My first date night!

My first date night… And it’s not even my date. I ripped shirt after shirt out of my closet. My outfit had to be perfect. I wanted to look good, but not like I was trying too hard.

“Can’t we just cancel?” My dad’s voice echoed downstairs, “we can go to dinner next weekend, when Desiree feels better.”

I really like Desiree. She always lets me stay up past my bedtime and doesn’t tell mom or dad. It’s nice that dad cares about her. I finally found my blue collared shirt with the green dragons on it. This is the one; it’s perfect.

“We’ve had these reservations for months. We’re not canceling,” Mom said.

I buttoned the shirt and went to the bathroom to comb my hair. My mom walked upstairs, louder than usual. She was wearing a long green dress and shiny tall heels. She looked beautiful.

“Shaun, you look so handsome! I love the shirt, good pick.” She smiled wide and looked at me through the bathroom mirror. “Oh, honey, your buttons are mismatched. Let me help you.”

My mom knelt down in her dress; unbuttoned and re-buttoned my shirt faster than it took me to do it once. She always did things so fast, without messing up.

“Okay, all better. You ready?” She asked.

“Yes!” I beamed and ran downstairs.

My dad waited by the garage door. He looked so cool. I can’t wait to have clothes like him. “My man! I’m digging the dragons.”

“Thanks,” I said, “it’s almost the same color green as mom’s dress!”

“Super cool!” Dad gave me a high five. I think he liked that mom and I matched.

The sun was shining right into the garage. I would definitely be out past my bedtime tonight, even without Desiree! My dad’s black car beeped and the lights flashed yellow.

“Wait, it’s easier if we take my car.” My mom walked back toward the house, “Shaun’s booster seat is in it already.”

“Sure,” my dad agreed.

We all loaded in the car and I put on my seatbelt.

The cars whipped past ours and I watched the sun play a constant game of peek-a-boo behind the passing trees.

“Rex, can you not drive so slow? Our reservation is at 7:00,” Mom said.

Mom always made sure I was on time for everything: school, playdates, doctors appointments… Some of the other kids always had to give our teacher tardy passes when they were late. They always looked so embarrassed.

“Just call the restaurant and tell them we’re running late if you’re so worried about it,” Dad said.

“It will be fine. Just drive a little faster.”

Mom always knew how to comfort me too when I was worried about something.

“Diana. Why is your gas tank empty?” Dad asked. “Now we have to stop and that’s only going to make us even more late.”

Dad found a parking spot in the front row! We made it on time after all. The building was huge, had bright lights, and a fountain right in front. There was a circle of fire around the water; amazing!

I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt and was excited to get out of the car, but Mom and Dad didn’t move.

“We should just explain the situation. I’m sure they’ll understand why Shaun is with us and make accommodations,” Mom said.

“No, we can just play it off. The customer is always right, trust me,” Dad replied.

Dad opened the tall, glass door to the restaurant for Mom and me. Inside, there was fancy music playing and plenty of people talking and laughing. The ceiling was really high and there was a huge glass light at the top. There weren’t any other kids I could see.

“Reservation under the last name, Murphy,” Dad said.

The lady looked down at her computer and typed something. She looked at all three of us and smiled. She looked down at her computer again, and then smiled again. “Um Mr. Murphy, it actually says on here that it was a reservation for two.” This lady was very polite.

“It was definitely a table for three. I had my secretary double check a couple of days ago,” Dad said.

“Oh my apologies, someone must have marked it down wrong.” Her eyes darted back and forth from her computer screen to my dad. “I am so sorry… I just have to get my manager and...”

“Listen, our babysitter called in sick tonight. He could even sit somewhere small, he doesn’t need that much space,” Mom explained.

Dad looked at her and she shrugged her shoulders.

“We’ve just had these reservations for so long, we didn’t want to reschedule. You understand?” Mom asked.

“Completely, ma’am. I’ll just be right back with my manager.” The nice lady walked away.

Mom and Dad stared at each other. I felt so special. They were both trying so hard to have me included on this date.

The booth was super comfy and I liked sitting in the back near the kitchen. I could hear the chefs calling out at each other. The cooks tossed their pan in the air, and sometimes, a flame would burst out.

Mom and Dad both sipped on red wine. Dad ordered me grape juice.

“Did you notice the brand of Merlot I ordered?” Mom placed the bottle in front of Dad.

“No, it tastes really good though.”

I took a big gulp of my grape juice, “mine does too, Dad.”

“Do you remember this brand?” Mom asked.

“What am I studying to become a sommelier?” Dad chuckled. “Why are you being so reticent about it?”

“I’m not, I just wanted you to remember. It was the same brand of merlot we had on our first date.”

“Oh. Hmm. It’s very good,” Dad said with a smirk.

“Right…”

Dessert! The best part of the meal. I stuffed my face with my favorite ice cream, cookies and cream, while Mom nibbled on her cheesecake. She ate so slowly.

“Dad, do you like your dessert?”

Dad was scrolling through his work emails on his phone. He’s always working so hard. I want to be a big shot like him when I grow up.

“He asked you a question,” Mom said.

“Oh, it’s great, kiddo.”

“Goes great with this wine… doesn’t it?” Mom asked.

“Yep.” Dad replied as he went back to his emails.

Wow. What a night. We did it all. I felt so full on our ride home. I wondered if Mom and Dad felt the same way. They were so quiet. I just waited for them to say something. They must be taking it all in...

“Well, that was just a perfect date night. Couldn’t have planned it better myself.” Mom said.

“Oh yeah? I’m glad you tracked that wine down and quizzed me about it. It was splendid. Or when you jumped in when I was taking care of the situation with the hostess. That was great,” Dad replied.

“Yeah, you liked that? Glad I could get us seated so you could enjoy your emails while we ate.”

Silence again. I guess it was my turn to tell them how great the night was…

“It really was great!”

“It was?” Mom asked.

“You had a good time, bud?” Dad asked as well.

“Yeah! Staying up late and eating ice cream, it was great! My first date night. I loved it.”

“Well, I’m glad you had a good time.” Mom said.

“Yeah…”

Dad held mom’s hand. She smiled.