Another Shot: A Modern-Day Ruth and Boaz Story Read Online Free PDF Page B

London for a couple of weeks, but my mom says she wants to do dinner with you and Lulu soon. Get ready for my mom. She's a hugger.
    I laughed and glanced at Laura. She smiled. "Maria Russo will squeeze the living daylights out of you," she said.
    Oh, and by the way, tell Lu she doesn't have to worry about you while you're at work. I already warned every man in the building that you're off limits. I told the guys at the deli too, just for good measure. Tell her everyone loves you and is keeping their eye out for you over here. Enjoy your new toys. My number has already been programed into your phones if you need anything.
    Take care,
    Dominic
    "This is an unbelievably generous gift," I said. Taking the boxes out one by one. There were two photography books on the bottom, and I thumbed through them distractedly.
    "You must have really made an impression on him today."
    "I don't know how," I said. "I was just sitting on a curb in my work uniform."
    "Well you must have made an impression somehow. What'd you guys talk about?"
    "I'm trying to remember our conversation. I told him I wanted to get into taking pictures but I just barely mentioned it. I also barely mentioned the fact that I didn't have a phone. I can't believe he sent these.  You see the red ring around these lenses?" I asked, pointing at the picture of the lens that was printed on the box.
    She nodded.
    "This basically means that this baby takes amazing pictures. This camera will take pictures by itself. All I have to do is strap it on my shoulder and walk by something and I've got quality photos."
    She watched me excitedly inspect everything with great pride that part of her family had done something so thoughtful for me.
    "I wonder why he's going to London," she said.
    "He's looking at opening a store there," I said. "A guy I work with named Matt told me that earlier today after he saw me talking to Dominic. He didn't tell me Dominic was planning a trip, but he must have known it because he told me about the new store. He talked my ear off about Dominic for about an hour while we broke down boxes this afternoon."
    "I'll have to call Maria and tell her what a doll her son is."
    "You can call her from your new phone."
    "I need to get her number programmed into it," she said.
    Both of us shut off our cellphone service before we left Arizona. She bought a prepaid phone for our trip, but we only used it to talk to her family on the way up here and had it for emergencies, of course.
    She and I spent the remainder of the evening programming our new phones and checking them out. We took about a hundred selfies together before she settled on one that she'd send to Dominic as a thank you.
    I still hadn't decided what I'd do to thank him. I wasn't used to this type of no-strings-attached generosity, and I kept feeling like I should get on some kind of payment plan to reimburse him. Laura assured me a hundred times that I should just accept the gift for what it was, and I did my best to take her advice.
    She had a conversation with Dominic's mom later that evening, but I could only hear half of it, so I went to my nook to crack into the camera and lenses now that I had time to really inspect everything and read the instructions. Laura went into her room at 10PM, and I stayed up till 2AM playing with my camera. I skimmed through the books he included and used my new phone to watch YouTube videos about the camera and how to use it.
    I went to bed still feeling amazed at the generosity of her family.

 
    Chapter 5
     
     
    Laura and I went to Frankie and Vivian's for dinner the following evening. Their apartment was only three blocks from ours, but was on a whole other level. I'd been there one time with Laura when she went to clean while Frankie and Vivian weren't home.
    Tonight would be the first time I'd meet Vivian, and I felt somewhat nervous. Laura said we'd get along fine, and I knew that was true, but it seemed like I was meeting new people every time I turned around, and