I must have been 19. I still lived with my parents, but I had a boyfriend called David, who was 24 and had his own flat. David was a lovely boy, sweet and gentle and he loved me to bits. We were very happy together and, although we hadn't said anything openly, we both expected we would spend the rest of our lives together. He worked in a small engineering company, McKenzies, which his boss, Mr. McKenzie, owned. David was a graduate and it was his first job since leaving university; he felt quite insecure and was very keen to impress.
I hadn't met Mr. McKenzie, but by all accounts he was fearsome and grumpy. I had seen him; he was tall, and was probably good looking in his youth -- but that was well behind him now. He was probably in his mid 50s, with a bit of a paunch. But he was undoubtedly an alpha male, confident, brash and assertive. So it was a big surprise when David rang me one evening to say that during the day, Mr. McKenzie had, in effect, invited himself and his wife for dinner on Thursday evening at David's flat. David was in a bit of a panic, because he could barely boil an egg. He was delighted by the opportunity to spend time out of work with his boss, whom he idolised, but terrified at the prospect of failing to impress. I told him not to worry and agreed that I would come over that evening and cook dinner for them and act as hostess. I was thrilled at this chance to act like a proper couple at a dinner party.
The day came and I went over in the afternoon with some shopping. I let myself into the flat and started preparing the food. I had chosen a simple menu -- some pate, followed by a casserole and then a fruit salad. That way I could do most of the preparation in advance and not risk things going wrong at the last minute. I got the food ready and the casserole in the oven and then nipped into the bedroom to get changed. I had chosen a little black dress. It was short (but not too short), showing off my legs and had a sweetheart neckline which showed a little cleavage, but not enough to look trampy.
David arrived back excited and nervous, and asked anxiously if everything was going alright. "Everything's fine, the food's ready, the table's laid. I just need you to open some wine and get changed" I reassured him. He gave me a quick kiss; "You're a star," he said as he headed for the bedroom. I busied myself folding napkins and then the phone rang. David picked up and had a short conversation. He came out and said, "That was Mr. McKenzie. He said that his wife isn't well and can't come, so he's coming on his own." I was secretly a little relieved. I had been a little worried that his wife might be a bit of a harridan and would have spent the evening passing judgement on the flat (too small), the furniture (too shabby), the carpets (need replacing) and, of course, the food (what a ridiculous choice of menu).
We were both feeling a little more confident and in control by the time the doorbell rang. Mr. McKenzie came in, with a bunch of flowers for me and a lovely bottle of red wine for David. We sat and he and David chatted about work for 15 minutes and then I called them to the table and served the food. I sat next to Mr. McKenzie and he sat opposite David; but I might just as well not have been there. The pair of them talked about work and ignored me. I didn't mind. My mind wandered and I served the three courses one after the other. The pudding finished, we sat back and I made coffee. Mr. Mckenzie reached into his jacket pocket, "you don't mind if I smoke" he asked. Actually, he didn't really ask. He told us. "No, no, not at all" blustered David. I did mind. Nobody smoked in other people's homes anymore; it was just soooo rude.
As it happened, It seemed that Mr. McKenzie had run out of cigarettes and David, as eager to please as ever, offered to go out and buy him some from the local shop. His boss made a token attempt to refuse and asked directions, but David insisted, saying that the shop was a little difficult to find if you didn't know the way and, in a trice, he was gone.