Dinner for two

Alan put the tray of dinner into the oven to cook. It wouldn’t take long. It wasn’t his idea of a romantic meal but Amanda had pick it. This was her night too. He set the kitchen timer then went into the dining room. The breeze blew gently in trough the open window, the room wasn’t used much. Just for special occasions and when company came for food. Amanda had asked if they could eat in there tonight. He cleared the junk from the table. The room may not be used but somehow, the table always had papers, books and letters on it. He went back into the kitchen thinking to get the wood polish to give it a quick spruce, even though he would be putting the nice table cloth over it. The wood polish smell made him smile. It seemed an old fashioned thing to do now, normally it just got a quick wipe with the cloth if anything had fallen onto its surface. Satisfied with its smell and shine he put the wood polish back and got the fancy table cloth. He shook it out into the air above the table, feeling like a waiter in a grand restaurant. He smoothed it down with his hands, then stood back and admired his handy work. He then got out the old silver candelabra with the four candles still stuck in it, he placed it on the table. Then he stepped back again to make sure it was in the middle, he decided to move them closer to his seat. He had a vase of flowers in the living room that could go near to Amanda’s chair. He was enjoying himself making the meal romantic as he had been asked to do. It was his wedding anniversary today after all. He retrieved the flowers and set then down, spending a minute to spread them out a bit more and making them look nice. Next came the two place mats, one for himself and one for Amanda. The place mats weren’t special. They were just plain, ordinary, boring ones. Alan decided that he should get some more fancy ones for the next romantic meal. To compensate he spent fifteen minutes trying to remember how to make a napkin into a swan. He failed. Instead he made them look like fans that were standing up. That would have to do. He found the special silver cutlery set that his parents had bought him as a wedding present and set it all out. Soup spoons, fish forks, Ones he didn’t know what they were for. Were all set out on the table.

“I might apply for a job in the Ritz.” He joked to himself.

He went once more into the kitchen, he opened the oven to check on the food. It looked good. Then he found the crystal wine glasses, another wedding present, from a friend. He poured himself a glass of chilled white wine then put the bottle back in the fridge. One glass couldn’t hurt. He took a sip.

A bang came from the ceiling, he instinctively looked up. He smiled, Amanda was getting ready for dinner. He could never pursued her that it was easier to sit down when putting on jeans or a skirt, she always insisted in standing up to do it. He checked his watch, took another sip of wine then checked the timer. Not long to wait now for the food to be ready. He went back to the dining room to make sure he hadn’t left anything out of the set up. Table cloth, check. Candles, check. Placemats and cutlery, check and check. Everything was there that Amanda had asked for. The timer in the kitchen buzzed. He walked back in and shut the microwave door to start it, he always set the timer first then closed it to start, otherwise he normally forgot to turn it on. He had been forgetting a lot recently, that had to start changing. Get his head back in the game as the annoying movie said. He took a thoughtful sip of wine. He thought too much these days he mused. He needed to start going out again and living life, as he had used to do. Maybe get the boys together and go out. Watch the football or rugby in the local. See people, do something. Instead of thinking. Instead of thinking about how unfair- The microwave dinged and Alan jumped slightly. He shook his head to clear it. There he went again with the thinking. He grabbed a fork out of the drawer and mixed the food then put it back into the microwave for another two minutes.

“Amanda, love. Two minutes warning, come down and take you seat, please.” He yelled up stairs.

“Coming.” Came the reply.

He grabbed some plates from the cupboard and set them out onto the bench as the sound of foot steps came down the stairs and went into the dining room.

“Wow” He heard Amanda say, he smiled. She liked it.

He walked into the dining room after her to push her chair in.

“You need to light the candles.” She said

“Yes dear, sorry dear.” He replied fishing his lighter out of his pocket and holding the flame to each of the candle wicks.

“You should stop smoking.” Amada said matter-of-factly.

“I know, I will.”

Alan walked back into the kitchen as the microwave pinged and started to plate up the food. Once finished he went back to the dining room to ask the most important question that he had forgotten to earlier.

“Would madam prefer red or brown tonight?” He asked.

“Red,” Amanda giggled enjoying herself at the special treatment.

Alan walked back to the kitchen and Put a dollop of tomato sauce on Amanda’s dinner. Then took the plate to the dining room.

“Dinner is served. Turkey dinosaurs on a bed of potato smileys, with spaghetti hoops and a side of sauce a la tomato.”

Amanda giggled then looked soberly at the pictures on the side board. She slid off her chair and picked one out. She carried it carefully and put it in front of an empty chair, facing the table. Then she sat back down.

“I wish mammy was here.”

Alan looked at his daughter through tears, Taking in the hot pink cast on her arm, her personal reminder of the car crash that had taken her mother. He looked at the picture of himself and his wife smiling as they had left the church after their wedding.

“Me too, love.”