One Smile Please

Chapter Twenty Seven

One Smile Please

Chapter Twenty Seven:

The buzz from everyone around us added a nervous bite to the atmosphere. Oscar glanced at me through the bottom of his glass, and then put it back down as I myself sat down in front of him. His gaze held worry and fear.

“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I seriously didn’t mean to.” I try to smile but it comes off as a grimace. “I seriously… let me make it up to you. I- uh ordered my favourite, I swear it’s not alive…” he paused “Maybe we should just forget what happened and try to enjoy the rest of the night?” I swallowed down any profanities that threatened to spill, and nodded. I didn’t usually lose my cool, but when your lobster starts writhing on your plate, and your date drops the contents of their drink down your bra… but still insists on making the most of the night. You get this close to throwing a fit. However I took a deep breath and nodded. Oscar was trying, and that’s more than what I can say for half the ‘bad’ dates I’ve been on before.

“Okay,” I say whilst downing my whole drink. If I was going to get through this night, I was going to need to be somewhat tipsy.

To be honest when Oscar came to pick me up earlier this evening then, I was looking forward to this... Actually I had forgotten, Cece reminded me, twenty minutes before Oscar came. That’s when I desperately started looking for something to wear.  I ended up calling Jenny and she forced me to wear a blood red, knee length, beautiful dress. You must be thinking… “how can someone force you over the phone?” trust me Jenny can be scary.

Oscar pushed a plate towards me, without thinking I took a spoonful.

“So? Do you like it?” I cough slightly. And then some more. My ears heated up. I started spluttering.

“W-water,” I breathe. The spices start eating up at the inside of my throat. My eyes start to water.

“What?” Oscar asks confused.

I start flapping my hands around my face, like that would help. “W-water!”

“Water?”

Yes you fucking idiot! 

I nod hurriedly and Oscar calls over a waiter seeing as both of us had finished our glasses of water…

And our jug of water a while ago….

“Could we have some water please?” Oscar asks whilst I am still fanning my face.

The waiter looks so scared in that moment I’m scared he was going to piss himself. “Sorry sir, but we ran out of water.”

“You what?” I hiss whilst fanning my tongue.  What kind of restaurant runs out of water.

“The-the pipeline, it just went bust and we don’t buy or serve any bottled water….” Why couldn’t Oscar just have taken me to McDonalds?

I looked down at the table and reached for the gravy which when I had it first was quite tasteless. I downed the whole fucking thing. And yes, I was about to hurl. But I wasn’t dying from a burning mouth.

“You know what Oscar, let’s just pay and leave.” When he looked a little hesitant, I added “Please.”

“Okay,” he looks back up to the scrawny, blond haired waiter. “We’ll have the bill please.” The waiter nodded and then in a few minutes came back. During those minutes, neither me nor Oscar attempted to make any sort of interaction but then again he was looking for his wallet.

“Here you go sir,” the waiter says to Oscar. Oscar has a worried expression on his face, which only means one thing.

“You forgot your wallet?” I ask slightly on the verge of shouting. But I take a deep breath. I reach into my clutch in order to find my purse, but I come out empty to. Then I face palm myself. “I probably dropped it in your car earlier when I dropped my clutch and everything fell out. Just give me your keys, I’ll go and get it.”