I met Dana.
And she was on time!
In fact I think she was early, as she was finishing a coffee when we met, so had had enough time to buy one and let it cool down.
We walked a very short distance to an all you can eat buffet.
I'd just walked past it on the way to the Interchange (buses, coaches and trains arrive and leave from there) and it seemed serendipitous. Especially as Dani is not allowed to have starters.
The food was really very good.
I looked askance at the empty dim sum area, but I had more than enough to eat, so that was just pure greed. There's only one dim sum I really crave anyway (char siu bao) and no guarantee they'd have had it even if the section was open.
I said to Dani that one of the many things I love about all you can eat is that you can have a little bit of bland alongside the new and exciting. I'd never order a whole portion of lemon chicken, but it was my ex-husband's go-to Chinese meal when we met (before I educated his palate and then broke his heart) so it was lovely to have a little blast from the past.
We talked and laughed of course. I pretty much nearly held it all together, although I was close to tears quite often. I was so overwhelmed and stressed out. I was still in the mode where all I wanted to do was go home and hide, even though I knew that not only was that not a grown up response, but also that my situation would not change if I did.
Dani help reiterate the mantra other wise minds have been chanting. One step at a time. Bite size chunks. This too shall pass.
The drip, drip effect has helped of course. But mostly it's not being in freefall re job and accommodation which has switched off the whistles and bells going off in my nervous system.
Anyway, back to Bradford for the next post.