Charles and I had an incredible meal. He’s sometimes cryptic when talking about his family though; he talks like they have been together forever, when he is only around 28. He traveled a lot, like I did, but mostly throughout England, hence the accent. We went to a really fancy restaurant; he explained that it was owned by his brother in-law. The customers were all so beautiful. I mean… it was like everyone in there was a model. His brother in-law came out and introduced himself.
"Hello, you must be April? I'm Marty Anderson." I stood and tried to shake his hand. He turned it over and kissed the back of my hand just like Charles did. Marty was also extremely handsome with an English accent.
“It's nice to meet you.” I said nervously. From the moment I walked into the restaurant, I had an overwhelming feeling that I cannot explain. I was tempted to shuffle through the minds of a few customers, but something was blocking me. I figured that it was my nerves getting the better of me.
“April, if you wouldn't mind, I would like to prepare a special meal for you, will you trust me?” Marty asked.
His smile won me over. “I will,” I replied. He bowed and left.
I leaned in and snickered, “That was cheesy, and I’ve seen it done on TV before. Did you put him up to it?”
“No, he's really old fashion... and a bit cheesy.”
We ate an amazing meal, afterwards, his sister Annabelle and her husband Marty joined us for a couple of glasses of wine. We left a little after nine, but instead of driving right away, Charles asked if we could take a walk. I agreed, and again… I was impressed. This wasn't the Charles that I had expected. He took my hand and it felt... alright, but nothing like it did with Brad. Half way down the street, he put my hand into the bend of his arm and placed his other hand over top of mine.
He lightly caressed the top of my hand and asked, “Did you enjoy your meal?”
“I did, your brother in-law and sister have an incredible restaurant, and it's so busy.”
“They're all the regulars, every time I go there, I feel a little out of place. I know it’s the birds of a feather thing, but some of us are just normal beings. I love the food and my family, so I try not to look around too much.” He chuckled and lightly patted my hand. “I think you understand, right?”
“I know! They are all so… they’re too good looking, and here I am wearing what I wore all day.”
“April, even in a tux, I feel a little out of place there. A lot of them feel that they are above all others.” I wasn’t sure what to say to that so I nodded and smiled, hoping to give the allusion that I understood. I had no idea what he meant, but I didn’t really want to know either. I figured, I’d probably never go there again, so it really didn’t matter.
We entered the next street and then crossed to road to the park. “I was hoping that we could have taken Kemo out for a walk. I really enjoyed watching him run and play. It made me consider getting a dog.”
I smiled and offered, “He'll be back next week; maybe we'll all go to the park one evening.”
He nodded. “That sounds great, and I'll hold you to it.”
“I'm sure you will,” I admitted.
Throughout the rest of our walk, he asked questions about my parents. If I had siblings, and why I was home schooled. It was so refreshing, and there were a couple of times when I could feel myself slipping, and not watching what I said. We made it back to the restaurant a little before ten. He opened the door for me and waited for me to nod, and then closed the door. He was such a gentleman.
