Katherine slowly drew the empty fork through her lips, leaving the scampi on her tongue. She closed her eyes and imagined herself in New Orleans amid the laughter and dancing of a passion filled Mardi Gras. The spices, the scent, the texture of her meal were all making love to her taste buds and transporting her to places beyond. Whoever had created such a masterpiece had no idea what pleasure they had given to her tonight. Deep within her thoughts she giggled to herself, "well maybe I should go and show him my appreciation for such a wonderful meal." She opened her eyes and looked across at her date, a truly charming gentleman, not an overly handsome man but he was charming; yes that was the word, charming. She smiled to herself and shook her head slightly, with her luck the chef would be a loud fat man who didn't speak English and he wouldn't know what he was being thanked for. No she'd just continue to lose herself in her meal and pretend to be amused by her date's stories.
"I've never seen the poor chap since." Katherine jerked her head up, just in time to hear her date laughing out loud, his mouth full of food. Her date. Oh dear had she drifted away so far that she wasn't listening any longer? "Could you excuse me for one moment?" she asked, " I need to go freshen up."
"Don't take to long, sweetie." She smiled stiffly at him as she rose from the table. Air. She needed air. The atmosphere in the restaurant was certainly romantic. The candles on all the tables were casting secret messages across the walls. The quiet canopied tables and the soft sensual background music all should've been weaving their spell on her. But tonight Katherine felt anything but romantic. She wanted to be swept away with passion and desire, not by romance and candlelight. And certainly not by a man who laughed at his own jokes. Katherine made her way to the ladies room and stood looking in the mirror at her reflection.
She was a good-looking woman. She couldn't be considered a beauty by any standard but she had an air of confidence that men seemed to find deeply attractive. She wasn't sure if it was because they saw her as a challenge or if they felt they could tame her. She chuckled to herself, little did they know but she wasn't anything close to what her exterior belied. She let her mind drift to the last couple of men she'd dated. Soon she was dancing a dance of desire and seduction with one of the locals along the parade route. The music; its beat all went through her to stimulate her senses. "Excuse me." she heard from behind her. Once again Katherine was jolted to reality. She held back her long auburn hair and bent to splash her face with cool water, maybe that would work. The lady behind her looked at her and smiled, maybe she knew that Katherine was escaping from her date. Maybe she too was finding refuge from a boring date.
Katherine left the washroom. As she stood outside the door she looked out across the dining room at her date, still smiling to himself over his latest story. "He doesn't even need an amused audience to enjoy himself." she thought. No she had to get a breath of fresh air before she went back to the table.
The cool night air bit at her cheeks and she instinctively wrapped her arms around herself. There was a slight breeze that only worked to make the air feel colder, but she didn't seem to care, the air felt revitalizing. She lifted up her eyes to take in the stars and the bright moon smiling upon her, as she did so she caught the faint scent of cigarette smoke. She inhaled deeply, held it and savored the memory it evoked. Oh those were the days, good wine, good food and a good after dinner smoke. "Mmmmm, old habits die hard." she mumbled to herself. Thoughtlessly she allowed herself to follow the scent. It seemed to fill a craving within her. She knew she shouldn't be too long or her date would come looking for her.