Bobby held the chair out for her at the restaurant. She raised an eyebrow and sat. "Let me guess, I never held doors open for you either?"
She grinned. "Not unless your boss or father was with us."
He sat down then. "It sounds like I was a bit of a shit."
"That's a terrible thing to say! You weren't! You just tended to be oblivious about things like that unless we were in a formal situation."
"Oblivious, huh? I'm not sure I like the guy I was. Everything on a silver platter, but manners are free. He, or I mean I, didn't seem to try very hard."
"It's so odd to be defending you to you. Do me a favor and don't knock my Bobby, okay?"
"Well, chalk up a point to him for marrying you. What's 'du jour?'"
"Du jour?"
"Soup du jour?"
"Oh. Soup of the day. You always liked steak with mushrooms in restaurants."
"I liked mushrooms? Hmmm. Oh, in case you're wondering why we're eating here, Father slipped me a wad of cash and suggested this place, so I seem to be getting things on a silver platter too. Oh yeah, happy birthday, thanks to Ralph. I usually eat on the cheap. Did we eat at restaurants like this often?"
"Not this upscale. We usually only ate at restaurants like this to celebrate- my birthday or our anniversary. Once a week we'd go out to eat though, someplace toddler friendly and much cheaper. We usually went out on Sundays- Martha always took the weekend off and would make something to heat up on Saturday."
He grinned. "Wow. You really can't cook, can you?"
They talked throughout the meal. Sometimes, just for a moment, it was like the old days, but then she'd be bumped back to reality by some statement or criticism of his. After dinner, he walked her back to her hotel room. She kissed him on the cheek at her door. He said, "For me, that's our first kiss." He pulled her toward him and said, "Let's do it right." In his arms, he seemed like her Bobby again. She had forgotten how gentle, how careful he was- nothing like the fierce intensity of Daniel.
He left then. It seemed like a date from before they were married, goodnight kiss and all. Selfishly, unreasonably, she wanted to call Daniel and curl up in his arms and sleep for a few hundred years. She wouldn't of course, mainly because he was off limits to her now.
It was wrong. He knew it was wrong, but there'd be no harm done except to himself. He just needed to see the cut of her husband's jib, even though he knew beforehand he'd judge the man as unworthy of her.
He materialized- invisibly- to the room she was in, something he could always do across any distance with her. He was in a candlelit restaurant, soft music and the hum of patrons' voices surrounding him. At least the man had style. He saw them, Carolyn sitting across from a blandly handsome man, the type who appeared on the cover of modern clothing catalogs. Surely no one would look at this man and think 'magnificent.'
They were clearly matched in era though: their garb, a certain softness which could only be attractive in the female of the species.
He moved closer to eavesdrop, needing to know how they addressed one another, what they discussed. He was saying, "I really would enjoy working with cars, not just as an attendant. Father wants me to go back to school and relearn architecture, but I'd prefer some sort of auto mechanic course. I just hate to say anything when he's trying to be helpful."
She nodded. "He always liked to decide things- but you stood up to him before. He wanted you to study business. Just tell him. Yes, he'll be disappointed, but having you back more than makes up for it."
They were planning their future in the face of obstacles like any happily married couple. They used no endearments, though. It was foolish to desire to know what endearments they used, if any. Also, as they spoke, they frequently glanced away from each other. He knew when he spoke with her, and sometimes when he wasn't, he couldn't help but watch her. She'd glance away from him sometimes, usually when she seemed overcome by emotion, but this wasn't one of those stormy discussions. Martha and her blasted opinions had influenced him more than he intended.
He wondered if he could will himself out of this existence, something he'd never considered. He returned home.