Chapter Two- A Question

 

 

 

Chapter Two- A Question

 

As they walked up to two larger golden doors and Sahen stepped in front to open the door for Jamila.  “Thank-you kind sir.”  She said jokingly.  The waiting room was empty except for a small girl standing on a podium.  She looked up revealing a pair of large glasses.  He walked up and smiled.  “I think have a reservation for two under Harris?”  He asked.  She pushed up her glasses and looked intensely at her book, mumbling the names off the list she finally said.  “Ah!  Mr. Harris, come right this way”.  She lifted the curtain to the side so they could walk thru then scooted back in front of them and started to lead them around the tables to a private booth near the back of the restaurant. 

“Wow…” Jamila said with awe in her voice.  “I’ve never been in here before…..It’s beautiful.”  He looked around, he had been here once with his parents and he greatly enjoyed the 40’s music that they played, but he had never really taken the time to stop and look at the decor.  The tables were draped in red table cloths, placed neatly on top of each table was two candles, there were large pillars decorated with paints to look like what he assumed was Medieval writing though really his best friend Gawain would be able to answer better.  His friend always seemed to be living in a different time period or rather a book about it, even his name was from a different time period- “Ok here’s your table!” The hostess’s voice snapped him from his thoughts back to reality. 

“Your waiter is Edward he will be with you in a moment; can I get you anything to drink?”-she said with a smile. 

“Did you want to share some wine Jamila?” he asked excitedly his family practically worshipped wine which meant he knew a lot about it. 

But to his disappointment she distantly replied “Sure”.  

“White or Red?” he asked hope filling his voice.

“Red I guess”- she replied looking rather bored. 

“Alright one bottle of your finest red wine”- he said as he dug his Id out of his ancient wallet he had gotten it for Christmas five years ago and never bothered to get a new one.  

“Oh man that’s ugly!” Jamila said with great disgust.  Sahen quickly gave her an expressionless look then back to the hostess

“That would be the 2007 Massolino Barolo sir.”  She said trying to keep a polite face after Jamila’s comment. She quickly checked Jamila’s ID and then Sahens.

“December 21^st that’s my birthday to.”  The waitress said happily.

“How amusing, Small world I guess?”  Sahen said smiling at the lady who quickly received a seething look from Jamila. 

“Thank you, I will be back in a moment.” The Hostess said quietly before rushing away. 

“It’s beautiful in here; I always thought it was dinge and small.  That’s what it looks like on the outside.” 

“Well I guess looks can be deceiving.”  He said without realizing.

At this she looked at him and stared for a moment as if she was trying to solve a puzzle, and then she grabbed one of the menu’s the hostess had left.  “So what are you going to have?”  She asked. 

“I was thinking the trout.”- He replied then asked.  “Did you want to share an appetizer?” 

“Sure, and I’m ready when you are.”  She said.

  As they waited for the waiter they talked about what he had missed well he was away and what he had done when he was in England. 

“I heard king tut is at the British museum?  Jamila asked suddenly very interested.

“No I think he’s still in Egypt but they did have like fifty copies of the book of the dead”.  A grin slowly made its way across his face. 

“Well I hope you didn’t read any of it!” Jamila said putting on her best Reachel Weisz voice.

“Well not much?” he faced his palms up and shrugged.  They both started laughing.  The waiter came up with the wine.  “Hello my name is Edward and I’ll be your server today.”  He said politely.  Then uncorked the wine.  Sahen tried not to notice how hard Jamila was staring at him.  

“Could we start with some calamari?” he asked.

“Absolutely, would you like me to get the rest of your order now or shall I come back?”

“No now is fine, I’ll will have the trout please.”

“What are you having Jamila?” 

“Um I’ll just have the garden salad.” 

“That’s it?” he said perplexed. 

“Uh….yes please.” 

“I will be right back with your appetizer.”  Edward said.

“Oh my gosh!  This is amazing!  Why have I never been here before?”  Jamila said biting in to Sahens trout.  He decided that she had to have the other half of his trout as she had already finished her salad.  “Are you sure you don’t want to order more?” he asked

“No thank you,  I’m good!  She said politely between bites.

 

“Um I wanted to ask you something.”  Sahen started nervously.  They had finished dinner and were working their way thru dessert. 

“Oh really!  Well I have a question too!” She said giggling apparently she’d had a bit too much wine.

“Well I was wondering-” he started before she interjected with “Can I stay at your house tonight? “ 

Sahen stopped with his fork holding carrot cake halfway to its destination.  

Well that was unexpected.  He barely managed to keep the thought to himself.  “Umm…well…yes?”  It wasn’t like he hadn’t slept in the same bed as a girl before, but he’d never had anyone over; other than Gawain his best friend.  There wasn’t exactly any room to spare. 

“YAY!  Ok I’m stuffed we should go now!”  Blush growing on her cheeks. 

“Alright.”  He said popping the little box back in his pocket.  Still dazed he waved down the waiter and asked for the bill.

 

He had phoned his dad after paying the bill and now they were making their way down the bumpy road in his dad’s truck, there was an eerie silence around them.  His dad had welcomed the idea of her staying over with pleasure but his face had cast a worried look just long enough for Sahen to see.  He knew his dad was worried that their house wouldn’t be up to her standards.  But Jamila wasn’t like that; he thought of his wallet but quickly pushed the thought aside.  He was leaning his head against the window when he swore he saw a very small wolf, almost jackal like creature at the side of the road, but as quickly as it had appeared it was gone.  He wondered if it was because it was getting late or maybe his eye troubles were finally getting to him.  But whatever he had seen it made him feel uneasy. He looked up at the moon it was about a week till the blue moon and so the moon was getting fuller by the day.

 

The truck screeched as they pulled up, Sahen hopped out and help Jamila down.  “Now you’re sure your parents know ya here right?”  His dad said in his best parent voice, he never was very good at the whole “enforcer” part of the job. 

“Yes sir, I told them I would call them if I needed anything.” 

“Well…Alright then you too run along I’m just going to close up the barn.”  Sahen looked up at his house as he walked across the dirt driveway, the paint had withered off the house under the many winters and rains, in its defence it had only been painted twice and it was put up in the late 1800’s. 

“Whoa, how old is this house?  Any extra… friends I should know about?”- She giggled as she spoke, but there was a quick flash of fear across her eyes when the wind picked up.  “Here let’s get inside.”  He opened the door for her to get thru.  As he was shuffling thru the door he heard a quite gasp.  He turned around and could see the faint glow of two candles and the outline of his mother’s face.  “Well hello, your not quite who I was expecting.” 

“I’m Jamila, you must be Sahens mother?” 

“Oh well now I hope you don’t expect to be calling me by that, just Randie’s fine.  Now please come in.”  After they got acquainted Sahens mother relit her spare candle and handed it to him.  “We haven’t gotten around to putting in lights yet, my dad’s very... old-fashioned?”  He offered as Jamila gave the candle a puzzled look.

He made his way downstairs, holding her hand at the last step so she didn’t slip.  “You should walk first I’m going to set up some blankets out here for me to sleep. 

“Do you think we could watch a movie or something first?” she said quietly

“Alright it will be kind of a tight squeeze though.”  He cast his eyes down at this statement a bit embarrassed. 

“Well come one lets go!”  She had already made it to the end of the hallway and was opening a door to the bathroom.  “This isn’t your room is it?”- She said faking a look of horror. 

He chuckled at this.  “No that’s not my room it’s the door to the right.”  He followed her down the hallway making sure to cup his hand around the candle to make sure it didn’t go out.  She crawled to the other side of the bed without saying a word.  He went and sat at the end of the bed and turned on his small TV and pulled out the few VHS’s he had.  “Well I have Back to the future, the breakfast club, Home Alone, Top Gun and The land before time.” 

“Hmmmm…”  She pursed her lips as she thought.  Please don’t pick home alone he silently thought.

“Let’s watch home alone.  Also you said you had something to ask me.”  She said. 

“Oh right, ya, I did well- Ah well I got this for you.”  He carefully pulled out the small box and opened it to show her.” 

“Oh… I…but…”  She looked at it and then to him.

 “I got it for you when I was in England.  I hope its ok.”  He cast a worried glance at her. 

“It’s beautiful but…why?”  She said confusion filling her face.

“Jamila I love hanging out with you and couldn’t get you off my mind when I was in England.  So I decided to ask you when I got back, can I have the honor of calling you my girlfriend?” 

“Sahen.”  She said.  “Can I give you an answer tomorrow morning?  She said fast.