New Beginnings

Once in the parking lot, he sat there for a second, conflicted about whether he should get out of the car or go straight to the hotel and forget about it. He just wanted to get another look at her. After a bit of soul searching, he took a deep breath and decided to go back inside the restaurant. He walked into the restaurant, which was more crowded than before and it was filled with people who were visibly drunk, and who had gathered by the bar. The place was a bit louder than before, if possible. There was a karaoke set up on a makeshift stage, and an inebriated, extremely large man was singing a Barry White song. He searched the premises for about ten minutes, but there were so many people that he was unable to see her. He deduced that she probably had left for the night. A bit disappointed, he decided to sit down at the bar and have one drink before heading over to the hotel. After being bounced around a bit by people bumping into him by accident, he miraculously found a barstool. Dejected, he sat down and ordered a beer. As he drank his beer, he looked up at one of the flat screen televisions that was airing a female boxing match, and wondered what in the world he was doing there. Suddenly, there was a tap on his shoulder, and a feminine voice came from beside him. “Is anyone sitting here?” the woman seemed to yell. He turned to offer the empty seat and he saw that it was Wendy. She had just turned in her uniform and was off of work. “Hi handsome …” she said with a warm smile. “Hi,” he said, a bit stunned that he actually saw her again. “I didn’t expect to see you back here,” she said as she touched his arm. He could barely hear what she was saying, because it was so loud in the room. “Did you tuck the little kids into their dorms?” “I brought them back, but I think that they’ll be up for a while,” he yelled. As he spoke, she leaned in closely to hear what he was saying. Her face was so close that her hair brushed against his lips and her sweet scent overwhelmed him. She nodded to react to his last statement, but conversation was challenging, since the bar noise was so deafening. The music and banter overtook the moment, and the two of them glimpsed at each other as if to say “I can’t hear you.” She had an idea, and asked him if he wanted to talk in another area of the restaurant that was quieter. He ordered her a drink and paid the tab. The two of them escaped to a booth that was away from the boozing and carousing crowd, and was in a closed section of the restaurant. It was dark, but at least they were able to hear each other. She lit a candle so that they could see each other’s face, and they sat down. Suddenly, the virtual quiet made conversation uncomfortable. “Now what do I do?” he thought. He was quite nervous, and didn’t know what to say. They sat silent for what was only about a minute, but seemed like an eternity. Then she asked him about his son, and the ice was broken.