Chapter 3: Dinner With Anna

Continuation. Chapter is not complete however.

We arrived a few minutes early at Anna’s place.  White picket fence, just like she had indicated.  The house was rustic in design and very nice, which seemed a little odd with the white picket fence.  The house was far larger than you would have expected just looking at it from the front.  When I got to the front door with Stephanie in tow, I stood there for a minute.  Stephanie looked up at me and I looked down at her.  I was hesitant to ring the doorbell as I really wasn’t sure I was ready to start a new relationship.  Assuming that was what Anna was trying to initiate of course.

 

Still looking at Stephanie, I declared, “Oh stop looking at me like that.”  Stephanie replied, “What daddy? Are you going to ring the doorbell?”  “Yes, Steph, I’m just trying to find my nerve.”   “Would you like me to do it daddy?”  “No munchkin, I’ve got it.”  At that moment, Anna opened the door.  Surprised that we were standing their, she asked, “How long have the two of you been standing at the door?”  Before I had a chance to say anything, Stephanie replied “A couple of minutes.”, as she looked up with a big grin on her face.

 

Charles: “Yep, kids are great alright.”

Anna laughed and said, “Come on in.  Stephanie, the TV is in the living room to your right and there is a few toys and some nice books you can take a look at while your dad and I get dinner ready.”

Stephanie ran off into the direction of the living room shouting like kids do when they get excited about whatever kids get excited about.

Charles: “Stephanie! What do you say young lady?”

Stephanie: “Thank you?”

Charles: “That right. Tell that to Anna though, we are her guests.”

Stephanie looked up at Anna, and proclaimed.

Stephanie: “Thank you Mrs. Anna”

Anna: “You are welcome.  And you can just call me Anna sweetie.”

Charles: “Thank you!  Here’s the wine I promised.”

Anna: “Perfect, now we have the perfect Italian dinner setup.”

 

Over the next hour and a half, Anna and I prepared the dinner we had planned and all the while drank wine to pass time as we got thru the preparations.  At some point, when the lasagna was in the oven and baking, the two of us sat down to give us both time to relax a bit and talk.  We could see Stephanie from where we were sitting.  She was clearly engrossed in a book.  Steph was always into reading more than anything else.  I encouraged it, because it was the easiest way I could distract her from the evils of the world.

 

Anna: “Stephanie seems to be having fun.  Seems like an awfully big book for a five year old though.”

Charles: “Steph is an excellent reader and very intelligent.  We had her tested a few years ago.  She was way above average for children her age.  Her I.Q. was extremely high.”

Anna: “Really, how high?”

Charles: “Well, not to brag, but her I.Q. registered at 185.”

Anna: “Oh my.  I’m out of my league.  So much higher than mine.”

Charles: “Much higher than mine.  I sometimes can’t believe how much more intelligent she is by comparison.  It’s really difficult sometimes keeping up with her.”

Anna: “Are you doing it all alone?”

Charles: “Well yes, and no.  I said we moved here to get a fresh new start. However, we also had my sister nearby here.  That was another incentive for us to move here..  My sister had offered many times to help with raising my daughter.”

Anna: “That is nice.  She’s able to help.  What about Steph’s grandparent’s?”

Charles: “Stephanie’s grandparents on her mother’s side passed away a few years ago.  My parents are still alive.  They love seeing Steph and have her around to play and spoil her.  They are getting to the point though, that leaving Steph with them for anything more than a night would not be convenient.  Although, they have offered.”

Anna: “Still it must not be easy to let Steph be in someone else’s care after having lost her mother, your wife.”

Charles: “That’s it exactly.  When Dolores was laying there in the seat moments before her death, I made her a promise, I would never let anything happen to Stephanie.”

Anna: “Dolores must have been a very special woman.”

Charles: “She was. In all honesty, I never quite understood why she was in love with me.  She was so far out of my league.”

I stopped for a moment before I finished my thought.

Charles: “Dolores was the most amazing woman I have ever known, and Stephanie is all that I have left from her.”

The timer went off on the stove for the lasagna.  I had apparently lost track of time. Anna excused herself as she walked over to the oven to pull the lasagna out. 

Charles: “The lasagna smells great. I think we should collaborate more often.”

Author's Note

Nothing special. Still writing the chapter.

Reviews

[Kathy Van Kurin]

"Chptr. 3, Dinner with Anna"
Chris A. Jones,
Hello, I occasionally read a new writer or find when perusing her on WC. So this was a lovely story and I found the early connection here with Anna really fun. Little Stefanie sounds so loved which is as it should be. I like to see a youngster really included and protected and nurtured; very cool! This blossoming relationship looks promising. I hope that whether they are simply characters or real people, that it continues in life and the story.
blessings,
Kathy

[Chris A Jones]

Thank you!

[Kathy Van Kurin]

Chris A. Jones,
You are really welcome! Your description of the characters and location was interesting as well: Size of home, daughter playing, wine and visiting. It gave the tale a reality. That made it real for me. I look forward to reading again.
Kathy

[Valentine]

Written very well, still seems like an introduction to an event or something that hasn't happened yet. You, might leave some clues as you are going into this as to something big going to happen to keep the reader interested. Valentine

[Chris A Jones]

Thanks! I'll keep it in mind. So as an FYI, this was written off the cuff so to speak. First draft if you will of the story. So I expect some of this. The idea is to get feedback like this and also get a feel for the interests. I appreciate the input nonetheless and when I get around to finalizing the story it will be incorporated.