One thing leads to the next

My last posting was about shopping with my new found friend Okada-san. Well it was about two months since I had seen her, when I met her coming out of the dry cleaners.

"How was the meal?" I asked. "Fantastic!" she said. " In fact, it has lead to a whole new life for me." "Oh wow! Do tell me." I replied.

"Well as you can guess, my house had the odor of garlic the day after my meal. A neighborhood friend came over to gossip, and she asked me why the garlic smell was so strong. When I told her about the meal I had made, she asked me if I would please invite her the next time."

"So, invite her I did, and we went food shopping together the following week. My friend suggested we try the local sake shop for a better bottle of wine, and I agreed. While there and asking the master what he thought might be best, his seventy-five year old father came out from the back of the store. He quickly proceeded to say that if we were kind enough to invite him for dinner, he would gladly bring the wine as a gift."

"Well, before I could think of how to reply, my friend was bowing and nodding her head as a way of saying yes. Since then, the three of us have had dinner three more times, and I must say I'm particularly glad to see you today, because I'm in dire need of some new recipes."

I told Okada-san that I was unable to go shopping at the moment but would be glad to meet her at four o'clock the following day. She quickly agreed to this schedule.

This time I decided to teach her how to make some small pizzas, and needless to say, she was enthusiastic about trying.

While we were waiting on the checkout line, Okada-san said to me in a low voice,"There is something I did not tell you yesterday."

"Oh" I said, giving her the chance to continue.

"Shimizu-san from the sake shop has expressed his interest in me. He has already sent me flowers once and asked me to attend a bonsai exhibit with him."

"How nice!" I replied.

"Well, in regard to his invitation," she said," I told him no, and that a woman my age was too old to start dating. He replied by saying a woman my age was just the right age for him. And I must say, he has gotten ever bolder since then."

"Oh my goodness" I said jokingly, "Is there any chance we'll be hearing wedding bells soon?"

"Well" she said, " Believe it or not, he has broached the subject as an alternative to dating! After recovering from the shock of his proposal, I told him I had no intention of ever doing the washing, ironing, cooking, and cleaning for another man."

"He told me he had been cooking for the last eight years since his wife died, and even his son had said that his cooking was good. As far as the household tasks go," he said, "I'm willing to learn if you'll teach me."

"So what could I say, since I wasn't about to say yes? I wound up blurting out that if he was as awkward at 'doing that other thing' as my first husband, I would want the right to say 'No thank you,' a right I never felt I had before."

"His reply?"

"That I could teach him about that as well!"

"Oh my goodness" I said, with a deep smile in my heart. " Next time I'll think twice before removing a stone from someone's shoe!"