A Table for Two.

This was the day I had eagerly been waiting for. It had been a full year and I hardly could believe it! Neither of us could, to be honest. A total of three hundred and sixty five days had passed since we got married and although it seemed a grand number, it was fickle for what we had planned. I wanted to make sure I was looking my best and me being my cheesy self, put on the tuxedo I had worn on our very first date. It was cold outside and it was drizzling. “Perfect”, I thought to myself and looked into the mirror one last time to arrange my hair as she loved them to be. I did a final check of wallet, keys and phone before closing the door of our house and I was off.

I reached the place a little early just to make sure that all the arrangements were done as ordered and they were. I was completely against the idea of a candle light dinner. I prefer looking at my childhood sweetheart in well-lit conditions and the restaurant manager had duly obliged.  I wasn't really ready and nobody could have been ready for a situation of such magnitude. I wanted everything to be flawless, just as she had always been. Punctuality was one of her many virtues and she didn't disappoint. I saw her perfect figure walking towards me and I swear I could have switched all the lights off and the room would have been brighter than ever. She was glowing. Her long dress swept the floor behind her as she walked with all her natural grace towards me. Her heels tapped on the wooden base and every tap made my heart beat faster. I got up and like a gentleman (that I am! You should have seen me on the day I met her father) I made sure that she didn't have to work hard for sitting comfortably. I took my place on the seat in front of her and I observed.

Who could have thought that just a week ago this woman was in an accident which the doctors termed ‘fatal’.  She, my wife, was here with me on our wedding anniversary and was looking at me in amusement.  “Even they can make mistakes though”, I concluded. The waiter arrived donning a puzzled face and asked, “Will anyone else be joining you, Sir?” I shook my head to give him a negative response, “Just the two of us. Shall I place my order?” I questioned him.  “By all means, Sir”, He politely replied. I knew she loved her steak well done and some red wine to go with that and I wanted to make her happy so that is precisely what I ordered with a side order of fried mushrooms for myself. She was quiet through all of this, letting me be the man, but I suppose she was just tired after a long day of work and she didn't have time to rest due to our arrangement. She wasn't talking but her presence was special enough for me. I took the reins of conversation in my own hands and began enjoying the perfect evening with my beloved. She was intent on listening, so much so that sometimes I thought I was talking to myself! Haha.. But she was there. I could smell her. I could see her light eyes; I could see that pointy nose and her cheeks full of life. I saw how she revealed her face amidst the waves of soft hair. I saw.

The smell of steak soon interrupted the smell of her perfume and we got to eating. I was delicately going through my steak with utmost care and it was almost over in a few minutes. I failed to understand why her steak was left untouched. Maybe her colleague Sandra must have told her that she needed to lose some weight. A real devil, Sandra, my wife looked best just the way she did. I didn't retort as today was our special day and also the previous week she stormed out of the house in anger because of a heated argument over nothing. Result: car never returned! Haha.. but I was glad my wife was there. I finished my delicious steak, the wine which was good enough for kings and the mushrooms were gone long ago. She hadn't managed a morsel yet. The waiter showing off his training bowed a little before asking me in the most polite manner, “Will that be all, Sir?” I took the consent of my wife before answering him and I assumed that her silence meant that we were done. I nodded in agreement towards the waiter this time.

The waiter arrived with the bill with the puzzled look still donning his face and I was surprised to find that it wasn't what I expected. I had decided to splurge on this evening but my wife was cautious enough in her celebrations, as always. I paid the bill, thanked the waiter and I was off to help her get up. We walked away into the cold weather, my tuxedo now over her shoulders, and hand in hand, smiling, looking forward to another year together.

She was there with me… or was she?