Prompt: You get an unplanned yet highly welcomed day off from work. What are you going to do?
A Night On The Town
I get a certain thrill when my husband turns to me and says, “You’ve been working so hard in the kitchen lately. Why don’t you take a night off?” For as much as I love creating my masterpieces for us every night, so too do I enjoy hanging up my apron on its hook and excitedly donning evening attire and make up for a night out to sample someone else’s food—with the added plus that they will be doing the dishes.
I had the chance this past week to have a night off to enjoy an interesting meal out at an Italian restaurant in Bexley with two girlfriends of mine. Thanks to some gnarly rush hour traffic I uncharacteristically arrived 30 minutes late, but my companions didn’t mind. As I sipped my Pellegrino with lime wedge, I eagerly perused the menu, immediately deciding upon a beet salad with shaved Parmesan and the chicken ravioli in cream sauce, a favorite. Sounds from a live acoustic jazz band started to fill the air, and I smiled to myself, grateful that I had this opportunity to get out and do something that I enjoy.
Conversation flowed easily, I realized I do best when I’m in a smaller group, where people aren’t throwing back cocktails and getting louder and louder as the evening progresses. Sure, each of my girlfriends had ordered a glass of wine, but neither finished their glass. Could that have been me in my drinking days? Never! I’d have downed a whole bottle by myself, and most likely ordered an after dinner drink to boot. Thank God those days are behind me.
As we ate our meals, we shared stories about our families, groused about being a woman in her 50s, got serious and discussed current world affairs, giggled about High School hijinks, took a selfie to remember the night. I was a clean plater, enjoying every bite of my meal, and sipped a decaf coffee after we were through. Outside the restaurant, we hugged each other goodbye, with a promise to gather again in the near future.
Back to reality the next day, as I slowly made my way through Kroger with a cart piled high with items for a week’s worth of cooking projects, my phone pinged with a message from one of the gals. “Free for dinner November 14?” I wasted no time replying. “Yes! Let’s check out Grandview!” So it’s back to the grindstone, but a treat isn’t too far off in the distance. Yeah, I can live with that.
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