Date night musings

We went out for supper tonight. How? Well, the sitter called and said she wasn’t available on our regular date night, but was available tonight and were we interested? Um, maybe a little. We salivated a little at the unexpected opportunity. Why? When we get to face each other across a table, or snuggle up side-by-side, we get a renewed sense of our affection for each other and we get to share a little laughter, unencumbered by small children and blended family ribaldry. We get to feel like newlyweds, sort of, for a bit. It’s great to have uninterrupted adult conversation (okay, Rob would say that I interrupt myself more than any four children could, but that’s another day’s post).

Okay, so where was I? Oh yeah, dinner. We thought we would go to the Wheelhouse Pub- uh, no thanks, waaaay too Langford (hick town, belatedly trying to grow up and capitalize on the meteoric building boom out here; more-or-less here we live now) for us. We wondered whether Smoken’ Bones could fit us in, it bein’ a Wednesday and all. When we went there a while back, on a Friday night (our usual date night), they shrugged us out- reservations are generally needed about a week in advance. (Get ON with it, Sal- the story...). Okay, so we got in. Rob was not terribly impressed by the decor, but I thought it was okay. The tunes track was totally appropriate, particularly when the banjo duel piece from Deliverance came on.) Rob had a heavy duty Surly Blonde beer (he doesn’t usually drink, so this was kinda fun to watch). We ordered the house specialities (Michelle, close your eyes here), and it was stunningly delicious. The restaurant purchases and prepares local food, and has built a solid reputation on the excellence of their “down-home” cuisine.

Now that I have a captive (and relatively attentive) audience at these dinners, I get to share my constant commentary (and verbal diarrhea: I even used the word alacrity in a sentence...) on my surroundings with someone other than my imaginary friends. ;) I particularly enjoyed making up a story about the couple sitting behind Rob. They were Langford, but genteelly so- picture trailer park managers. He was short, red-faced, neckless, with an astonishingly round visage, and a quiet demeanor. She was bleached blonde, with short, tousled hair and overly dark roots. She was directly behind Rob, so my view was impaired, but she seemed large. He was a less unhappy character than she, and appeared a little younger, perhaps as a result of temperament, or maybe the round-facedness was “youthifying”. I’m imagining that they don’t enjoy each other much, but would be lost without each other. I wish them well, but hope I don’t end up so subdued and seemingly empty.

Another group was clearly from Metchosin (a rural, artsy community, just down the road a piece), on a family outing. Three girls and their parents really enjoyed their meal- I wondered whether they were local producers themselves, since they looked the part of “back-to-landers”. The hairstyles, footwear and clothing choices were absolutely spot-on, and Rob, originally skeptical of my assertion as to their probable hometown, had to agree that they clearly were from Metchosin.

I wonder whether I’ll ever get to confirm the veracity of any of my little stories- that might be a lot of fun, or maybe it would be entirely deflating. Probably better that I don’t get to choose...