Autumn

50: How to date

On a Friday night, Theodore and Maggie decided to go to one of the university pubs for dinner, drinks and some live music. They sat at a small circular table together on very uncomfortable bar stools. But it was barely a bother because a good pub feed was exactly what they were both craving. Theodore ordered the steak, Maggie got a burger and they shared a basket of fries between them.

"No sauce or gravy, huh?" Maggie said, gesturing at Theodore's plate.

"I'm a bit of a plain guy," he answered. He wasn't sure if it was because the pub was packed or not, but he did feel at least a couple degrees hotter. "Does that weird you out?"

"Working at a café, you get a lot of people with special requests. Their coffee has to be a certain degree or they refuse to pay for it, or only a certain type of lettuce in their salad. I'm not here to judge. Besides, I eat everything with tomato sauce."

"Even ice-cream?"

Maggie paused. "Honestly, I haven't tried it, but I am not opposed to the suggestion."

"That weirds me out a little."

She laughed. "Okay, so I eat almost everything with tomato sauce."

"I hope the no-tomato-sauce thing applies to most desserts too. Surely you wouldn't ruin a perfectly good cheesecake with ketchup."

Maggie placed a hand over her heart. "I swear I'm not that mad."

Theodore squinted at her. "I'm going to put my full trust into you."

Talking to Maggie was easy. While he felt a little nervous at times, the way their conversation flowed allowed Theodore to relax. He enjoyed her company. He felt comfortable. He felt happy.

Theodore caught sight of Maggie's smile and he couldn't help but mirror the expression. In the background was the live music from a local band called The Dingoes. Theodore had never heard of them before, but luckily for him, Winston had. The two sat on the phone together before the date, listening to some of their tracks.

"So, because you live on campus, I'm guessing you didn't grow up in the area?" Maggie said.

Theodore shook his head. "I'm a couple of hours away. My mum acts like there are seas between us though."

"Haven't gotten homesick yet?"

"Not quite. How long have you worked at Dianne's?"

"A couple of years now, though it feels like a lifetime sometimes. I pretty much grew up on campus."

"Are your parents professors or something?"

"My dad is chancellor."

Theodore was suddenly jittery. "I guess you're a big deal around here."

"Oh god, no. Sometimes a bit of a disappointment since I'm not studying for a higher education though. My dad is never really on campus anyway. I usually stuck around with my mum. She was a primary school teacher before she quit her job when I was about seven and decided to open her café. Her name was Dianne. She first thought it was a bit pretentious naming a café after herself, but then realised she worked damn hard to achieve her dreams and realised it was what she wanted."

Theodore took a second to process this information. He tried swallowing the dry lump that had formed in the back of his throat. It hurt. It was almost as painful as when he said, "You talk about her in..."

"Past tense," Maggie finished. "She passed away two years ago."

"I'm sorry," Theodore said quietly. Even though the raging noises of The Dingoes' pop rock was ringing in his ears, it seemed like the conversation was all he could properly hear.

"Me too," Maggie said with a gentle smile. "She was both my mum and my best friend so it was like losing two people at once."

Theodore didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure talking about this in such a public area was right. It seemed like it should be more private, more intimate. He couldn't fathom losing his mother—the most important person in his life. Helen was his mother, his best friend, his biggest supporter, his everything.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Maggie said, when Theodore was quiet for a second too long. She had raised her glass to her lips but lowered it back down onto the table. "It seems like a very depressing topic, and I admit, it was probably the darkest time of my life when it happened, but I have healed so much. I have accepted wholeheartedly. I went from never wanting to discuss my mother, to wanting to talk about her all the time. She was the most wonderful person to grace this earth. She was so kind and loving and beautiful, and I am very loud and proud when I talk about her and everything she accomplished. I love celebrating her life."

"That's really inspiring," Theodore said.

"Loss changes you as a person. It's not easy," she answered.

Something it up inside of Theodore, like a light bulb that had been dull for an extremely long time. Theodore had experienced a lot of loss in his life; not the same situations Maggie had, but he still understood the process of pain and healing. It definitely wasn't easy.

"You're really brave," he said.

Maggie glowed a shy pink. "I don't get a lot of compliments on dates, but that was by far the one that's made me the happiest."

It was Theodore's turn for his cheeks to light up in a soft red.

"Hey, do you want to get dessert?" Maggie asked.

"What did you have in mind?"

Maggie gave a half smile, a secretive one. "It's a surprise."