She had persuaded him to go out tonight, and after much stalling and protests of 'I don't have anything to wear', he found himself looking at his reflection in the mirror. He was back in his suit and tie; it took him to another place, another time, and he shook his head in an attempt to rattle those unpleasant memories out of his mind.
"There he is, back in his suit." He turned around and she was smiling as she approached him. "I think you can lose the tie though, you're not going to a business meeting." She was wearing a simple black dress with red lips that matched her heels. Instead of the usual clips she wore in her hair, a headband took its place, a sequined black flower embellishing the side of her head.
She gently undid his tie and held it out to him. "The neighbors are here already, so we should get going soon." She turned around and headed toward the door.
"Where are we going, exactly?" He asked as he followed her out the room.
"Just out on the town. Haven't you ever done this before? I bet you had a wild and crazy side when you were in your twenties, didn't you?"
In fact, he hadn't. He joined the police force when he was 19, met his ex-wife a few years later, and then they had their daughter. There was no room to go out and party, nor did he ever really want to. He wondered if that was one of the reasons why his wife was dissatisfied with him.
"I promise it'll be fun. And if, at any point, it stops being fun, we can come straight home, okay?" She smiled at him reassuringly. He returned the smile and led her out the hall and into the main room.
Their neighbors were an older couple whose kids had already grown up and left home, and, according to Ellie, they leaped at the chance of being able to babysit Tom and Fred for the night. He went to the front door while Ellie was going over her guidelines once again, giving each of her boys a kiss on the head as she caught up to him and walked outside the door.
The neighbors spoke up just as they were leaving. "You two kids have fun! We'll be sure to take care of your little ones." He gave an awkward farewell smile and followed Ellie out the door.
….
They finally arrived at a bar not too far a walk from where their house was, and he got a spot for them far enough away from the majority of already drunk twenty-somethings while she got their drinks.
"Look, it's karaoke night tonight! I brought the song list." She exclaimed as she handed him his drink. "We should do a duet." He almost choked on his drink and she laughed, attention still focused on the track list in front of her. "I just wanted to see your reaction."
"Are you going up there, then?" He took another sip of his drink.
"Yeah, I think I have to. What should I do then, Britney?"
He laughed. "Go ahead then. I'll be your own little cheerleading section." Her eyes sparkled as she got up. He watched her as the equipment was set up, and she gave one last smile in his direction before the music started.
He watched as she moved with the beat, a bit unsure at first, her eyes glued to the screen where the lyrics were. After the first few verses, she physically seemed to ease up; her movements were less rigid and there was that smile that would illuminate the dimly lit bar as the flower in her hair reflected off the spotlights. He didn't have a clue about what song she was singing, but judging from the reaction of the crowd, she was doing quite well.
"She's a bit rough, isn't she?" It took time for him to process that he heard that statement, and then he turned to his left to see a woman sitting next to him, in the seat that Ellie had just occupied.
He quickly moved Ellie's drink closer to him, making as minimal eye contact as possible. "What, you're not going to share? What are you drinking anyway?" He tried to tune her out, to focus his attention on Ellie, but it was harder than it seemed. She was wearing a heavily sequined red top that looked like it was ran through a paper shredder due to the fringe on the bottom half of it, and a tight black skirt with pink heels. He gulped down some of his drink in order to have an excuse for not talking to her, to see if she got the hint, but she persisted.
"Must be really good then." She seemed to move closer to him, her blonde hair invading his peripheral vision. "So, what's a fella as handsome as you doing in a bar like this?"
"I'm not alone." He responded in a monotone voice.
She gasped dramatically. "He speaks!" He could see her sinister smile as she moved even closer, crowding him against the wall. "You don't have to play hard to get, I'm already interested. And I don't see a ring on your finger, so anything goes, am I right?"
He heard the crowd erupt in applause and cheers, and saw Ellie beaming as she stepped down from the platform and began her way back to him, just in the nick of time. He stood up just as she approached.
"Ah, hand me my drink!" Ellie said, slightly out of breath from the adrenaline. He obliged, and as soon as his hand left her glass, it reached up to cup her face as he kissed her.
