"Mom, I don't know about taking littles to a fancy restaurant. How about we just come over for dinner one day?"
My mother called to invite us to dinner to meet her boyfriend. She felt like he was close to popping the question. Us included my daughter Samantha and my boyfriend-ish Dave.
"Jennifer, this isn't about Sammy at all, is it?" she asked. She knew too well my struggles with Dave and his drinking. The previous six months were awful, with him getting his second DUI conviction and having his license revoked as a result.
I tried in vain to hide that it was he who I was embarrassed over. I didn't want to embarrass my mother in front of her boyfriend. I'd already avoided meeting the guy for months, but mom was persistent that time.
"Mom, I don't want to embarrass you. If Dave does something stupid..."
"Jennifer, you're my daughter, I'll never be embarrassed by you. I told you I didn't like Dave before, but I accepted that you're in love with him. Warts and all."
I sighed. I wasn't as much in love with him as I was stuck with him.
"Enough worrying about it, dear. Be at the restaurant at seven sharp."
"Okay, Mom."
We exchanged goodbyes and ended the call. I was desperate to keep Dave away from a situation where he would drink. He was going through counseling and education because of the DUI, but he hadn't stopped drinking. It was tearing me apart as he was drinking even more than before.
Dave moved in with me six months before he was pulled over for hitting a parked car after leaving the bar. He was sweet, yet he had a hard edge to him. It was as if there was an underlying anger bubbling under the surface that he fought to hold back. He liked Sammy; however, she wasn't entirely comfortable with him. I chalked it up to her being a shy two-year-old.
Dave's drinking started becoming a problem a month before his incident. He lost his job at the GM plant due to layoffs and struggled to find anything he felt was worthy of him. He could've been an UBER driver or Door Dash delivery driver, but he complained those jobs wouldn't pay him what he made at the plant. He didn't consider, and we fought about, how any income would be something to help me pay our bills. My savings account had dust instead of deposits.
I was at the end of my rope, but with him living in my apartment, I couldn't just dump him and kick him out on the street. I admit, my love for him faded into tolerance and it was unbearable at times. Every time I had to drive him somewhere drove another nail into the coffin of my love for him.
*****
I parked the car in the back lot of the restaurant. I was too embarrassed by my older car's rust and dents to use the Valet; let alone I didn't want to pay ten dollars for the privilege of valet parking.
"Jenny, I know I promised you I wouldn't drink, but it's okay if I have a couple drinks, right?" Dave asked.
"I'd rather you didn't. You know how a couple turns into too many."
"Okay, I'll just have a beer while we wait. We're early."
I sighed. I didn't want to have an argument at the restaurant, I hoped I didn't regret my weakness.
As we approached the entrance, I made eye contact with a man getting his ticket from the Valet. He was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen. His broad shoulders filled out the casual sports jacket he wore. He must've been 6'4" or 6'5", with a chiseled jaw line that Greek statue makers couldn't have carved better. His black hair was short yet long enough to style in that adorable messy look on the top. He carried himself with such grace and oozed a quiet and cool confidence that made me tingle.
As I neared the door, I struggled with carrying Sammy, my purse, and the ratty, mediocre quality diaper bag I still carried. While Dave was admiring the man's Mustang, one of the bags fell off my shoulder as I tried to open the door for myself.
"Whoa! Let me get that for you," boomed a voice that could've been on the radio.
I was pissed that the man I ogled had to be the gentleman Dave wasn't willing to be.
"Thank you," I meekly said as I pulled the bag up and walked forward.
The Valet drove the Mustang away and Dave followed into the restaurant.
"Enjoy your evening," the man said as he walked into the bar.
"What a car!" Dave exclaimed as I walked up to the hostess. I ignored him as I was told we were the first of our group to arrive. That was all the excuse Dave needed to head to the bar and he didn't delay.
I sighed as I reset the bags on my shoulder and picked Sammy up to follow after the wayward Dave.
"No Gramma?" Sammy asked as I saw Dave at the bar talking to the man I momentarily lusted for.
I let them talk about the stupid car and found an empty table. I watched the man as he drank his martini. The elegance with which he pulled out the toothpick holding the olive and ate it was mesmerizing. I couldn't take my eyes off him as the waitress appeared at my table.
"He's the best-looking guy I've seen all night," she said as I stared. "Can I get you anything?"
"Just water please," I answered. She looked at the man once more and winked at me as she turned to walk away.
"Gramma!" Sammy shrieked as my mom sat in the open seat.
"Whew! I thought I'd never make it. Just one issue after another today. How are you, Jenny?" she asked as she pulled Sammy into her arms and kissed her giggling lips.
"As well as can be expected," I groaned as I watched Dave order a second beer. The bartender set it down along with a whiskey shot.
"Adam had something holding him up but told me to order for him. He should be here soon, I hope."
I nodded and watched Dave throw back the shot and take a long pull from his beer.
"So, you think Adam is ready to pop the question?" I asked.
"Yes. He made a big deal out of meeting you and Sammy. He wants us to meet his son as well. Apparently, his son lives somewhere near you, but he works a lot and is never around. We were supposed to meet a couple of times, but it hasn't worked out."
I was about to ask if the son was joining us for dinner when the waitress came back. "Here you go. I brought some limes for you just in case."
"Thanks," I mumbled.
Mom frowned and said, "Won't you have a glass of wine with me?"
"I'm driving, Mom. I'll have just one glass with dinner."
That placated her and she ordered herself a glass of some kind of wine. She never drank wine before she met Adam. She would always drink Malibu and Coke. The first time I saw her drink wine I was surprised. It was Adam that turned her onto it. She said he was a man of great taste.
Mom had the buzzer for the table and just after she got her drink it went off. I looked over at Dave and saw he was alone at the bar with a full beer and another shot of whiskey. I wanted to drag him out and send him home in an UBER before he had another, but I didn't want to have to make up an excuse and I couldn't afford the UBER.
Mom carried Sammy off, and I walked over to Dave. "Hey, babe," he smirked.
"The table's ready," I growled. "I thought you were going to take it easy tonight?"
His face flashed anger, and he said, "I'll do whatever I want."
I was about to cry but held back as my anger rose. "If you do anything to ruin tonight for her, your ass will be on the street, got it, babe?" I snarled. Then to my utter shame, I saw the man was standing back at the bar. I cringed in fear of him having heard our exchange.
Dave smirked again and said, "I have to hit the head. I don't have any money on me so pay the tab, would ya?" He walked away before I could object. I hoped I had enough cash to pay the bill.
As I fumbled in my wallet for cash, the bartender set the tab down. "Enjoy your dinner," he said with a smile, as he walked away.
I looked at the tab and it was $51. I wanted to cry. Three shots of $12 whiskey and three $5 bottles of beer. I dug around looking for any money I could find. I scraped up $46 and was about to pull up my maxed-out credit card's app in desperate hope I had some room, when I heard that voice say, "Everything all right?"
I wanted to crawl in a hole and die, but I looked at him with wet eyes. He looked at my bill with my cash sitting on the bar, and said, "Here, let me." He pulled a twenty from his money clip and tossed it onto my pile. I was about to object when he said, "Just pay it forward." He patted my shoulder and smiled.
I was speechless as he sipped the end of his martini and walked towards the restrooms. Dave walked up and I ignored him as I left to find my mother and daughter.
*****
As we were eating the appetizers Mom ordered, a middle-aged version of the man I had been lusting after appeared at our table. I felt a rock in the pit of my stomach as he smiled and leaned over to kiss my mother.
"Hello, everyone. I'm sorry I'm late."
"Hello, darling. This is my daughter Jennifer, her boyfriend Dave, and my beautiful Granddaughter Samantha. Everyone, this is Adam."
I cringed when he smiled at me. It was the same smile the man gave me at the bar. I realized I was about to have the most embarrassing dinner of my life when the empty chair to my left was pulled out and a giant body sat beside me.
"Sorry, everyone. I thought I should wait for my father to show up and let him make the introductions, although I already met Dave here, who has mutual love of Mustangs."
Adam sat and said, "This is my only child Joshua." Mom repeated our introductions and Joshua reached over to shake my hand.
"Nice to formally meet you, Jenny." I wanted to die from my embarrassment.
The waiter came over and Adam ordered wine for the table, but Dave ordered a Scotch, knowing I wouldn't start an argument in front of my mom. I was getting tired of his games. I realized it was partially my fault, I should have been more forceful, but he needed to want to accept the oversight from me. I was always an enabler, and something had to give.
Adam asked, "Jenny, I've heard all about Sammy, but your mom likes to just give me the basics about you. What do you do for a living?"
Before I could answer Dave bellowed, "Josh, do you have any other cars. That cherry Mustang cries for a brother for company."
Josh frowned at the rude interruption, but answered, "No, I don't have any others like her. My winter car is a Jeep Cherokee."
"Too bad," Dave sighed and grabbed his next scotch off of the waiter's tray before doing the drink as a shot.
Mom saw me wince and gave me that mom look that everyone knows. The "this isn't the time nor place" look.
Sammy whined, "Mama, down."
"No, Sammy you still have to eat."
"Let her down, Jenny. I want some more Sammy time."
I rolled my eyes at my mother's grandma guilt-trip.
"Fine, but you have to hold her."
She actually squealed and I lifted my wild child out of the protection of her highchair and set her loose on the unsuspecting restaurant. Thankfully, she ran right to my mom. That time.
I cringed when Adam told us to order whatever we wanted for dinner, as it was on him. Dave didn't waste a moment before he ordered lobster.
They say, 'if you have to ask, you can't afford it," and I can tell you that's true. I've never asked what the price was when it said M.P. next to the menu item because I knew I couldn't afford it. Market price, whatever it was, was just not a gamble I wanted to take.
I ordered spaghetti, and Josh laughed. "Jenny, this is one of the best steakhouses in the area. Tell me you're not a vegetarian."
