Broken Wings

Valentine's Day

Each dress hit the bed with a silent thud. She had been at this for hours and with the clock ticking down she had to make a decision.

Too short, too long, too low cut, to high cut. The color has faded, the color isn't right. This one made her look fat while that one made her look to skinny. She was giving up hope on finding a perfect dress.

Just then, like the heavens wanted to bestow her a gift, she pulled out the perfect dress. Putting it close to her she looked in the mirror and smiled. It was a black dress with red lace at the edges. It went just to her knees while the neckline was short but not revealing.

Laying the dress on the bed she picked out a pair of black stockings and a pair of black shoes with the same red tinting the sides. She took a breath and got into the shower.

As the warm water hit her, she thought about how this was her first Valentine's date in a long time. Hearing the alarm on her phone, which was loudly letting her know she only had an hour left to get ready, she quickly finished up and got out.

After what seemed like hours, she looked in the mirror. The woman staring back at her was a stranger that she hoped to get to know. And just as she slipped on her second shoe the inevitable knock sounded at her door.

Slowly opening the door she gasped at the man standing at her door. He looked like he just stepped out of a Men's Warehouse commercial. He had on slick black suit, a matching tie and nicely shined dress shoes.

"Good evening Dinah, May I come in"? The man asked softly. She nodded and stepped aside. As he passed he whispered in her ear, his accent clear as day and said, "your looking real sexy tonight baby".

Feeling like she was going to melt where she stood she coughed and straightened herself up. "Thank you Frank, your looking mighty fine yourself this evening" Dinah said with a smile. Frank grinned.

"Shall we get going before I take that off of you" Frank said teasingly and couldn't help but laugh when Dinah turned a bright red. Grabbing her bag and stuffing her keys and a black box inside she said "let's go before I change my mind" and headed for the door. Frank followed, grinning all the way.

When they got to the carport, Frank showed her to his car. "You borrowed Curtis's car?" Dinah asked with a smirk. "Only the best for you" Frank said opening the passenger side door. Dinah felt that melting feeling again and with a squeaky thank you sat down in the passenger seat. Frank got in on the drivers side and they headed out.

The drive there was mostly silent except for a few grunts from Frank when traffic got heavy. Dinah used the quiet time to reassess the situation. There wasn't much she could do now. They were on their way and she had said yes but why? That's what she couldn't understand. This man had terrorized her and everyone around them for years but he also protected them. He was there for them. Her heartbeat quickened and she felt like she was about to cry. Thankfully they arrived at the restaurant and she was able to focus on that.

Smiling at Dinah, Frank got out of the car and walked around and opened her door. After thanking him, she accepted his hand and allowed him to help her out of the car.

She waited as he locked up the car and the two of them headed into the restaurant. After the waiter turned pale for a quick second reading the name on the reservation, they were shown to their table.

When the waiter left they both couldn't help but laughing. "I tend to do that to people" Frank said smirking, taking a short sip of the wine sitting in front of him. "I'm surprised you weren't Pete tonight" Dinah said laughing softly and taking a sip herself. "I thought since I was a free man now, I would use it to its full advantage" Frank said leaning back into the cushioned seat.