Chapter 10: The Date

The week seemed to drag by far more slowly the closer it got to Friday. It’s not like I didn’t have plenty to do, but every time I looked up at the clock on the wall, it appeared to have stopped for a while. That was particularly true when Friday finally arrived.

I’d had my blue blazer and tan slacks dry cleaned before splurging on a new cotton dress shirt in pale blue and a nicely patterned colored tie in pastels with a blue accent. My dress shoes hadn’t been worn since dance class, so they just needed a buff and they would be more than suitable for my date.

I had traded the old silver VW in on a nearly new Chev Impala a few months earlier. It was an early lease turn in and I made a good deal on it. It was a nice medium blue color and would seat five in comfort. There was plenty of room in the trunk for my instruments and other gear, but that was seldom required. Tonight, it was just Rhonda and me and ... well ... who knows?

I arrived at her address a couple of minutes early after having scouted the place out beforehand. It was a five unit townhouse complex, fairly new by the look of it, and situated in a nice, quiet neighborhood. I was nervous, but moved to the front door and pushed the button.

She answered the door almost immediately. “I’m just putting the finishing touches on and getting Randy settled in with Mrs. Palmeter. Come in and have a seat.”

I walked through the living room and spotted an older woman in the kitchen area with Randy, obviously having their evening meal.

“Hi ... I’m Nick Minter and I’m here to take Rhonda to dinner,” I announced quietly.

“Hello, Nick. I’m so glad Rhonda’s getting out for a change. I understand you are working at the music store. Randy tells me all about it. I was surprised how much time he practices. He’s really keen to learn how to play the ukulele.”

“Yes, Randy is doing very well. We’ll have him graduating to something a little bigger one of these days.”

“I want to play a guitar like Sam does,” Randy said, his mouth half full of food.

“Well, you’re headed in the right direction, Randy. Keep up the practicing and you will be up there with Sam when you’re ready,” I said.

That got me a big smile and a nod just before Randy stuffed more food into his mouth.

“Hi, Nick,” I heard from behind me.

I turned and I’m sure my face showed my delight. Rhonda is a spectacularly good looking woman at any time, but tonight she was amazing. The dress was a slinky pale blue number with a nice scoop to show some serious cleavage and a snug fit around the waist and hips. She’d had her dark blonde hair done and it just added to the exotic, sexy look that she wore so well. Some eye shadow and lip gloss caused me to take a few seconds to find my voice.

“Oh my, Rhonda. You look incredible. I think I should have worn a tux,” I managed.

“Oh come on, Nick. I’m glad you like it. You look perfect. I like the tie. You have good taste to go with your handsome appearance. We’ll make quite a distinctive pair tonight, don’t you think?”

“Without a doubt, Rhonda. Without a doubt.”

There was no need for a coat that evening as the temperature was still above seventy degrees. Nonetheless, she had a light wrap that she carried for later when it was cooler.

“Have a nice evening you too. Don’t rush home, I’m fine here with Randy,” Mrs. Palmeter said sweetly. She was obviously enjoying the fact that Rhonda had a date. Randy looked like he was wondering just what the big deal was.

I escorted her to my car, opening the door for her.

“You’re on your best behavior tonight,” she smiled as she slipped onto the seat.

“I’m trying to make a good impression,” I admitted.

“Don’t try too hard, Nick. I like you just the way you are normally. I’m sure we’re both going to enjoy the evening,” she said, placing her hand over my arm.

It took almost forty minutes to get to the club in Santa Rosa. The tail end of the rush hour traffic from the south was just beginning to peter out. I pulled into the parking lot and moved around to open her door and help her out.

“The band starts at eight, so we’ve got at least an hour to enjoy our meal before that,” I explained as we entered the club.

It was dark, as I expected, but enough light so that we could see where we were going. Each table had a small lamp as well. The hostess seated us almost immediately and left the menus for our perusal.

“I haven’t been out on a date in a very long time, Nick. I’m really going to enjoy this,” Rhonda said with a genuine smile.

“Me too. It’s been a long time for me as well. I took those dance lessons because I realized I didn’t know how to dance properly. I didn’t want to be at a disadvantage if I wanted to take someone to a place like this.”

“You’re a good looking guy, Nick. You must have had a girlfriend or two in your time,” she said.

“Yes ... I had a couple of girlfriends, one in particular that I went steady with for over three years.”

“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“She was a gifted musician ... a classical guitarist. She was taken on by a manager from Italy and he put her on tour. She was a big success and she married him. They have a daughter and live in a nice villa near Florence.”

“Were you close?” she asked.

“Very,” I answered simply.

“And this wasn’t in your plan ... her going off to Europe?”

“No, it never entered my mind until she announced she was leaving. She was pursuing her dream and I was never going to get in the way of that. What I didn’t expect was that she would marry this guy who was her manager. But ... sometimes things don’t work out the way you hope they would,” I concluded.

“You were in love with her, I assume.”

“Yes. But ... that’s the way it goes sometimes. I’ve had almost four years to get over it and as they say, time heals all wounds.”

“Do you really believe that?” she asked.

“Yes, I sighed. I’ve had to come to the conclusion that it was a one sided love affair. I’m twenty-seven next month and a partner in a good business, so I have something to hang onto. Finding a partner for the other part of my life is going to be a challenge, I think.”

“Why do you say that? You’re a handsome guy, a success in business by the sound of it. You’re polite and educated. You have a lot to offer a woman. You just need a shot of confidence now and then,” she grinned.

“I’m getting a shot of that tonight. When you said you’d come with me tonight, that was a jolt I really felt,” I admitted.

“Good ... I’m glad. And I’m getting a good feeling about you as well. Maybe we should look at the menu. I don’t want to miss too much of the dancing tonight,” she smiled.

“Good idea. I suggest we have a glass or two of wine as well. What would you prefer?”

“I do like red wine, a Pinot Noir if they have one.”

“That will be good for me too,” I agreed, picking up the wine list. As luck would have it there were two Pinot vintages listed and I chose one just as the waiter arrived.

“We’d like a bottle of the Sonoma Pinot Noir 99,” I ordered.

“Excellent choice, Sir,” the waiter said with a smile before leaving to fetch the order.

“See anything you like on the menu,” I asked.

She laughed. “I see everything I like. This is going to be a hard decision.”

“Well, make sure you pick something you really want. I’m going to have the lamb rack. It’s one of those rare treats for me,” I said.

“Oh ... that does look good. Maybe I’ll have that too. Or ... maybe I’ll have the fresh tuna fillet. Decisions, decisions,” she chuckled.

She was having fun looking over the menu and trying to decide. I’d already thought that if tonight went as well as I had begun, I’d bring her back here again ... and again.

The waiter returned with our wine and made a production of opening it and offering a sip for my approval. It tasted just fine to me, so I nodded. He poured a part glass for Rhonda and one for me. I raised my glass toward her and she responded.

“To a very nice evening. I’m so pleased you agreed to come with me tonight,” I said.

“And I’m so pleased you invited me, Nick. I think this is going to be a very nice evening if I’m right,” she smiled.

We chatted about everyday things until our waiter returned to take our meal order. I stuck with the lamb rack, while Rhonda hemmed and hawed for a minute before choosing the grilled fresh tuna. That settled, we continued our conversation.

“What got you into the music business,” she asked.

“I’ve always been interested in music. I took piano lessons when I was a kid, then decided to learn to play the guitar. After high school, I went to Russian River Community College for two years. They had a music class and a room where we could jam and just learn to play with other people. That’s where I met Marianna Alvarez.”