as possible. On this morning, it seemed that no amount of pain medication or sedatives could keep Mrs. Gaskin comfortable. She became so restless that she was in danger of dislodging her IV’s and other catheters. In a last ditch effort, her nurse called Sophie in for a consult. In the first few hours Sophie tried almost every possible relaxation method that she knew without any effect. Even her favorite tool, the “M” technique, was not working. Exasperated, Sophie looked at her equipment cart that she brought with her. Her eyes came to rest on the CD boom box sitting on top of the cart. Smiling, she pressed the “Play” button and gasped as the sweet sound of “Kissed By An Angel” intro came thru the speakers. She has totally forgotten that she left her “Lunar Eclipse” CD in the player. Glancing back at her patient, Sophie was struck by the change that came over the aged face. Even though she still looked dazed and confused, Mrs. Gaskin stopped thrashing in her bed. Moving closer to the bed, Sophie reached for woman’s hand and restarted the “M” technique massage. Ten minutes later, by the time that “Lullaby for Two Moons” was coming to an end, Mrs. Gaskin was sleeping peacefully.

Driving home that afternoon, Sophie could not keep her thoughts off David. His evening phone call was becoming a very welcomed routine. She still could not shake off that surreal feeling that the last seven days were just a dream. Entering her house, Sophie got an enthusiastic greeting from Sasha. After petting him, she took care of his needs. She spent the next couple of hours on routine house chores. At seven o’clock her phone rang. Looking at the caller id and recognizing the now familiar “609” area code, she smiled and picked it up.

Chapter 11

They stood silently watching the flickering flames of the candles, each lost deep in their thoughts. Their peaceful reverie was broken by the annoying shrill of her phone. Sophie jumped, startled by the sound. David sighed and took his hand off her shoulder. Sophie excused herself to pick up the phone.

He smiled as she rolled her eyes and mouthed silently “mom”. She tried to end the call quickly but as always her mom would not budge. He listened and watched her side of the conversation.

“Yes mom, aha…a gitten yontiv to you and papa too. No I can’t, I’m working tomorrow, yes the rest of the week too. Sure…give them my love too. Good bye!”

Watching Sophie roll her eyes again as she hung up the phone, David poured them each a fresh glass of wine.

Sophie set the phone down and turned to David. He silently offered her the wine glass. She smiled as took it from his hand and took a small sip.

“Thank you David, I needed that. Parents….gotta love them…because the alternative is illegal!”

He laughed and took her hand leading her to the sofa. They both sat down and slowly sipped their wine. After few minutes, David sat his glass down on the nearby coffee table. He turned to face Sophie, took her wine glass and sat it next to his. Gently, he pulled her to him and cradled her face in his hands. She felt his warmth before she felt his lips touch hers. Feeling his tongue begging for an entry she opened up for him. The fruity taste of wine was mixed with distinct flavor that was David. Their tongues danced their gentle dance as she slid her hands around his neck. She felt his hands slide from the sides of her face to the back of her head and her shoulders. Sophie felt herself drowning in the emotions…and the time stood still.

David felt a soft tap on the back of his head and broke the kiss to look at the offender. Sasha seized the opportunity and jumped off the back of the sofa into Sophie’s lap. Stunned, David looked at Sophie and the cat.

“Hey!” He objected.

Sophie laughed, briefly hugged her furry friend and sat him down on the floor.

“Sorry David, he is not used to sharing me. I guess he sort of got jealous.”

David chuckled and looked at the fuzzy offender. Sasha stared back for few seconds, then snorted loudly, and walked away with his tail held high and proud.

“So where were we before we got rudely interrupted?” he whispered, pulling Sophie back into his embrace.

“Right here , I think…” she whispered back, gently brushing his lips with her finger tips.

David grinned and dove in for the prize…

This time it was Sophie who pulled away first.

Sighing at the loss…David cocked an eyebrow as he looked at her. Sophie was leaning back against the sofa with her eyes closed, and light smile on her lips.

“Penny for your thoughts, Feygeleh!” he whispered.

Sophie gasped at the endearment.

David looked at her puzzled.

“Why did you call me that?” she asked him, smiling gently.

“I don’t know…It just came to mind for some reason…And it seems to fit…Why? You don’t like it?”

“Oh, no no… Its…well…nobody called me that in a very long time…since my grandmother… She always called me her little bird !” She sighed.

“Is it OK if I call you that too?”

“Yes, David…I’ll take Feygeleh over Darlin any time!” she smirked. Seeing his puzzled expression, she explained “It seems that you and your brothers in the band call all female fans Darlin. It seems a bit generic.”

“So noted!” he nodded and smiled.

Sophie got off the sofa and walked toward the kitchen.

“Ready for some dessert?” she called out to David.

“I thought that that’s what we were having just now!” He chuckled as he got up and followed her to the kitchen.

After demolishing couple of helpings of the baked goods and few cups of coffee, he helped Sophie to clean up. When the last of the dishes were put away, he pulled her into his embrace once again.

“Thank you Sophie! The dinner was wonderful, and the company was even better!”

“You’re welcome!” She whispered looking up at him.

“I overheard you telling your mom that you’ll be working tomorrow… So, I guess I better go and let you get some rest.”

She nodded silently, cringing inside, knowing that inevitable ending was coming… After all, this incredible fantasy was bound to end sooner then later…

“Uhmmm, what time do you get home?” He asked, playfully kissing her on her nose. Laughing at her shocked expression.

“Around five…Why?”

“Because I’d love to hear your voice after dealing with the stiffs tomorrow.” He grinned. “when is you next day off?”

“Next Saturday.”

“You’re working Christmas Day?” He looked surprised.

“Well, David, hospitals are open 24 hours, seven days a week, weekends and holidays included” she laughed. “Besides, there are three of us on the Holistic Team, and my other two partners DO celebrate Christmas…so its only fair that I cover for them.” She explained. “But I will have New Year’s eve and day off in return”

“Good!” He said, briefly kissing her on the nose again. Pulling back, he grinned at her “OK, I better go now…while I still can”

He grabbed his coat, and with a smile and “I’ll call you tomorrow!” he was out of her door.

Chapter 10

Sophie took a final look around her kitchen. She just finished putting final touches on the brisket and placed it in the warming drawer of her oven, latkes were fried and were sitting in the same drawer. Table was set and ready. But why did she feel like something was missing? “Oh crap! How could she forget…the Menorah!” She reached in the display case of her wall unit and pulled out the ceremonial candle holder. It was a beautifully crafted modern piece made of crystal with silver accents. She quickly ran a soft cloth over it to polish and placed the first two candles in their spots. “Perfect!” she thought as she placed the Menorah in the middle of the table.

David slowly pulled in the driveway of the address she had given him yesterday. Getting out of the car he took a look at the modest two story house. He was walking toward the front door when he felt someone watching him. Glancing up toward the second floor window he saw a huge gray cat perched on the window sill, intently staring at him through the glass. “Well hello Sasha!” he thought as he pressed the door bell.

Sophie saw Sasha jump off his perch as the door bell rang.

“Behave! You monster!” she admonished him as she reached the door to let David in.

Her breath hitched at the sight that greeted her: the familiar black leather coat was draped over white silk shirt and tight black dress pants. The straw colored curls were perfect, and the blue eyes were sparkling. And that smile…as far as Sophie was concerned, Jon’s “million dollar” smile just came in a distant second…

“What’s wrong?” David asked looking at her stunned expression.

“Nothing….Not a dammed thing!” She noticed the flowers and a bottle that he was holding and shook her head “O David! You didn’t have to bring me anything..”

She moved out of the way, finally letting him in. She took the beautiful roses he brought her and inhaled their scent. “Ahh! Thank you David! Please come on in!”

He followed her up the stairs into the kitchen. The smell that greeted him was painfully familiar, and very comforting at the same time. It was like being in his Bubbie’s kitchen all over again. All the comforting memories of his childhood surfaced in his head as he smiled.

“I forgot to ask what you’re serving, so I wasn’t sure what wine to bring..red or white..so I brought the blush.” he said handing her a bottle of White Zinfandel.

“Perfect, I love blush” she said taking the bottle from him and placing it in the fridge to chill.
She took his coat and put it away in the hallway closet as she motioned him to follow her in to the dinning room.

The table was set with a silver table cloth and white china with silver accents. David smiled at the Menorah in the middle of the table.

“What? You wanted a Hanukah dinner…”

“Yeah! But where are the dreidels?” he laughed.

“Oh, you want to play kids games?”

“Well…an adult version comes to mind!” he grinned. Seeing her puzzled looked, he elaborated “We COULD play the Strip Dreidel version…”

Sophie just rolled her eyes and shook her head Men!

“Just give me a couple of minutes to finish the salad, and then we’ll eat” she said as she motioned for him to sit on the couch.

“Do you need any help?” David offered.

“Nope, I’m good!” came a reply from the kitchen.

I bet you are! he thought to himself as he got comfortable on her sectional and took a look at his surroundings. The living/dining area was L-shaped. Though on a small side it was light and airy. Furniture was kept to a minimum, but little personal touches were everywhere, making the room feel very cozy. Something soft and warm landed on the couch next to him. He smiled at the long haired creature that was sniffing him intently. “Do I pass the inspection?” he asked the cat. Sasha climbed into his lap and curled up…I guess so

Sophie came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel, and stopped dead in her tracks.

“O My G-d! I’ve never seen him do that! He never warms up to people THAT quickly, if he does at all!”

David laughed and stroked the soft fur. “Well, I guess he thinks I’m trustworthy and loveable!”

Sophie nodded and smiled ”Well the dinner is ready when ever you are!”

They moved to the dining room and proceeded to enjoy the brisket and the latkes and all the traditional trimmings. After his second helping, David leaned back “This was fantastic! Thank you Sophie!”

“You got room for dessert?” she asked?

“What you got?”

“My grandma’s recipe poppy seed roll up and a lemon sponge cake” she replied.

David patted his belly and groaned “Have mercy! I need a break!” His gaze fell on the Menorah… “I think it’s time to light the candles”

“Oh, I don’t think I remember the brocha” she whispered.

“I do” he grinned as he got up. “You’ll light the candles,and I’ll say the prayers…deal?”

Sophie grabbed the matches from the shelf in her kitchen and came to the table. She felt him stand behind her as she lit the middle candle. She heard him softly sing the prayer as she used the middle candle to light the one on the right of the Menorah. She felt his hand on her shoulder, his breath in her hair…and all of a sudden the holidays did not seem so hopelessly lonely…

As he watched the woman in front of him light the first candle in the age old tradition of the Hanukah, David felt the warmth fill his body…fill his heart…and all of a sudden the holiday season and beyond… felt very promising!

Chapter 9

As he walked through the hotel lobby David marveled once again at the amount of snow that fell over night. “Hope she makes it.” he thought. He could not believe how much he was looking forward to seeing Sophie again “That is if she makes it through the damn snow!” He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a green MDX waiting for him in front of the entrance.

Sophie greeted David with a huge smile and a shy good morning. He was having none of that. Reaching over to her, he brushed his thumb over her cheek, chuckling over her immediate blushing, he leaned in for a proper kiss.

She felt her cheeks burning as he touched her, then the sensation of his soft warm lips on hers took over. The grumbling of his stomach brought them both back to reality. Laughing, David leaned back in his seat “So where is that breakfast you promised me“

“Mmmm, Ridgewood “ okay Soph get your mind back. It was just a kiss, yeah and the Mona Lisa has a frown on her face.

“Will we be able to get there in this snow?” he asked.

“Sure, I’ve gotten to work through weather much worse than this. Also the roads are already getting cleared” Sophie replied, starting the SUV and pulling out of the parking lot.

They talked while she drove them, and before they knew it, they were parking by the post office across from the “Country Pancake House” in Ridgewood. Surprisingly, the place was half empty and they were able to get a table by the window. Laughing over the 80 plus choices of the pancakes on the menu they made their selections and placed the order. The waitress brought them their coffee and hot corn bread with chocolate chips and left them alone.

Taking a sip of her coffee, Sophie let her eyes wonder over the man seated across the table from her. He was wearing a black sweater with a silver peace sign necklace peaking from the V-neck, his eyes were twinkling like two bottomless blue pools, and those straw colored curls were just perfect. Unable to resist, she reached over the table and gently pulled on one the curls, straightening it then releasing it and allowing it to spring back.

David looked at her stunned “OK, What was that all about?”

Sophie giggled as she replied “ Sorry, but I’ve wanted to do this for the longest time. Call it a fan’s fantasy.”


David could not hold back a smile as he shook his head “You are sooo gonna get payback for that!”

“I’ll take my chances” she laughed as their breakfast arrived. They dug in and made their way through the enormous portions.

His breakfast done with, David leaned back and watched Sophie finish her coffee. “Sooo, what does a man have to do in this neck of the woods to get a Hanukah dinner?”

“Well, he could always order out from the Kosher Nosh and hope that they will deliver…or he can find himself a nice girl who will cook him one” she replied.

“Are you a nice girl….Sophie?”

She almost choked on her coffee laughing. "I could be...."

“So what time do you want me to come over tomorrow?”