She was stunning in her black cocktail dress. It hugged her figure enough to be provocative but was decent where it counted. This woman was classically beautiful in a modernly stunning dress.
It was clear she knew that her looks would draw attention. She walked with purpose and composure only caring what one would think. Her fashionably late arrival meant she would meet me at the table. I stood to receive her at the table. Using my best gentleman’s skills I pulled back her seat for her and invited her to have a seat.
Moments begin to pass, feeling like hours while we posture to find a small talk conversation. The waiter invites us to order a drink, a welcome distraction. With orders complete it was down to a choice, we can return to awkward silence or we can talk more deeply about anything.
“Thank you for joining me.”
“It has been a while since I have been on a nice date like this. I should be thanking you.”
“A beautiful woman like you should be spoiled at least once in a while.”
“I guess so.” she replied suddenly closing up and looking away. “You say so many nice things about me, I just worry you don’t really mean what you say.”
“Oh, so you think I am just saying these things to get something out of this?”
“Nothing in life is free.” She says sullenly; she looks like she is remembering a harsh time in her life.
“If I may, I have a little wisdom that seems relevant here.”
“Oh? Let’s see if it is something I have heard before then.” she says rejecting the idea I might have something relevant to this to say.
Emboldened by the childish retort I carry on. “A song I like by the Offspring speaks to the way I felt before I met you. In a song they say ’life is like a ride on a freeway; dodging bullets as your trying to find your way.’.
”Staring at the sun.“ she interrupts.
”Exactly, nice to see we have something in common, but there’s more. See, I used to feel like maybe that’s how life is. You just blindly drive through life dodging tragedy and derailment following signs that rarely make sense. Everyone around you watches you trip and fall, but no one does anything about it.“
”Is there a bright side to this?“
”Actually the bright side is you.“
”Me?“
”Yes actually, you see, when I met you it was like a light came into my life and lit up a whole new way to go. A way so drastically different then where I have gone before.“
”I have been compared to the moon, the sun, the sky, even rainbows, or strangely enough a cat, but never a beacon.“
”I know it seems a little strange but think about it. A lighthouse is a type of beacon.“
”So I am like a lighthouse now?“ she says more confused than ever.
”To a sailor, a lighthouse is a welcome sight. It guides them to safety and tells them they are close to home. Since I met you I have questioned if life really is like a freeway. I mean it sounds realistic, but what if it is more like a roller coaster. They have ups and downs too, sometimes it goes by way too fast. There are moments of sheer terror and ones of delight. The most important thing to know about a roller coaster though, is they are best when shared with others.“
”Hmm, now your starting to make a little sense. Maybe lead with that part next time.“
”And leave out the Offspring? I think not.“
”Fair enough.“
”In the end, you bring a new anthem to my life, Happy, by Pharrell Williams.“
”Who?“
”Did you ever see the movie Despicable Me 2?“
”I don’t think so.“ she attempts to recall.
”Well, if this goes well maybe we will go watch that then.“
”So after dinner you want to go watch a kids movie?“
”Sure!“
”That’s a new one for me.“
”I can’t let you do it to another man Eve.“ An elderly voice interrupts the conversation.
I look up and find the man I met in the cafe with the strange story about advanced aging. His posture and demeanor had my hairs stand on edge. Was he about to do something drastic?
He raises his hand above his head and I see in a flash what he is about to do. His hand comes down with his now bared knife and strikes at Eve. She barely manages to get her hands up in time and blood sprays across the table.
Without thinking about it I leap across the table knocking everything astray. I land bodily on the stranger, rolling with him and struggling to land on top.
Straddling the frail man, I grasp his wrist with all my might and bang it against the floor until the knife shakes free. I heft myself up bodily and clench a fist with my right hand. Smashing my clenched hand down onto the assailant I feel my body weight crash onto his face. I feel the resistance in him wax and I get a moment to breathe.
I glance over to Eve and find several patrons have rushed to her side. One person had her hand in his with blood dripping from it, another was holding her head still with her eyes closed.
I rush to her side to help and see what the whispering I had ignored before was about. Somehow, where her face had been flawless before, I now could see that half her face was burned, but with old scars not from the assault.
I look around and see many of the people staring and whispering. ”Never seen a burn victim? Call 911.“
