Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The perfect date

Wax dripped from lit candles, smelling of autumn leaves

and apple cider, into a small clear glass jar on a table

set for two, pearl-white china plates and wine glasses

atop a warm mahogany wooden table with a dark red

tablecloth adorning the intimate setting. Oil paintings

from local artists lined the walls in gold frames and

crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, accentuating

the antique setting as if taken straight from an old

Victorian house. The waiter, in a crisp tucked-in white

shirt with ironed black slacks, would present the courses,

first of which a spinach salad with fresh strawberries,

walnuts and her favorite dressing, second, a medium-rare

steak with buttery mashed potatoes, lightly salted, third,

a slice of warm molten chocolate cake, drizzled with

caramel and as the live string violinist played, they’d

share dreams of traveling to Europe in their youth and

become owners of a little bakery in the city. She sips

her iced water glass, smudging her lipstick, before

closing her netbook and putting it into her purse and

placing a few wrinkled dollars for the bill and tip.

Another restaurant, another false hope.

-Madeline Wahl

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