3please let me know what you think. this was based on a prompt: 'this wasn't how i expected to meet the parents'
It could only have been called beautiful and romantic and…and…well, it was all of that everything one could possibly use to describe a utopia would be used here. Even the ceiling was interesting for crying out loud. How many people can honestly say they enjoyed staring at the stupid ceiling? And he was sitting across from her, so perfect in his suit. His blue eyes shone through the candlelight as he gazed at her…
When was the last time somebody had gazed at her!
He reached for her hand and began to run his thumb over her palm as he talked. She didn't actually listen to what he was talking about, but the occasional 'mm' and 'yes' seemed to do the trick.
When their meal arrived he didn't thank the waiter and for a moment she felt that surge of something that she'd dispelled in the early days of their relationship, but one look into his eyes made those treacherous feelings go back into the dark depths where they belonged.
They'd been dating for an entire two months now, and she now had trouble remembering her life B.J (Before Jackson). Some of her friends were a little bitter, but they were just jealous they didn't have someone has perfect, as beautiful and as wonderful as she did. Who needed them anyway? What had they ever done for her?
She smiled at him sweetly and excused herself for a moment to visit the ladies room. "Be back soon," he said with that same smirk that had so irked her friends, yet sent sweet chills down her spine.
She nodded and sauntered off to the bathroom, taking her time and admiring the room. There were so many people here she didn't quite know how they all fit in the room, and they must have had a small army of chefs to feed them all. She could hear them as she passed the waiter's door, the clutter of pans and the loud curses of busy burnt fingers. For a moment she hid behind a palm leaf and leant against the wall listening to those sounds. She used to love those sounds before Jackson; She used to stand waiting for the next order trying to catch the flurry of words from those idols behind the swinging doors, trying to hold onto any snippet of advice that might filter through. Eventually she shook herself, keeping his words in the forefront of her mind 'be back soon'.
The bathroom was just as exquisite as the rest of the place. Although there was a line of five or six other elegantly dressed women, there were antique chairs to sit on while you waited. She gratefully sat down and rested the heel of her high shoes against the leg of the chair, letting her legs recover from the two minute walk. "Bad heels?" A kindly elderly woman dressed in a striking black dress and pearls smiled warmly. "I remember when I used to wear shoes like that, not anymore my poor ankles couldn't handle it but they are gorgeous aren't they."
"My boyfriend bought them for me," she smiled back anxious to defend the gift. "He has wonderful taste."
"Oh I can see that, not to worry." The lady said. "My son is a little like that, knows just what to buy a beautiful woman."
She laughed and her eyes twinkled as she thought of her son. "Nadia Beamont," she held out her hand.
Beamont?
"Lissy," she replied and slid her hand into the comforting folds of the old woman's. "Just Lissy."
"No last name?"
"None that I remember," she replied quickly as she always did with this line of question. "It's always been just Lissy."
"Ahh, I see." The woman smiled, "Well, I doubt you're all alone in the world, this boyfriend of yours sounds pretty good."
"Oh he is my world," Lissy answered glad to be back on a subject she enjoyed. "He's always looking after me"
The old lady, Ms Beamont, glowed for a moment. She was at that age where another's happiness constituted her own, she'd had hers, now it was their turn. There was a soft tinkling from her bag and she apologized as she sourced an old sweet mobile phone. "My son," she grinned.
For a moment Lissy was confused, her son was…
She tried not to listen to the conversation; in fact she concentrated quite fervently on the other voices surrounding them, but her disloyal ears kept honing in on the one sided conversation next to her. Eventually the old woman hung up and turned to the other women in the line, including Lissy. "My son just got engaged!" She exclaimed. "He asked her this morning and they're going to Paris tomorrow!"
This morning?
Once all the exclamations had subsided and the women had returned to their previous chipper conversations Ms Beamont turned back to Lissy. "He's just got to tell some girl who's in love with him, and then nothing can stand in their way."
Lissy stood up and congratulated her, smiling brightly and wishing her son every happiness. "I must go," she said. "I really shouldn't have taken this long."
"But…?" The old woman didn't want to be the one to mention that they were in a bathroom, but one look at the young girl's eyes and the tears lurking in the corners told her everything. She covered her lips with her hands and nodded numbly.
"He took me out tonight," Lissy felt like she should say.
Ms Beamont nodded and watched as she left.
Lissy didn't listen to the comforting sounds from the kitchens, she'd be able to hear them all too often soon enough.
"You took your time," Jackson said as he looked up at her. She didn't sit down and continue her meal, instead she took her old worn jacket and shrugged it over her shoulders. Her small clutch lay on her chair, and she quickly snatched it up before she forgot.
As she walked out of the paradise, she turned back to him and said simply, "I met your mother."