Chapter 2: Dinner for Two

Off we went to Luigi’s with her still not saying a lot but driving safely and with pleasure. It was a bit late, but when we arrived, Luigi opened the door for us.

Luigi was surprised. “James? And who is this lovely lady?”

I told him that the lovely lady was Maureen, explained our need for a good dinner and he nodded.

“James, what a pleasure. And even more so for the company you bring to my restaurant. Signorina, I am Luigi, the chef of the best Italian restaurant in Sydney and whatever you want to dine, I will cook it personally for you. This oaf at your side comes here occasionally, but he doesn’t understand what I do. He eats and goes home - and always alone. Please come in and I shall get you the best table.”

Maureen looked at me and seemed a bit confused. While Luigi was arranging things, I explained that I had met his brother in New York, where he had a similar and also very good restaurant. I had been able to help him in a difficult situation and he had asked his brother in Sydney to look after me. The food was excellent, and I enjoyed his company; he was loud and boisterous, but always honest in his dealings with me. He believed also that I was working more than enjoying life and was trying to change this. Since this was the first time I came accompanied to his restaurant, he wanted to make the evening memorable for both of us and I was certain that he could do this. She just had to accept him as he was - he always treated the people he liked (and there were a few of them) with complete disdain and lack of courtesy. He could, however, be very cold and efficient if the customer did not appreciate his food. This had put me off at first, but as I got accustomed to it, I responded in kind - and the food was really great.

He came back and led us to our table. It was a smallish restaurant, normally booked out and tastefully decorated with tables covered by a bright-red checkered cloth, and photographs from Tuscany covering the walls. A low, lively tune was playing in the background - a Tarantella? The lighting was sufficient to read the menu and see the plates, but also dim enough to give the lady a soft shimmer on her face. As always, it was perfect.

“Luigi, we have this bottle of wine to finish and Maureen tells me it’s better than good. What would you recommend to accompany it?”

I gave him the bottle and he looked at it. He stopped, stared, turned to Maureen, and asked her, “Did he say that this is quite good?” He glanced at me again and started to say something. I just shook my head slowly and he gazed at me, then at Maureen, then at me again. Slowly a smile appeared on his face - yes, he understood the situation.

“Ms. Maureen, I see that you understand wines better than this ignorant fool. I try to teach him, but it’s always work, work, work, and nothing useful adheres in his mind. James, go away and bring the lady a glass of Chardonnay and she and I will discuss this serious problem.”

I obeyed and went to the bar to get a glass of the house Chardonnay and took it back to Maureen. She didn’t even look at it and continued her conversation. All I heard were comments like ‘Grange nose’, ‘dark berries’, ‘black licorice’, and when I heard that it had a ‘plush satin/cashmere mouthful’, I gave up. They didn’t even look at me when I turned away to go back to the bar and ordered a glass of water. From my business travels and meetings, I had acquired a basic knowledge of wines, but it was great fun playing with Maureen’s mind.

Luigi came back and told me that the problem was resolved, and I should get back to the table.

“James, keep her! She is smart, pretty, alive, and knows about the good things in life. You could not do better!”

I went back to Maureen, who was glancing at me with a very satisfied smile. She said that Luigi knew what he was doing, that they had selected a special Mayura Station Wagyu beef with a few vegetables, and that the evening was turning wonderful.

“James, tell me a bit about yourself. I met you this evening, did not like you at first, and now I am enjoying the evening. How did you do this?”

“My charming nature? My cashmere pullover, which you are still wearing? My friend Peter? If you look at this evening, you will see that I did not do anything except giving you options and you chose the way that we ended up here. I must say, however, that I cannot imagine a better way than to spend the evening at your side, drinking good wine - and please don’t start again on the Grange - eating something special, and especially having your company. Maureen, I don’t know what happened to me, but this is the first time I go out having fun since I arrived in Sydney, and not on business. I am very happy to be here and just to look at you. Don’t take me wrong; I enjoy the conversation very much, and somehow I feel comfortable around you.”

She gazed at me for a long time, and this gave me the chance to really look at her.

She was tall (she really must be close to one hundred seventy centimeters?) and had luscious red-gold hair that came to her shoulders dominating her face, until you looked at her eyes. They were huge, green with a grey-blue shimmer, and I saw her questioning the situation between us. She had no makeup and did not need any. Her skin was perfect with a few freckles diminishing the serious expression she seemed to have all the time. Her lips were starting to smile, showing perfect white teeth. Her neck was proud and the black pullover she wore under my cashmere could not hide that she was a woman.

“Do I have a smudge somewhere on my face? Why are you looking at me this way?”

I was caught and wondered what the right response would be. Standard clichés about a pretty woman, or something closer to the truth? I jumped into the cold water and repeated what I had already said.

“Maureen, I don’t know what is happening. I met you this evening, seeing a graduate student ignoring the world around her, and now, at this moment, I am looking at an intelligent and beautiful woman. Don’t misunderstand me - I know that graduate students are normally intelligent, but they don’t have to be beautiful. But what impresses me most is that I feel comfortable around you as we can talk about wines (not too much, I hope), politics, sports, and I feel that you are part of the conversation, giving and taking, not just a figure sitting there. I feel better than I have felt in a long time, and I am grateful. I just hope that you feel similarly.”

She went into her decision-making procedure (she certainly wasn’t an impulsive person), and slowly a real smile evolved, not only on her lips but also in her eyes.

“James, did I tell you that you are ... not weird, no ... exquisite ... no ... out of the ordinary ... yes, ... courteous, yes ... impulsive ... yes ... impossible, probably ... sweet, yes ... and I have a strong feeling that I can trust you, which I normally don’t do easily. Let’s forget the character analysis and enjoy the evening and see what will happen.”

I smiled back at her and felt a nice and warm, tingly feeling running through my body. Luigi had said to keep her, and I would try. The dishes arrived and were accompanied by a proud chef.