Manchester, NH: If you’ve ever had pho (sounds like duh), then you know it can be a bit addictive. The rich, flavorful broth with fresh vegetables, is served separately for you to mix into the broth, and begin the journey of devouring an enormous bowl of deliciousness that could not be more satisfying. I first had a true bowl of Vietnamese pho at a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant in a not-so-nice area in Manchester, New Hampshire. The woman who owned the restaurant and did all the cooking, cleaning, and everything a restaurant requires was a former beauty queen in Viet Nam. She knew her strong business-minded sense came from her history. I would stop by regularly for her pho which she insisted when I went for some takeout, to keep every element separate and so it could be put together in a bowl large enough to handle all the items.

I had not had any pho in many years and the old need rose and I had to get some. That decision was a perfect opportunity to reconnect with a dear friend who I had recently heard from for a birthday party for her ex-husband who she shares babysitting duties with their granddaughter. They are a lovely example of how you deal with divorce.

We met at Miu Café at the Manchester Mall, the most bizarre layout for any shopping experience. You truly can not get there from here! Both my friend and I struggled to find the restaurant, which is not in the mall, it’s outside of the mall. My map app failed me and told me I had arrived at my destination on the opposite side of where I needed to be.

Still, we found it and sat down for lunching and catching up. I ordered the princess peach fruit tea with the boba tea balls that are made from tapioca starch, water, and brown sugar. The drink was super sweet, but I had not had this before and wanted to try it.

I went with the Pho Ga Di Bo made with free-range chicken stock, rice noodles, and cage-free chicken. My friend decided to have a couple of appetizers as her meal and she ordered fresh spring rolls that were the largest rolls I’d ever seen, and there were two of them. She declared she only orders spring rolls for the peanut sauce that accompanies them. She also got fried pork spring rolls with onions, scallions, and taro which adds a sweet nutty flavor. All in all, it was great food.

I had not seen my friend for many years and in the catch-up session, we talked about her life and how it had veered including two divorces and breast cancer. She told me her life was an open book when I said I wanted to write about our lunch. She is now ten years cancer-free deciding during the hard years of trying to prolong her life that the best course for her was to have a double mastectomy. She’d tried implants but decided they weren’t for her, and she would accept her body as it was then. This woman is a true pillar of strength. She taught school for decades and upon retirement enjoyed traveling so much that she became a certified tour guide. In June 2025, she is leading a group to Kenya.

After our meal, we parted ways with a tightly held hug. How could I not want to hold her and be grateful for it? Still, afterward, when she was walking away, I could not help to realize that when two women give one another an important hug, usually their breasts come together. And, when we hugged, I felt the pain and the change she had endured, and I just wanted to hold her again.

Beverly Stoddart is an award-winning writer, author, and speaker. She is on the Board of Trustees of the New Hampshire Writers’ Project and serves on the board of the New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism. She is the author of Stories from the Rolodex, mini-memoirs of journalists from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.