A Lovely Afternoon. February 1st 2025
Today is the day we, Marcie and I, are getting together. We both have been sick with the flu and had to postpone. It was a beautiful afternoon with my sweet Marcie, my dearest friend, my niece.
She also is an author, editor, a professor at Green River College, and the owner of a website I have been writing short stories for about four years now as a guest writer.
She was my Savior during my most difficult time with depression, sadness, and trying times of stress after my beloved husband Hal died, my love and my life of 64 years. Marcie offered me this great job of writing short stories to get me occupied and busy with something I loved.
Marcie is coming from Vashon Island on the ferry and then on I-405 to Kirkland where I now live. She wanted to bring our lunch, and after she arrived with a big box with food, she wanted to prepare it. We had a glass of Champagne while she was busy in the kitchen.
The plates arrived by our table and they were beautiful!
Big dinner plates, the beauty of them to behold, like a painting: Big, beautiful shrimp, little, thin French green beans with delectable cream on them, big ripe raspberries, a little wedge of spiced Tomato aspic, very tasty, a slice of tender smoked and peppered salmon.
In the center of the plate, a piece of baguette with butter, paté, a slice of tasty cheese with little bits of black truffle and heated, to melt just a little.
“In heaven, just looking at it” and a glass of bubbles to toast what we about to eat. Delicious!
We had a wonderful conversation, talking about family and the children and, of course, the second book of my stories which just came out. Marcie loved this book that Julie and Luc, our dear friends, just had finished.
All the short stories, 79 of them with a lot of photos, were in our first book and the second book now, has about 102 stories in it with a lot of photos.
Julie worked very hard on both books and they are beautiful. Another great drawing by Carlos, a young artist, for the hardback book cover.
Marcie was excited about her copy, and after we had finished our excellent lunch, we sat in the living room for our coffee and French macaron’s, Marcie finally could hold her book to look through it.
What a lovely afternoon, a lovely day with a precious, lovely friend, Marcie.
What more could I possibly want? I was floating in happiness still when Marcie had to leave, still during the evening when I was by myself, and floating still with a smile on my face at bed time.
This “once in a great while happiness” will last me for quite a while.
Thank you, my sweet Marcie!
Note from Marcie: This picture is from a few years back when Ilona and I went to see Madame Butterfly at the Seattle Opera–so many special memories together.
Comment from Marcie:
I am so very touched by this lovely story from Ilona. Like all of her friends and family, I love this amazing woman so much, and she had such a big impact on my life and my identity over the past 35+ years that she has been a part of my life.
I want to thank her for all of the friendship, love, art and beauty, good food and conversation –and stories that she has gifted me over the years. Marcie
Many thanks, dearest Ilona, for this great short story, and to Marcie, for getting Ilona started on this journey of writing them. The lunch sounds fabulous, and once again, Ilona interjects such warmth and love into her recount of the day, that it leaves me with the happy glow she describes so beautifully.