The House

Chapter Eight

A few days had passed since the cellar incident. Ivy had spent the last few nights sleeping in bed with Doug and Joanne and following Doug around like a lost puppy. It was a Friday night when Doug and Joanne wanted some alone time together, some quality time. Joanne had spoken to one of her work friends and asked if her daughter would babysit.

The babysitter was booked and a table reserved at a nice Italian restaurant. Doug stood in front of the bedroom wall mirror, gazing at his reflection. He was dressed in a clean, sharp-looking grey suit, with a slim-fitting blue shirt. Doug had risen to the occasion. He had showered and gotten his hair cut. He examined his look, checking himself out. Not bad, he thought in a modest tone.

Joanne came out of the en suite bathroom. Doug had been with Joanne for ten years and had seen her at her best many times. However, she made his jaw drop tonight. She was wearing a gorgeous red gown. The dress had sheer, long sleeves embellished with tonal shimmering appliques.

The sweetheart neckline showed off the applique at the bodice. With a rich play on texture, the skirt had a subtle sweep, with a full-length hem. Her strawberry-blond hair curled from about midway, flowing down the front of her dress.

"You look stunning," Doug said, his tongue rolling out of his mouth.

Joanne, seeing Doug's reaction to her dress, smiled at him. "Not bad yourself," she replied. The two walked down the stairs, crisscrossing hands. The babysitter stood by the door, looking in awe at the couple walking down the stairs. "You look beautiful, Mrs Moore," she said. Joanne smiled.

"I have left my number on the coffee table," Doug said. "Help yourself to anything you need." The parents kissed their two children and left the house. The trip to Denbigh was only a short twenty minutes. The town was lit up. Streetlights stood like soldiers in position across the town.

Doug had booked Con Amici, an Italian restaurant situated in the lower area of Denbigh. The exterior had a large tarmac lot to the front. The building was two stories high, with three slate roofs of mixed-size tiles.

The double-door front entrance was crafted from beechwood, with custom-made windows above it. The exterior of the building was lit with small, round absinthe lights with two main lights shining above the entrance, flooding it with a bright glow.

The main doors had two single panes of glass, each bearing the badge of the Prince of Wales with its three feathers. The main sign, resting above the doorway, bore a mixture of the colours of the Italian flag-red, green, and white and spelt the words, Con Amici.

Doug parked the car and walked to the passenger side, being a gentleman, and opened the door, giving Joanne a hand to help her out. They crossed the lot and walked through the entrance, with the lights beaming down on them from above, and were greeted by a teenage girl; Doug noticed her candy-colored nails and the neon shoelaces peeking out from under her pale-looking uniform.

"Good evening, welcome to Con Amici," she said happily. "Table for two, sir?"

Doug smiled at the welcoming girl. "Good evening. Yes, please," he replied. They followed her from the entrance and through the main bar area.

There were three coffee tables positioned at different points in the room surrounded by leather couches and small egg-shaped leather seats. The base of the bar was made with stonework similar to the exterior of the building, with an oak surface atop. There was a vast selection of beers, ciders, liquors, and wines. Doug felt uneasy as he passed.

The main seating area was well lit, with five candle lamps hanging over various sections of the room. The centre of the room held many oak tables, each with four red-leather chairs, with the walls lined with moon-shaped booths with small, round tables. On the wall on the far side of the room hung a black-and-white picture of two men playing pool and having a discussion with each other.

The waitress pointed them toward one of the booths. "I think this table will be to your liking, sir," she said as she placed the cutlery down. As Doug and Joanne took their seats, some local men gaped in awe of Joanne's dress.

A single candle twinkled on the table. The waitress soon returned with menus, which had extensive choices for meals and appetisers, a few of which were from different countries such as England and France, but most of which were Italian.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" the waitress asked.

Doug looked to Joanne with rueful hope. She saw this and nodded in approval. "Just one," she added with a small smile. Doug smiled excitement setting in. He kissed her in thanks.

"I'll have a pint of Foster's, and a glass of rose for my wife, please," Doug said quickly, the need for the alcohol yearning inside him. She returned five minutes later with the drinks, taking their order for food. At last, they were alone, something that had not happened for some time. Doug grabbed her hand, stroking her fingers. He found this therapeutic.

"These past few weeks have been crazy," Doug began as he bit down on a breadstick.

Joanne nodded in agreement. "I know. Poor Ivy she has had a terrible time lately."

Doug continued to eat the breadstick. Joanne began staring into space, her eyes glazed.

"You ok, sweetheart?" Doug said, concerned. No response. "Joanne!" Doug said, raising his voice slightly.

She twitched back into normality. "Sorry was just thinking about Ivy. Excuse me. Need to use the bathroom," she said with an angry expression on her face. She stood up and left for the bathroom.