Exiting the condo, Janice and Brenda were, as expected, waiting for Agnes and Alfred.
"Sorry to keep you lovely ladies waiting, but I gave hubby a little reminder to mind his manners tonight," chuckled Agnes. "Didn't I?"
"Yes, ma'am, you did," was the contrite response. And he felt even more uneasy as he heard the three women laughing loudly at his admission.
Brenda offered that they knew of a nice Italian restaurant a short walk away and Agnes and Janice quickly agreed that it sounded good with them. No one bothered to ask Alfred!
Upon entering the restaurant which seemed quite busy, they were led to a table in the back of the seating area. Agnes snickered as she realized the chairs were wooden with no padding on the seat...how perfect for Alfred's sore bottom! She quickly shared her observation with the others, again raising Alfred's level of humiliation and causing his face to redden some more.
During dinner the conversation between the ladies never included Alfred. He just endured hearing them chat about fashion, actresses and actors, and other things he found mundane. Only when he started to squirm in his seat as the waitress was clearing the dessert dishes was he invited into the conversation.
"You seem to be quite uncomfortable, Alfred," quipped Janice. "Is something wrong? You are squirming like a little boy who has a sore bottom!" This just broke the three ladies into laughter again, making Alfred wish he could just magically disappear. Just when he thought his humiliation could not get any worse, the young waitress inquired of Alfred if he was okay.
"If I had known the hard chair would not be good for you, I could of brought a pad for you to sit on. Why are you so sore anyway?" inquired the waitress.
Instantly Alfred's face got a deeper shade of red, quickly noticed by Brenda, who made mention of it. "Just look how red his face is!"