Sweet Lantern

Chapter 35

Alice

When we get to the restaurant, Darry parks and I look at the neon sign in the window that's flashing the word "Open", letting us know we can go inside and order our usual. But I suddenly don't want our usual. Instead, I want something that we don't get all the time.

"Darry?" I say, barely above a whisper. "Can we get something different?"

I see him smile out of the corner of my eye and my head snaps up. "Are you smiling? What is so funny, sir?"

"Your indecisiveness is... amusing."

I smack his arm, making him laugh. "Is there a fly in the car?" he asks, looking around like he's trying to find our unwelcome friend.

"Daryl Williams! You are so not funny!"

"What're you in the mood for, sweetheart? I am open to whatever you feel like", he tells me, taking my hand to his lips and pressing them against me.

"I think I would like to have some fresh seafood, since we're at the ocean and all." I tell him. I don't even know if we'll like fresh seafood, but it seems like the thing to do. We can have Chinese food anytime back home.

"Sounds great to me! Let me look up some local restaurants and we'll pick from there." Darry tells me. Taking his phone from of his pocket, he pulls up Google and searches "seafood near me." A half dozen restaurants pop up on the little map and we decide to go with the one nearest us and nearest the beach. Eating lunch while watching and listening to the waves crash against the shore sounds ideal.

The entire experience begins when we pull into the sandy parking lot. The restaurant isn't just near the beach, it's right up against it. From the front it literally looks like an old rustic beach shack. When you walk up to the front porch, there's a small lagoon down below where the porch parts and opens over the water. The top of this section of porch is covered in black netting and chain link fence to keep people from falling into the water. It doesn't take long for me to realize the need for such a barrier. Down in the murky water are several small alligators, snapping and hissing up at the people walking by.

The back porch, where we end up choosing a table, backs right up to the beach. We watch as little boats come in and leave again after emptying the freshest seafood possible... just caught and hand delivered. It doesn't get any more authentic than that.

We sit together, quietly watching the activity around us; people sitting around us, talking and laughing. Couples kissing and holding one another while they wait to order or wait for their food to arrive.

Darry hands me a menu and we look together, settling on a low country boil for two. It seemed the best choice as it had everything all in one pot; shrimp, crab meat, red potatoes, sausage, and corn on the cob.

My stomach rumbles just at the thought. I can't wait for the shrimp especially, well... and the red potatoes, Darry's newfound favorite.

We watch as the waves carry in boat after boat of fresh catch being delivered to the kitchen behind us, when I feel something warm and furry rub against my bare leg. I jump at the unexpected sensation and quickly bend down to peek under the table, a little afraid to see what's under there.

"Oh my gosh, Darry, look!" a cute little kitty is under the table, purring and looking up at me with big sweet eyes, expecting me to feed her is my guess. "Awww, how cute!"

"Look, Alley. There are a lot of them. I think they live here. People are handing them little bites at every table just about."

I look up and scan the porch area. Sure enough, there are at least ten more cats walking around, some settled in under tables, just like our little lunch guest, waiting for food to fall or be handed down. It seems to be expected by the customers, normal even. How adorable. "What a great staff this must be to allow these puuurfect little babies to eat and rest here." I tell Darry, smiling at him, waiting for it...

"You're a dork." He doesn't disappoint. Raising an eyebrow at me, he grins and teasingly pushes my shoulder, both of us laughing. "But you're the most adorable dork I've ever known." He adds, leaning over to kiss me.

"I love you." I tell him.

"I love you too, babe."

While we wait, we enjoy the breeze coming in off the water. It whips around us, bringing with it the overwhelming scent of salt in the air. I love how it feels against my skin, it's so relaxing and refreshing.

"I would love to live here one day." I tell Darry, hopeful that he will return the sentiment, but knowing we'll probably never really leave the farms.

"I'd love that too, Alley. I could see our little babe now, running barefoot along the beach, his tiny little toes digging into the sand. His hair bleached by the sun. His skin golden from days spent on the beach. I'll teach him to surf... well, after I learn how, of course. We can fish for our dinner every day and you can cook it here on the beach for us every night."

I'm shocked by his immediate agreement, but more so by his use of "him and his."

"Darry, do you realize you just spoke an entire dreamy monologue referring to our baby as a boy? Do you know something I don't?" I smirk and wait to hear the prophet Daryl speak words of wisdom to me.

He just laughs and says, "I didn't notice. I didn't mean to either. I'm not sure why I keep seeing the baby as a boy, but I do." He puts a hand on either side of my belly and leans in, putting his mouth right to my shirt, "Are you a boy or a girl, little one? We really wanna know. I think you're a bouncing baby boy. What do you say?" And then we both feel it at the same time.

"What was that?!" Darry jumps back and I stare down at my belly as the shirt gently bumps out again.

"I think he's kicking, Darry!" I blurt excitedly. "I can feel him moving!"

I grab Darry's hand and put it against me, and the baby kicks again. "He's responding to you, Darry. He likes you talking to him." A rush of love like I've never felt comes over me and carries my heart away. "I love you, sweet, sweet baby. I love you more than you could possibly ever understand." I tell our baby, rubbing my belly where his foot just was. Darry has a proud grin plastered to his face as he puts his ear to my belly, trying to hear our baby like he's talking in there.

Our food arrives on a large hot steaming plate and we sit back to allow room for the waiter to put it down in front of us. The pile of food looks enormous and even as hungry as this pregnant woman is, I doubt we'll be able to clear it between the two of us. I peek under the table to make sure our hungry guest is still there and see that one more kitty has now joined her, both are waiting patiently for a morsel of food to be handed down or dropped. I don't think they care either way as long as they get it.

Darry's cracking open crab legs, pulling meat from them and placing it on my plate, while I peel the shrimp and put it on his plate and then on mine. I've never had crab before, but I like shrimp, so I'm guessing... or hoping, that I will like the crab as well. Darry takes a piece and dips it in the garlic butter bowl sitting in front of our plates and brings it to his lips, putting it into his mouth as his eyes light up. "Oh, my Lord, Alley, you have to try it!" He grabs a piece from my plate and dips it in the butter, then he brings it to my lips. I open my mouth allowing him to sit it on my tongue.

My taste buds come to life, as the butter melts down my throat and I begin to chew the crab meat. The texture is absolutely perfect, not rubbery at all like I had been worried about. I moan out loud and immediately look around to make sure no one heard me. Darry's laughing beside me.

"This is amazing! I love it!" I tell him reaching for another piece that he has placed onto my plate. "Thank you for opening it, I don't think I'd know how to get that shell cracked open." I tell him, wrapping my arm in his and kissing the side of his shoulder with my buttery lips.

I reach for a little red potato and dip it in the butter, bringing the fork to Darry's lips. He opens his mouth and lets me feed it to him. "Holy crap! That's good too." he says, chewing up the little potato. "This is much better than Chinese food!" he says, more than happy with my indecisiveness now. I smile and feed him another potato, enjoying the wind as it continues to whip around my shoulders, lifting my hair around my face.