Red is for Love

This was written while thinking of someone.

I sat in this booth with my friends, sipping wine and spinning the pasta in between the prongs of my fork as I thought about college. Senior year and I was very anxious to be entering the workforce. I thought nothing of it then, but I sure do now. Lucile, our waitress, always waited on us as we entered the restaurant every Wednesday. Me and my friends, exited to talk about school and our secret lives outside of our friend bubble. I never thought that after graduating, I would be working at that same restaurant. I walked in one day and handed my application to a beautiful blonde behind the counter �" it was her. We said hello, I said thank you for your time and walked out; eager to hear back about my impending employment. She’s now my boss and I get to learn from the master. She teaches me everything I need to know, even about the different types of wine that they offer to their customers.

Day 1 comes to an end and we all punch out. She taps me on the shoulder and asks for me to stay back for a moment. We sit down in a booth and grab a bottle of sweet Zinfandel. With each sip, I began thinking differently about her as she shared her life goals and ambitions with me. I told her all about my college experience and how I rarely drank except for when I was here. She took the empty bottle from the table, put it in the back, and we walked outside, waiting for our rides home. As we left each other, I couldn’t help but think of her and how beautiful she was, compared to every other woman I had ever seen. It wasn’t even her looks that I was attracted to, but her mind.

 For weeks, I spent my nights sharing a glass of wine and stories with her until one day when she leaned over the table and kissed me. My heart sank more than my face as I kissed her back, thinking about nothing but her. In that moment, she was the only thing that mattered to me. I leaned over to a table next to us, picked a red rose out of the vase and placed it in her hair. Her smile grew more and she asked when we could see each other again. I asked if she was working tomorrow and she said no.

            That next day, we went to a 5-star restaurant. I was less interested in the fanciness of the restaurant but in the way that I could show off my new girlfriend to everyone. There we were, sitting together in one booth holding hands as we sipped sweet Zinfandel and smiled at each other. The night lasted forever. We talked, we shared stories and swayed to the jazz that brought her to the dance floor. The night was as perfect as she could ever be. 

Author's Note

Another freehanded short story. Didn't check for grammar, wrote it as I imagined speaking it with commas in places where I would break for a breath. Comments on the ideas presented are always welcome!