Chapter 2: The Mid-term Celebration Dinner

“You ready?” Denise called from the kitchen toward the bedroom.

In response, Thomas appeared in the kitchen. He wore slacks and a sports coat with a button-up shirt. Denise wore a crimson dress with a demure neckline that barely showed the start of cleavage. She wore the pearl earrings and necklace Thomas had given her on their second first-date.

“You look great!” Thomas said as he took Denise in his arms, hugged her, and gave a her a kiss.

“Careful, or you may make us late to the dinner,” she replied as she kissed him back, feeling a stir in his pants.

He started to say, “We have time...” but Denise grabbed his crotch and squeezed, then spun away, saying, “After dinner, big guy!”

Thomas grunted and flipped off the light before they headed to the back door.

When en route to the restaurant in the new Corvette, Denise asked, “Did you hear anything else from Matt?”

“No,” Thomas said resignedly. “I hope he called Kimmi, and more importantly, I hope he and Kimmi worked out their issues.”

With that thought hanging between them, and memories of their similar situation, they rode the rest of the way to the restaurant in silence. When they pulled in, Denise pointed and said, “Isn’t that Matt’s car?”

“Yes,” Thomas replied. “Now the question becomes, is Kimmi with him?”

With a glimmer of hope, they parked and quickly made their way into the restaurant.

At the desk, the receptionist greeted them warmly before Denise said, “Ford party for about twenty in the backroom.”

“Of course, two of your party are already here. Please, follow me.”

Denise and Thomas shared a glance, both assuming the “two” meant both Matt and Kimmi.

In the backroom they found Matt and Kimmi standing just inside the door. There was clearly an air of unease in the room. The receptionist nodded and left the foursome to chat.

The awkward silence continued after the receptionist closed the door. Thomas stood still and looked toward Matt. He wanted his friend to take the lead and break the ice.

Finally, Matt started to talk, really stammered, “Uh, hi guys.” He paused.

Kimmi shook her head and took over. She said, “What Matt means, or is trying to say, is, ‘Sorry, we both royally fucked up, we are working through some things, and we feel really bad to put you in the middle of our drama.’ And that goes for me, too.”

That broke the tension, as well as generated a chuckle from Thomas. Denise stepped over to Kimmi and gave her a hug. She then turned to Matt.

“That’s so good to hear,” she said.

Thomas shook Matt’s hand when Denise broke free, then stepped toward Kimmi for a hug.

“Yeah, great news,” added Thomas.

The door swung open and a waiter appeared. Thomas said, “We’ll start with four glasses of champagne, please.”

Denise said to Kimmi and Matt, “Don’t worry about the cost. Tonight is on us.”

Matt was visibly relieved when he heard the news. Money was always short with Matt, and while he hated feeling like he was constantly sponging off his best friend he was always very appreciative.

The drinks came and Thomas raised his glass, “This one is for the two of you. May your recent struggles be just a small blip on what we’re sure will become a long and happy life together.”

“A bit presumptive, wouldn’t you say?” asked Matt.

Kimmi gave him a dirty look. Denise laughed at Matt’s reply. “It may not be as presumptive as you think!”

As they laughed at Matt’s discomfort, Cindy and Charles came through the door. While handshakes and hugs were exchanged, Charles motioned to Thomas for a private chat.

“What’s up?” Thomas asked.

“Knowing you, the plan is that you will pay for everyone’s dinner tonight. Before you can make that announcement, I’ve already told the manager to split the bill. I just got a much larger than expected year-end bonus, and don’t want you to pay for everything. You’ve never admitted it, but I’m pretty certain you paid for our trip to Florida. This is the least I can do.”

Thomas offered a Cheshire grin and nodded. With that small motion he acknowledged what Charles assumed, as well as agreed to split the night’s bill. All he said was, “Thank you, Charles.” They shook hands again and then rejoined the group as others arrived.

Not only did the waitstaff bring drinks before everyone took a seat, but appetizers started to appear on trays. About forty-five minutes after the scheduled start time, Thomas took his wine glass and a fork and began to tap them together. The light tinging sound silenced everyone in the room.

“I think we’re about ready to sit, but wanted to say a few words beforehand.”

Thomas paused as the weight of the moment fell heavily into his consciousness. This could be the last time he would see many of these people depending on how his encounter with the dementor went in a few weeks.

The room was very quiet as everyone realized this was quite important for Thomas.

“As you know, we invited everyone together as a celebration of our completed mid-terms. That is true. But it is also true that we wanted to get the group together again because so often we only see each other at big events – weddings, funerals, graduations – and we didn’t want to wait for the next big event since we never know what tomorrow may bring.”

There were a few sideways glances in the room as some wondered why Thomas was being so philosophical.

“With that said, enjoy the evening, the food and wine, and most importantly, the company.” Thomas raised his glass. Everyone that still had a drink returned the toast.

There was a brief pause as everyone took a drink and contemplated Thomas’s remarks.

“And one last thing,” Thomas added after taking his drink. “I planned on offering to pay for everything tonight, but before that could happen, Charles has generously offered to split the bill. Thank you, Charles!”

Charles said toward Thomas, “My pleasure.” To the room, he said, “Everyone, please order what you want to drink or eat. We have you covered!”

There was a buzz of excitement and a round of clapping as almost twenty people settled around the two large tables in the backroom of the restaurant.

Not surprisingly, the conversation at both tables turned to the plans everyone had made for Thanksgiving.

Cindy started by saying, “Denise, after you talked up a cruise so much, we decided to take a five-day, four-night trip over the holiday as a trial run.”

Sandy called out from the other table, “Did I hear cruise? They are great! Come chat later if you want some tips and tricks!”

Most said they were staying in town and had plans with family. Matt and Kimmi were going to spend the day with Kimmi’s family. Matt’s parents were going to host a weekend party with family in order to give their kids a chance to spend the whole day with the family of their significant others.