More importantly, Rebecca is a wonderful woman.
In a world of increasingly distant and distracted "hellos" and "good mornings", Rebecca was the one person in my life who said it like she meant it. She looks you straight in the eye, and smiles, and says - "Good morning, how are you?" rolling her R's as she does it.
On mornings when I look particularly disheveled as I trudge down to the lobby to bring up the Times, Rebecca asks, "Whats wrong? Are you okay?" I mumble ... "tired" ... "was writing"..."too cold"... "drank too much coffee yesterday, couldn't sleep"... And yet, strangely enough whatever the cause for my exhaustion, once I had told her I felt better. The fact that she cared enough to asked me, made it all better.
For a year now, Rebecca has meant so much to me, and yet my interaction with her was always limited to warm smiles and three word sentences. That is until last week, when I saw someone else where Rebecca ought to be.
I panicked. "Where is Rebecca?" I asked our door staff. "Rebecca is leaving us. This is G.., she is replacing her."
My heart sank, "Oh."
"Well, is she still here? When is her last day?" I asked.
"Next Wednesday, I think"
To cut a long story short, in the interest of getting to the parts that matter, I found Rebecca and asked her home for a cup of coffee before she left.
Anticipating her visit today, I spent yesterday mulling over recipes to find the perfect cake to bake her. Yet, this morning, although I looked forward to her visit... I couldn't bring myself to bake a cake. It felt too sad for cake.
So when she did get here, all I could offer her was almonds, amaretto cookies, and cream crackers. I did however open up a treasured tin of coffee from Cafe Du Monde. This seemed as good an occasion as any.
And for the first time in a year of knowing her, we talked; and with ease, like we have had a hundred conversations before. We talked about our lives, families, and plans for the future.
Simba took a particular liking to her, and attempted climbing on her shoulders to catch a quick nap. She told me the most wonderful story about her mother's cat Minino, who has found personal body guards in her mothers dogs! The two dogs apparently adore the little kitty to bits. So much, that they don't allow anyone to pet the cat. They bark and pounce if you so much as advance towards their precious keep.
You can't help but love her stories and especially for the way she tells them. The affection and pain evident in her eyes as she recounts the experiences of her life.
Gosh... I'll miss her so much, and its some respite that I did manage to tell her all that - about how much her smile and greetings meant to me, how much I would miss her, how delighted I was that she now had new opportunities to explore new things.
And happy as I am that she's moving on to what I pray will be nicer places and more fulfilling labors, I cannot help but rue the resignation of Rebecca.
After she left, I sat for a minutes and looked at our empty coffee cups. In a way I do understand that her leaving is what made it possible for me to get to know her. Else, we would have lived our lives, feeling our quiet affection towards each other, but never saying more than hello, and asking each other (albeit with genuine concern) "How are you?"
Later, I felt this unexplainable desire to knead something... so I baked these cheddar rolls. Some sort of self-soothing mechanism for me apparently.
Cheddar Rolls: Makes 8
(This recipe has been adapted from here)
Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Instant yeast - 2 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Butter (melted) - 2 tbsp
Cheddar cheese(shredded) - 1/2 cup
Water (warm) - 1 cup
What to do with it:
1. Combine the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a bowl and mix with your hands.
2. Add cheese and mix again.
3. Add water and butter and knead till the dough comes together.
4. Turn the dough onto a cold surface (like a marble slab or the kitchen counter) and knead with your hands for about 5 minutes.
5. Divide them into eight rolls and set them aside to rise. This might take up to one hour.
6. Bake in an over preheated to 375 degrees F for about 20-25 minutes.
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