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when Rob came along. Rob, the guy I thought might finally be the one . . .
    â€œEric really liked you, Lydia; I remember that,” Millie says, pulling me back from my memories.
    Lydia says nothing. She gathers dessert dishes and teacups, then serves us cheesecake and coffee.
    I fill my glass with a swallow of warm water from the tap to clear my palate, then sip it until it’s gone. Once I’m seated, I take a small bite of the cheesecake, close my eyes, and move it slowly over my tongue, savoring the moment. When I open my eyes, Lydia and Millie are staring at me.
    â€œWhat? Don’t you know there is a correct way to experience chocolate?”
    Lydia and Millie shake their heads.
    â€œOh my, yes.” I sit up in my seat. “You should eat it at room temperature. Don’t drink something cold before tasting it, because a warm mouth is important for the chocolate to melt quickly.”
    Lydia and Millie continue to stare, their mouths wide open, resembling baby birds at mealtime. I’m enjoying this immensely.
    â€œA glossy surface is a must if it’s a well-made bar,” I continue like a professor at a French cooking school. “You will notice that all my chocolates qualify.” Getting up from the table, I say, “Be right back.” My luggage is by the door, so I rush to it and pull out a couple of boxes, then run back to the kitchen and take my seat. “Mocha for you, Millie. Lydia, since you don’t seem to have a preference, I brought a good mixture of praline, peanut butter, raspberry, and mocha.”
    They each grab a truffle and lift it to their noses. I do the same. “See, you break the chocolate into pieces so you can smell the aroma.” Once I break off a piece, we each take turns smelling it.
    â€œOh yeah, then when I take a bite, I allow the aroma to fill the nasal passage at the back of my mouth, engaging my senses of smell and taste.” Taking a bite, I pause. “Bliss, sheer bliss.”
    Millie and Lydia exchange glances.
    â€œWow, chocolate is serious business,” Lydia says with utmost reverence.
    Raising my eyebrows and my chin, I pull my hand to my chest (picture Napoléon Bonaparte here). “A chocolate connoisseur has trained senses to discover the very best chocolate.” My head tips in a slight bow. Then I grin.
    Millie doesn’t look all that impressed. She shrugs and goes back to her cheesecake.
    I put my chocolate away—well, not the broken pieces. Those go on my plate with my cheesecake, and I take another bite. “Didn’t you say this was cappuccino cheesecake?”
    Lydia nods.
    â€œFor some reason, I don’t taste the coffee part. ’Course, I like my coffee a little strong, so maybe that’s why I can’t taste it.” Lifting my napkin, I wipe my mouth.
    Lydia blinks. “Oh dear.” She rises and walks over to the counter.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Millie asks.
    Lydia turns to look at us. “I forgot to add the coffee.”
    â€œIt’s still delicious,” I say with a shrug.
    Lydia rejoins us at the table and shakes her head. “See, I forget everything.”
    Millie shrugs. “It happens. Now what were we talking about?”
    â€œLet’s see, we were talking about you dating Eric, I think,” I say to Lydia.
    â€œEric liked me, but he liked himself even more,” she says. “He wasn’t the type to stick with one girl.”
    â€œBesides, if I remember right, Greg showed up at camp and swept you off your feet about that time, didn’t he?” Millie asks, innocently enough, but suddenly everything gets quiet.
    Lydia stares at her with a sort of dazed look. “Yeah, he did.” Her voice is upbeat, but she stares in the distance to a place I suspect she visits often.
    Things suddenly feel very awkward.
    â€œRemember how we called Mrs. Woodriff ‘The Warden’?” Lydia asks, changing the subject.
    â€œEthel