FULL CIRCLE
Chapter 65
It was around 7:30 when Miles entered the dining room to find Natalie already sitting at a table sipping on a glass of orange juice. "Morning, Nat. Been waiting long?" he asked as he sat down
and reached for a menu.
"Morning, Miles. No. I just got here a couple of minutes ago," she replied.
"How was the concert?" Miles asked as he glanced over the breakfast selections.
"It was wonderful," Natalie replied and smiled just thinking about it. "I evn got my program signed."
"How long did you have to wait in line?" he asked.
"I didn't. Sergei Ivanoff sought me out during the intermission. He said he noticed me in the audience," she told him and took a sip of the orange juice.
"Eva must have been able to get you a pretty good seat then," Miles commented.
"She did. How was your evening?" Natalie asked.
"Well, compared to yours, it was pretty boring. I took it easy, ordered something from room service and then went to bed early."
"You probably needed to take it easy for awhile. still feeling okay?" Natalie asked.
"Yeah," Miles answered. "What are your plans for today?"
"Nothing so far. You have something in mind?" she inquired.
"I was thinking that maybe I could maybe show you some of the places of interest in San Francisco. We could even go see the Haight where I spent my misspent youth," Miles answered.
"Miles, I doubt your youth was anything but misspent," Natalie told him.
He closed the menu and looked up at her. "Okay, try and picture a bored rich kid from the suburbs. Hanging around the Haight, listening to the drug dealers."
"I was informed about the GBH," Natalie told him.
"I don't doubt that you were," Miles said. "Anyway, it wasn't that hard. I look like I belong on a university campus. Hell, I'm not that much older than most of the students."
"It always seemed to me that money didn't mean that much to you," Natalie commented.
"I became a doctor because I wanted to make a difference with my life," he said after a moment.
"Well, I'd have to say that you certainly succeeded in that aspect," she told him.
"Right now I'm at a position that I don't have to worry about paying off Medical school loans and the paycheck isn't a deciding factor in what I chose to do with my life," Miles answered.
The waitress approached their table and asked, "Are you ready to order yet?"
"Yes. I'll have a vegetable omelet and some orange juice," Miles answered.
"And I'll have scrambled eggs and toast," Natalie added.
The waitress scribbled down their orders and hurried off. "Nat, you never did tell me what I owe you," Miles said.
"Don't worry about it."
"Well in that case, I'll pay for both breakfasts. So, do you want a personally guided tour of San Francisco?" he asked.
"You know, that does sound like a lot of fun. What time do you want to do it?" she said in return.
"How about half an hour after breakfast. I know a pretty good pizza place we can stop at for lunch. That is assuming it's still around," he told her.
The waitress arrived with Miles' orange juice and a refill for Natalie. "It will be just a few minutes on your breakfasts," she told them.
"Thank you," he said and sat back to wait on his meal.