HEAR ME TOO!

PART TWENTY-NINE

They had finished eating early and Uche thought it was time for the highlight of the night. He had called to make dinner reservations days earlier and with a little extra money, he got them to set up a cozy spot in the garden where two people on a date could talk. The hotel manager, who was also his friend, happened to be a hardcore romantic and Uche was sure he would fix things up perfectly. This was actually the first time he was going all out for a girl on the first date and he hoped she wouldn't think he was being too extra.

"Would you like to take a walk?" he asked when the waiter brought the receipt.

"Oh sure," Winnie replied, "Let me quickly make use of the restroom."

"Go ahead, take your time dear."

When he was sure Winnie was out of sight, he motioned to the manager who was standing in a corner. The man came over with a twinkle in his eyes, obviously bursting with excitement.

"Everything good to go?" Uche asked.

"Oh yes! It all looks so beautiful, you'll love it!"

"Shh!" Uche placed a finger on his lips signaling the man to be quiet.

"Keep your voice down James! The plan is for her to love it too and I hope she does or I'm taking my money back," Uche said in a low tone.

"I assure you, you'd pay me extra if you see what I've done," James said with the widest grin Uche ever saw.

"Okay, thanks man. Now go away before she comes back."

"One of the waiters will be out in a few minutes to lead you both to the spot, as we rehearsed."

Uche nodded, thanked him again and then waited for Winnie to return. He didn't know why he suddenly nervous again. His palms were sweaty for no reason. This was not a proposal. Heck, they were not even officially dating yet though he hoped they would after tonight. He planned to ask her and he hoped she would say yes. He wasn't going to waste any time,  life was way too short.

*****

It was the perfect night for a date. The night air was warm and smelled sweet. They walked towards the garden while making small talk. In the span of a few hours, Uche had learned a few things about her asides the things they had discussed, like the fact that her hand instantly reached for her head when she felt nervous, she was picky when it came to food and she knew something about everything. He hoped to discover even more as time went on, if she'd let him. They stepped into the garden and Uche looked around for where to sit, just according to plan.

"I'm wondering if there's somewhere we can sit," he said.

As if on cue, he saw a waiter walking by and asked if there was a place they could sit. The young man nodded his head and motioned respectfully for them to follow him. They went deeper into the garden, turned right and there was the spot. Uche was stunned when he saw the arrangements his friend had made. The waiter smiled and walked away, leaving them alone. Winnie stood without talking, wondering exactly what was going on and when she couldn't find any explanation, she turned to Uche.

He smiled, took her hand, then led her to the low couch that was set in the middle of the space. Golden lights hung everywhere and rose petals lined the grass and seat. A  champagne bucket stood on a white silk cloth spread on the grass and there were covered plates that probably held some sort of food. After Winnie sat down, he motioned to the entire set up and said, "This is sort of the highlight of the night. I figured we should have somewhere comfortable to talk for a bit."

She didn't speak for a moment and when she did, he saw tears well up in her eyes. His mind went into panic mode immediately. The plan was to surprise her, not make her cry.