Ladies Lunch
“I’ll have a scotch and soda and she’ll have a dirty martini.”
I blushed as the handsome waiter walked away.
“What, are you going to order my meal for me too? I’m not a child! I can order my own drink.”
“Sorry doll,” Aunt Suzie said.
I added dramatically, “my god. Be cool.”
It had been day five of my two-week vacation to Aunt Suzie and Uncle Chuck’s house in Georgetown, a trip I had to fight mom for every summer. I guess she knew the freedom that Aunt Suzie afforded me while Uncle Chuck was busy at work. Damn, if I ever knew what that man did for a living. He was smart looking, with his glasses and beard and he wore a lot of tweed blazers, even in the summer. Was he a teacher? For college? Something like that.
The room looked dark, especially for lunch. Clyde’s high ceilings made for bad acoustics – we had to shout to hear each other. From our leather club chairs we watched men in suits sit at the bar drinking bourbon and smoking cigarettes, putting their meaty hands on the backs of women sporting high heels and tight perms.
Long after we’d finished our food (me – a cheeseburger, Suzie - Caesar salad, dressing on the side) we kept drinking. Suzie said it best we wait out the shower. Out the wall of windows, rain pummeled the parking lot.
Hours passed. “Ok, the rain stopped. We’d better go if we want to hit to the mall before dinner.”
“Ok,” I said, “I need the restroom. I’ll see you outside.”
As I approached the silver Mercedes I saw Suzie light a fresh cigarette from the butt of another.
“What’s wrong?”
“The battery is dead.”
“How did it die?”
“The rain, Melissa. The rain. I drove with the lights on because of the rain. Because YOU begged to get out of the house. YOU wanted to go out to lunch. YOU wanted to go shopping.”
Suzie avoided puddles as she paced in her wedged espadrilles, fussing with a chip in her burgundy nail polish. “Never cherry red or tomato red, Melissa,” she’d schooled me more than once. “We both have the same winter color wheel.” Whatever that meant.
“What can we do?”
“I’ll stay here and try to find someone and you go back to the door of the restaurant. Ask anyone leaving if they have jumper cables,” she said.
“Jumper cables,” I repeated to be sure I’d understood her correctly after four martinis. “Got it.”
After a few rejections, our waiter came out the door, wearing a Levi’s denim jacket over his black uniform shirt.
“You’re still here,” he said to me with an adorable smile.
“Oh hi. Yeah we left the lights on in our car and we need a jump,” I explained.
“I have jumper cables. I’m happy to help.”
“You sure?”
“No problem at all. I’m Jason, by the way.”
Though Suzie had instructed me several times not to trust anyone who uses the term by the way, Jason was awfully cute.
Jason pulled his Jeep Wrangler in front of the Mercedes. It didn’t take long to transfer the energy from his car to hers.
Before he turned to leave, Jason looked at me and asked if he might be able to take me out on a date sometime. “Not that you owe me for the favor,” he said, charming me with sky blue eyes and a freckled nose.
“Well, I live in Delaware,” I said, “I’m just visiting my aunt for a few days.”
“Your aunt?” he asked. “I assumed you were sisters.”
I imagined Suzie swooning behind me.
“Yeah, that’s my Aunt Suzie. And I’m probably too young for you.” There was no reason to add this detail since leaving town was excuse enough.
“Well geez, you’re acting like I’m ancient,” he said, “I’m only 25.”
“I’m 12.”
Jason’s face turned a blotchy pink and he backed away from me.
“What the hell??!!”
He stomped over to Suzie sitting behind the wheel and said, “are you trying to get me arrested lady?”
“You’re the one hitting on a child.” Suzie told Jason.
“I thought she was at least 21.”
“Then you, my darling, should get better at your job.”
I mouthed I’m sorry to Jason as he started towards his Jeep.
“Be careful kid, that lady is gonna get you into serious trouble one day.”
“I sure hope so,” I said.