Chapter 20: Fondue for Two

I was so wired when I got home from school, just after four, I decided to take a run to burn off some of the excess energy. Taking Mom out to celebrate her promotion was going to be an opportunity to show her how much growing up I had done. Of course, we had gone out to eat several times before, mostly at typical fast food places and pizza joints, but not anywhere that required as much as business casual dress. The last time I took my mother out for dinner was ... never! For the past nearly sixteen years, she, dad or Maria had paid for or prepared nearly every meal I'd ever had.

Tonight, would be different! I had enough money saved to take her out to a really nice restaurant and The Dipping Pot certainly fit the bill.

Mom's car was in the driveway when I returned, so I headed upstairs to take a shower. According to Maria, Mom was getting ready, but I should not expect her to make an appearance before five-thirty. The reservations were set for six-thirty, so that should give us plenty of time to get there, and maybe grab a drink or two before the meal. I'd received my learner's permit before we left for Kansas in June, so I could help Mom with the driving ... although; I hadn't had much of a chance to log many hours behind the wheel, lately. I was planning to drive tonight, to allow her the opportunity to have a couple glasses of wine and relax.

"Relax, Mr. Phil. Your mom is going to love what you have planned for her. I'm sure she would be just as happy with a McDonald's."

"I hope so, Maria. I've never been to a place like this before. If she doesn't like it, McDonald's is my fallback."

"Don't you worry, Mr. Phil. I've heard that place is very nice, but costs a lot more than a cheeseburger!"

"Have you been there, Maria?"

"Not for me, Mr. Phil. I cook almost every day, usually several times. I don't want to go eat somewhere I have to cook my own food! That's loco!"

"Sounds like that's right down your alley, then."

Maria took a swipe at me, but it was half-hearted and missed by a mile.

"How's Sammie?"

Maria's face dropped and I felt like a heel for bringing it up, and changing her mood. She looked sad and angry at the same time.

"I don't know what I'm going to do, Mr. Phil. I'm beginning to think Carlos is right – I spoil Samantha too much. It's hard to be mother and father to her. I'm no good."

"Is she still seeing Tony?"

Maria went to pour herself a fresh cup of coffee. I swear I never see her anywhere without a cup of black coffee within easy reach. The cup she carried was white with a Mexican flag on one side and an American flag on the other. The inside of the cup may have been white at some point, but was now a deep mocha color. She told me she never scrubbed the cup out because it would ruin the 'seasoning'.

"Who knows? She doesn't talk to me anymore. She comes home late. She goes into her room. I maybe see her ten, fifteen minutes a day."

Maria leaned forward and whispered to me, "I found a little marijuana cigarette in her jeans, the other day. I think Tony gives it to her."

That was disturbing. I'd never tried it, and didn't know if I ever would. The fact that Samantha was testing limits didn't bother me. Plenty of kids at school were known to partake. It didn't make them bad people. By itself, no big deal, but it was another bit of evidence that Samantha was making some questionable decisions. An idea began to germinate in my head. I would have to discuss this with Mom later.

"Maria, if there's anything I can do to help..."

"I know, Mr. Phil. You and your mother ... like family to me. Carlos tries, but Samantha just ignore him or say, 'You're not my father!'"

I finished getting ready just as five-thirty rolled around. I was wearing a dark blue button down shirt, black dress pants and black shoes. After a couple minutes of internal debate, I grabbed a tie as well, but didn't put it on, yet. I didn't know if Mom was going to go with one of her work outfits, or something a little more formal, but I wanted to be prepared just in case.

Maria and I were again sitting at the dining room table, talking, when Mom appeared.

She looked gorgeous.

She wasn't wearing a formal dress, or anything overstated. Her hair was pulled up into a bun with a couple of curly strands framing her wonderful face. Makeup was never needed in any great quantity with her natural beauty, but she did have on a bit of mascara, eye shadow and lipstick. Her shirt was a white wrap blouse with the sleeves ending just below her elbows. Her knee-length black skirt with white polka dots hugged her curves nicely. She accented the outfit with red pumps with two inch heels, bringing her nearly to my eye level.

Maria and I were silent, so Mom held out her arms and did a little twirl.

"What do you think?"

We were both speechless.

"Oh, c'mon, you two, this isn't all that much different from what I wear to work every day. In fact, I think I did wear this to work, once."

"Mrs. Marlow, you may have worn that outfit before, but not made up like that, I think," Maria said.

"Phil?"

I still hadn't said anything. My mind was clouded and my jaw was having a hard time clearing the floor.

"Phil, Stop it! Tell me what you think?"

I struggled to get a coherent thought together.

"Ummm ... WOW!"

I pulled the tie out of my pocket and headed to the mirror in the foyer. If I had a decent jacket, I would have grabbed it, but I didn't. Until now, I hadn't really had the need for one. I could see this would change in the future, particularly if I ever wanted to see my girl Christy dressed up like this. And, oh ... how I did want that!

Mom joined me at the mirror and helped me finish the tie. The perfume she was wearing was wonderful. Not overpowering at all, just a nice compliment to her beauty. With her pumps, she was just about eye-to-eye with me with her sparkling eyes.

"So, I'm guessing I get the Phil Marlow seal of approval?"

"And how! You really look gorgeous! I don't know how you keep the guys away from you, looking like that."

"Pepper spray. And, I don't dress up for just any guy like this. He has to be pretty special."

She gave me a quick peck on the cheek and then rubbed the lipstick mark away. "Let's go have fun!"

The trip to The Dipping Pot took about fifteen minutes, so we arrived just before six. I checked in with the maître d', who directed us to the bar while we waited for our table to be readied. The restaurant was dimly lit, very cozy, and intimate. My plan to wrest the driving responsibilities away from Mom had been successful, and she started working on her glass of wine while I settled for water with a lemon twist. Although I didn't want to break the mood of the evening, I had something on my mind and wanted to get her input.

"Have you talked to Maria lately about Sammie?"

"We've had a couple of conversations about her, but I have no idea what to tell Maria. It sounds like she is afraid that she is on the verge of losing Samantha. I know she is very worried for her future, considering some of the choices Samantha is making."

"Do you know if Maria is renting or buying her house?"

"Renting. She says she'll have enough for a down payment on a house in a better neighborhood next spring. I'm thinking about giving her a bonus at Christmas to move that timeline up a little bit."

"Can she find a house in a better neighborhood to rent now?"

"She's looked, but her options are limited. Most places want a couple months' rent and a security deposit, which would tap into the money she needs to buy a house."

"I have an idea that may help, but wanted to run it by you first."

"Okay, I'm listening."

I paused to gather my thoughts.

"What if Maria and Sammie moved into the house with us?"

Mom had a skeptical look on her face.

"I don't know, Phil. I hadn't considered that, before. I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"We have the room. Sammie would still go to the same school, but be out of the neighborhood she's in. Maybe the change of scenery would help. At the very least, it gets her away from Tony."

"I doubt that. If Samantha wants to see Tony, she'll figure out a way to do that."

"Maybe, but it will be a little more difficult."

Mom still looked doubtful.

"Besides, if Maria moves in, her bills go way down. She can save more towards that house. Maybe she can get the place by Christmas, instead of sometime in the spring. She'd really only be with us for about three months."

Mom took another sip of wine. "It's a big decision, Phil. I love Maria and Samantha, but it's not a good idea to mix business with friendship."

"It's an opportunity to help someone who needs help."

I was being a little unfair, here, by using Mom's own words against her like this; but, I felt that in this case, the ends justified the means.

"I don't need any more convincing, Phil. I understand the merits. Still, there is a lot to consider, so I would ask you to give me some time to do just that."

"I can do that. In the meantime, we are here to celebrate. Congratulations on your promotion!"

Mom lifted her wine glass and tapped it against my water glass, while flashing that wonderful smile.

"We've come a long way, baby."

The Dipping Pot menu consisted of a choice of items in each of three courses. A cheese fondue was the first course, followed by the main course featuring a pot of bouillon to cook various fine cuts of meat, such as teriyaki steak, chicken, shrimp, etc. The final course was the most popular, a chocolate fondue. This was served with fruit, a small slice of cheesecake, a slice of pound cake, and marshmallows. The slow pace of the meal allowed for a lot of conversation in an intimate atmosphere.

But it was fun, too. The fondue forks would, at times, turn into threatening weapons as we jousted for a stray piece of steak or veggie that had slipped off the tines. We were both shrimp lovers, battling over the tiger shrimp and the 'nasal clearing' cocktail sauce. These were all minor skirmishes, though. The real battle would come when the chocolate fondue was presented.

While she went on a 'nose powdering' mission, I talked to our waiter and asked him to make sure Mom's wine glass was always full. I wasn't out to get her drunk, necessarily, but wanted to make sure she was completely relaxed. I know she worried about me, whether or not it was warranted. This would be the night she could forget all of that, if only for a few hours.

The meal typically lasted a couple hours, as the intent was more about the interaction with your date than trying to stuff yourself. I steered the conversation more towards her job, and what she was doing. Although she had worked there for several years, I had only been in the studio a few times. I wanted to know more about her career. Mom told me the life appeared to be very glamorous, but there was a lot of work that went on behind the scenes to make it seem so easy. The work day was not unlike many other office environments, and was not all that stimulating.

"I would like to bring you into the studio, sometime in the next couple of weeks, to meet my co-workers." She started this conversation as she stared at the plate of food, clearly coveting the last of the shrimp. "I've shown recent pictures to a couple of the ladies there, and they think you're a hunk."

"A hunk? What is this? 1980?"

Mom flicked an empty shrimp tail at me. "Well, they said you were cute, but I didn't think you'd appreciate that so much."

I stabbed the last shrimp and dropped it into the bouillon. "Okay, but 'hunk'? How about something like 'stud muffin' or 'beefcake'?"

Mom just rolled her eyes and asked, "Do you want to come to the studio, or don't you?"

"Do you think I would be in danger?"

Mom just about choked on her wine.

"I ... um, think I can protect you if you need it."

"You tell me? Will I need it?"

She thought for a second and then nodded her head slightly. Oh crap, I thought, she's serious!

"I'm not worried about Debra or Alicia, but Connie may be an issue."