First Date

It looked like a dump. The smell of cigarettes lingered in the air outside. But it was all Brandon could afford on such short notice. He still couldn’t believe Dolores had said yes to him when he asked her out on a date. Her arm was tucked into his elbow and, unlike the restaurant, she smelled amazing. She was absolutely exquisite. Which made his stomach sink when he looked back up to where he was taking her.

With his other hand, Brandon googled and began to read the online reviews of The Beef Hut. The reviews were mixed, but the top review came from a world renowned food critic. 

A one star review.

Ouch, Brandon thought.

 Him and Dolores reached the entrance. Upon opening the door, their senses were met with the delicious aroma of steak. The outside odors were forgotten. 

There was no one at the front to greet them. So they waited. And waited. "Hold on," Brandon told Delores after fifteen minutes went by.

"It's fine," she suggested. "I can wait. They're probably busy."

She had more patience than he did. "It'll be quick," he said.

The place was empty except for one more couple. So much for being busy. Brandon didn’t find an employee until he knocked on the door to the kitchen. From the small window, he could see them gathered in a group. Some were talking to each other while others were on their phones. 

The one on her phone and headphones happened to be the waitress. Brandon figured this out when she hopped to her feet as soon as she saw him. She spat out her gum before she walked out the kitchen. “I’m sorry for the wait,” she apologized sheepishly.

“No problem.” What could he say? There was no point in being angry. He shouldn’t have expected anything less. 

Both of them returned to Dolores smiling as if nothing was wrong. “Hello, my name is Dana. I will be your server this evening. Table for two?” she said as she grabbed two menus.

“Yes.” They said and followed Dana to a table. It was right next to a window, giving them a view of a rat nibbling a piece of cardboard. Which was more than likely thrown out by the restaurant. 

They began to peruse the menu when the other couple in the restaurant raised their hands to get Dana’s attention. “Excuse me,” the gentleman said. With her back turned to them, Dana huffed and rolled her eyes.

Brandon noted her clear annoyance and, as she went to go see what the couple needed, overheard the exchange.

“How can I help you?” Dana asked.

“Yes,” the lady started. “I asked for my steak to be well done. You took it back to the kitchen with you. Is it done?”

“Oh, right.” Dana rushed back to the kitchen without another word.

One of Dolores’s brows rose. “She's quite attentive, isn’t she?” 

A smile crossed Brandon’s lips. “Hopefully she remembers to come back this time. In fact, we should get our orders straight before she forgets about us.”

At that, they both laughed.

They could hear arguing from the kitchen. But it was cut short when Dana returned with the lady’s steak and came to take Brandon and Dolores’s order. When they asked for appetizers, they were told that the restaurant was out. So they skipped to their entrees. Both went with steak. Brandon wanted rare while Dolores wanted medium rare. And chocolate cheesecake for dessert. Dana took their menus and returned to the kitchen.

Again, there was more arguing in the kitchen. Very loud arguing.

Dana came back out. “I’m sorry, but we are out of cheesecake.”

“How about the ice cream?” Brandon asked.

“Or the fudge cake?” Dolores questioned.

“Out. We have no more desserts for the evening,” she informed them. “I’m afraid our kitchen is actually closing soon.”

“I thought this place closed at ten.” Brandon checked his watch. “It’s only eight.”

Dana laughed nervously and shrugged. “I’ll be back with your order.”

As they waited. The other couple stood, put their coats back on, paid for their check and left. Brandon could hear them mumbling under the breaths. He heard the words “awful” and “deplorable” spoken more than once. When he glanced over, he could tell from the one small bowl covered in cake crumbs that they had shared the last piece of dessert. Probably not even the dessert they wanted.

It was nine, now.

“You look beautiful by the way,” Brandon said. “If I forgot to mention.”

“You didn’t,” Dolores smiled. “It was the first thing you said when you picked me up.”

It was the first thing he thought when he first met her. Love at first. She had moved into his apartment complex. It was his first place after college. It was her first place after working and saving up. He started a job as an accountant. She worked as a receptionist at a salon. He preferred to keep to himself. She was a people person.

He looked forward to seeing her whenever he could but didn’t think it would lead anywhere. Until, one day, she moved in next door due to maintenance. They had become neighbors.

Brandon thought it was fate, worked up the courage, and asked her out for dinner. He wished he had planned it out. He was afraid of chickening out, so he asked her to go out to dinner this very night. A bite to eat, he thought.

It was short notice. And yet, she had said yes.

They chatted as time passed. If the long wait bothered Dolores, Brandon couldn’t tell. “The food will be worth it,” he said.

“How do you know?”

“Because I’m not the one cooking it.”

Her laugh was music to his ears. The tension that had been weighing on his shoulders lifted. “Maybe we could fill up on the bread sticks.”

She laughed even more when the bread stick he reached for slipped from his fingers and landed like a rock on the table. Especially, when he tried to break it apart by hitting it against the table like a drumstick.

“I’m scared to eat now,” she chuckled.

Dana rushed back into the dining area and tripped, leading to the plates she’s holding to land in a loud crash. 

“Looks like we don’t have to,” Brandon said, relieved. "Let's get out of here."

The cook follows Dana, yelling at her for wasting his dish. Another employee comes out from an office with a tag on her shirt that reads: manager. She wipes sleep out of her eyes and without waiting for an explanation, she begins hollering, too. 

"Where has she been?" Dolores wondered.

"Napping, apparently." Brandon concluded. 

They could still hear the screaming match after they left and the door closed behind them. "Dinner and a show," Brandon said.

"Without the dinner," Dolores clarified. 

"I'm so sorry." Brandon didn’t know what else to say.

"For what?" Dolores asked. "For giving me a night I'll never forget." She kissed him. "I've been crushing on you since I saw you. I didn't think the night would go like this. But I was happy to be with you."

His heart was racing.

"Let's go." She took his hand in hers. "I'm in the mood for a burger."

Two decades, marriage and four kids later. Brandon and Dolores would reminisce about their first date. As ridiculous as it was, it was memorable. And the start to a beautiful life together.