Time to Breathe

It was a warm summer evening in Coronado. The gentle breeze brought the fresh sea air past the beach and into downtown. A man and his date were exiting the Village Theater and chatting about the movie that they had just seen. The man had chosen the theater for its intimacy and retro vibe. The inside of the theater was adorned with heavy drapes and intricate wooden carvings which added to the experience. The woman had clearly enjoyed the venue. It was the couple’s first official date.

The man and the woman had met at work. But since they worked in different departments, they only occasionally had opportunities to talk. The man had liked this woman from the first time they met at a training seminar that their company had hosted. On a break, he had struck up a conversation with her and within minutes he felt a connection. The break soon ended, and the man spent the rest of the afternoon distracted and thinking about the encounter. The next few months he just admired the woman from afar. He didn’t want to seem desperate, so he made excuses to pass through her department a couple of times a week. He noticed that she smiled easily and had a cute little laugh. She wore clothes that were generally modest but stylish. She seemed well liked by her co-workers, and she always had nice things to say about them.

It took six months before the man got up the courage to ask the woman out. She had said yes right away, and he felt that was a good sign. After discussing different options for the evening, they had decided to go see a movie and then maybe grab a bite to eat. The movie portion of the date went well, which made the man very happy. He desperately wanted to impress this woman, but he was trying to play it cool.

When the conversation slowed, the man asked the woman if she was ready to get a bite to eat. She agreed some food would be nice. He told her that he knew of a place that wasn’t too far and that it had good food and some decent wine. While he led the way, the conversation turned to local events and the weather. They soon arrived at their destination.

The place was small in size, but big on personality. Wood paneling was everywhere. The paneling covering every wall, every pillar, and even every booth area. In most situations this would seem overdone, but it seemed natural and welcoming for this establishment. Framed pictures of celebrities and musicians covered most of the wall above the long row of booths. The center of the room was filled with a dozen or so quaint little oak tables, each with two mismatched wooden chairs. At the far end of the room sat a deep red grand piano. The unmistakable smells of wood, wine, and good food filled the air.

Most of the tables were occupied, but the man and the woman were able to find a booth near the back. The woman made several comments about the photographs of the famous people who had visited the bar. It seemed that she was a big fan of a lot of music from decades gone by. The man also knew a lot about the musicians that lined the walls. They spent some time discussing different music styles, their eras, and what made each one unique and memorable. He was happy to see that she was enjoying herself.

After a few minutes, the waiter came by to ask the couple if they wanted a drink to start the evening. The woman seemed a little embarrassed. She leaned in close, and in an hushed tone she shared with the man that she really didn’t drink often and didn’t know anything about what kind of wine she should have. The man smiled with delight. This gave him another opportunity to impress his date. After asking the woman a few questions about her preferences, he suggested that they each have a glass of Merlot.

As the two waited for their wine to arrive, the man told the woman a little more about Merlots and why he thought that she would enjoy it. She was very impressed with his knowledge and then shared with him that she was enjoying the evening very much. He smiled and said that he felt the same. He then thanked her for joining him and making it a wonderful evening.

When the waiter returned, he delivered the wine and dropped off some menus. The man suggested that they let the wine breathe for a few minutes. The woman smiled as she looked at her “breathing” wine. She chuckled as she asked the man if he thought that her wine might like an appetizer. The man smiled and joined in with the joke adding that, since the wine was from California, it probably wanted something with avocado. The two burst out laughing. She had a quirky sense of humor, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. The evening was going even better than the man had hoped.

As the woman looked over the menu, the man excused himself for a moment to speak to the bartender. As he walked away, the woman thought of the many times that the man had passed through her department in the past few months. She had secretly hoped that he was coming by to see her, but he never made his way to her desk. He would just give her a friendly nod when their eyes met from across the room. A few times she almost got up the nerve to approach him, but at the last moment she would just rush by as if she were late for an appointment. Now she was on a date with him, and she couldn’t be happier. He was a confident man, but polite and well mannered. She was pleased that they were getting along so well and hoped for a second date.

After speaking with the bartender, the man returned to the table. The man told the woman that there was going to be someone playing the piano soon. He then asked her if she would like to move up a little closer. She gave an enthusiastic yes, and the man motioned to the waiter that they would be moving.

The man and the woman picked up their drinks to move closer to the piano. The man led the way as they slowly wove around the small tables filled with people laughing and talking. The place had become busier in the short time since they had arrived. Waiters were bustling back and forth taking orders and delivering drinks. The woman concluded that it must be due to the fact that the entertainment would be starting soon. The couple continued their journey until they had made their way all the way to the far end of the room, right next to the piano.

The woman looked around. She had a puzzled look on her face. Just as she was about to say something, the waiter arrived with a barstool. As the woman sat down, she asked the man how he managed to get permission for them to sit at the piano. The man smiled proudly and explained that the bartender was a friend of his. The woman was very excited about getting to be so close to see the entertainer play. After a minute of chatting about how lucky they were that his friend was working that night, the woman asked the man when the waiter was bringing a seat for him.

The man smiled coyly and replied that he already had a place to sit. He then slid around to the other side of the piano. He picked up his glass of wine and gave it a discerning look. He then smiled and commented that the wine had had just enough time to breath. He took a small drink, sat down, and began to play.

The woman was stunned to put it mildly. She sat there for the first two songs just gripping her wine glass with her mouth slightly agape. The man was playing the old favorites that the two had just been talking about moments before. Before starting the next song, the man leaned in toward the woman to let her know that the wine was ready to drink. The woman giggled and quickly took a drink to try to hide how enamored she was with her date.

The next song that the man played, he sang along. It was a little love song, and he looked at the woman the entire time he sang. He knew by the look in her eyes that….

“Daddy,” a young girl interrupted, “Is this story about you and Mommy?”

The man smiled but didn’t answer.

“It is about you and Mommy!” her sister joined in. “Tell us another story….Pleeeeease…”

“Your mommy will be home soon, and we’ll all be in trouble if we stay up any later.” The man kissed the two young girls on the forehead and tucked them into bed. “Time for bed, you two.” He crossed the room and paused as he turned off the light. “Love you to the moon.”

“Love you to the moon and back!” both girls replied.

The man closed the bedroom door and headed downstairs. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he looked back up and smiled. He could hear giggles coming from the room above. He stood there thinking about that first date and how it had ended with a long sweet kiss.

The man walked over to a bottle of Merlot that sat on the table. He opened it and poured two glasses. Just as he set the bottle down, a message popped up on his phone.

Home in 15 minutes.

“Perfect.” he replied out loud, “just enough time for this to breathe.”