Chapter 2: First Date
14 February 2027
Over the next two months, Abby and Leon regularly had dinner at the diner during the week; most weeks two or three nights per week. Some weeks they tried other diners just to change things up, but always came back to the Franconia diner. Several times they had met at the diner on a weekend and had a meal together.
Around the beginning of February, Leon asked Abby if she had any plans for Valentines' Day. She responded that she didn't have plans, but would probably spend part of the day with the nuns, since it would be a Sunday. Leon put his hand on Abby's, to her surprise.
"You have plans now, Abby. I want to treat you to a special day and take you to dinner as a date. Are you okay with that?" Leon made eye contact with Abby, who was chewing her lip.
"Um, yes, I think so. I mean, we've never been on a date…" Abby trailed off, thinking about how much she and Leon had shared over the past two months of dinners. They enjoyed each other's company, and shared personal information, such as Leon's former loneliness and Abby's fear of commitment.
"It's okay if you don't want to call it a date," Leon didn't want to push Abby or make her feel uncomfortable. He would give her an out if she wanted.
"No, I mean, yes, I mean, let's go on a date. I'm okay with it." Abby smiled and squeezed Leon's hand gently. "I'd like that!"
On Valentines' Day, Leon picked Abby up at her apartment around 1100. He had told her to dress in casual clothes and bring a change of clothing for a restaurant dinner later in the day. Abby also had her parasol with her. Leon offered his arm to her and escorted Abby to his SUV.
"Where are we going first?" Abby was excited for her day out with Leon. "Where are we going for dinner?"
Leon smiled at Abby, "Have some patience, Abby. You'll find out the answers in due time!"
"You know I hate not knowing…" Abby complained.
"But then it wouldn't be a surprise!" Leon continued driving on I-495 westbound towards Fairfax. He exited going towards Fairfax and soon Abby saw signs for a Chocolate Festival. She turned to ask Leon if the festival was their first destination and he grinned at her. "First stop for today, CHOCOLATE!"
Leon parked and held the door for Abby as she exited his SUV. She opened her parasol and slipped her arm into Leon's, walking side by side with him to the entrance. The pair could smell chocolate as they entered the building. Abby was as excited as a kid in a candy shop. Leon guided her to the VIP admissions desk and gave his name to the receptionist.
"Follow me, Mr. Vance; your private tour will start here in a few minutes." A young man led Abby and Leon to a waiting area and motioned for them to have a seat. Abby sat on the sofa next to Leon and rested her hand on top of his. He turned his hand palm upward and intertwined their fingers. Abby grinned at him and Leon felt overwhelmingly happy for the first time in a long while. Maybe, just maybe, he wasn't destined to be a lonely old man…
Abby smiled even more as Leon grinned back; she was really enjoying being with him and was glad she had taken a chance on moving beyond just friends with him. Oddly, even though they had talked about her fear of commitment and her rule of not seeing or dating anyone more than two months, she had never felt that fear with Leon.
Their tour guide arrived in about five minutes. They stood up as she introduced herself to the pair, "I'm your guide. My name is Leah. Please feel free to ask any questions as we move through the tour. Follow me."
Abby slipped her hand into Leon's as they followed Leah. He squeezed her hand lightly; her hand in his felt like it belonged there. He had a mental image of Jackie smiling and nodding her head at him. He smiled to himself and walked hand in hand with Abby for the tour.
Abby squeezed Leon's hand lightly. She liked the feeling of holding his hand. She looked over at him and he smiled at her. She grinned back at him; she could get used to this easily! She felt a level of comfort and trust with Leon that she had never felt before in a relationship. She admitted to herself that this relationship was different from any prior ones; a good different.
The tour was mostly behind the scenes of the main part of the festival; parts of the festival were being filmed for a Food Network show. They saw the chocolate sculptures in progress and watched in fascination as the artists formed their creations. The host of the TV show asked several questions of the chocolate artisans about the types of chocolate and the processes used. Abby and Leon were part of a live audience, and were allowed the opportunity to ask questions and make comments. Abby, being the scientist, asked about additions for stabilizing the chocolate for sculpting. She and one of the artists had a discussion about the chemical and physical properties of the chocolate for sculpting, amazing the others watching.
One of the other live audience members commented to Leon, "Your wife is awesomely smart. What does she do for a living?"
Not bothering to correct the woman, Leon responded, "She's a forensic analyst and scientist for NCIS. A darn good one at that!" Leon grinned as he watched Abby being Abby and in her element. He had been in awe of her intelligence since he had met her many years ago.
The director who was filming the show asked his assistant to get Abby's information so that she could be credited in the show. He wanted to show the discussion between Abby and the artist on the show. Abby filled out the information needed and then excitedly ran over to Leon. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug that only she could give.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Leon, for arranging this," Abby chattered excitedly. She gave Leon a peck on the lips without thinking. "Uh, Leon, I…"
He put a finger over her lips to quiet her, and spoke to her in a whisper, "It's okay, Abby, I am okay with kissing you…" He grinned at her and she smiled back and kissed him again.
The pair finished the rest of the tour and then headed out to the next activity. Again, Leon wouldn't tell Abby the destination until they arrived. When Leon pulled the car into the bowling alley parking lot, Abby gasped in surprise. Not only was he taking her bowling, but they were also at the same alley where Abby bowled with the nuns.
"How did you know?" Abby asked him.
Leon grinned at her, "I have my ways… but seriously, you mentioned the bowling alley by name several times over the past two months of dinners. After that it was easy to find out the hours for today." He took Abby's hand in his and led her inside.
The nuns yelled out, "SURPRISE!" as Abby and Leon entered near the lanes. Sister Rosita held up Abby's bowling bag for her, and handed Leon his own bag.
"Oh this is so exciting, and the Sisters were in on it; that is so cool," Abby could barely keep from squealing and jumping up and down. Leon grinned to himself and gave Sister Rosita and the other nuns a thumbs' up. Abby threw her arms around Leon, "I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this surprise! Thank you!"
By the end of the game, both Abby and Leon were laughing and having a blast with the nuns. Abby had teamed with Sister Rosita, Leon with Sister Marguerite, and the other two nuns had formed a team. Abby and Sister Rosita were tied with Leon and Sister Marguerite at the end of the ten frames, while Sisters Bernadine and Graciella were one point behind. Abby proposed a tie-breaker final two balls and the others agreed. Sister Rosita suggested Abby and Leon play the last two. Abby stepped to the lane and rolled two strikes. Leon rolled a strike and then his second ball. Nine pins fell immediately, and the last one wobbled. All six held their breaths, but the final pin stayed upright.
"Good game, Abby and Sister Rosita," Leon congratulated the winning team.
"I never knew you bowled, Leon! You had a good game, too," Abby gushed and hugged Leon. "That was fun! Where to next?"
Leon smiled but said nothing. He moved to take off his bowling shoes and put his things in the bag, then to get a cup of water at the water cooler. Sister Rosita took the chance to talk to her friend.
"Abby, he is good for you. I have not seen you this happy in a long time."
"Thanks; I really, really like being with Leon. And for once, I am not afraid to stay in the relationship."
"Good for you, Abby. If it is meant to be, it will be." Sister Rosita was happy for her friend.
Leon came back to where Abby was sitting and handed her a cup of water, "Do you want to change to dinner clothes here? I have reservations for about an hour from now."
"Okay." Abby followed Leon to the SUV and got her bag from the back seat. He picked up his own bag and both went inside to change clothes.
Leon put on a pair of gray dress slacks, a light purple dress shirt and a navy blue V-neck pullover sweater. He waited for Abby patiently. When she did emerge from the ladies' rest room, he had to keep from gaping at her.
Abby had changed to a black dress that came just above her knees. The V-neck dress had lacy sleeves and a matching stand up collar, with lace trim on the neck edges. She had on simple black heels with straps. She had pulled her hair back into a single pony tail and tied it with a lacy black bow.
"Abby, you look beautiful!" Leon managed to say.
"Thank you, Leon; you look handsome yourself!" Abby tucked her arm into his and the pair went to the SUV. Leon held the door for Abby; she gave him a quick kiss and smiled. "This day has been wonderful so far; and it just keeps getting better."
Leon parked the SUV at the lot for Pier 4 along the Potomac. Abby was speechless; they were going on a dinner cruise along the Potomac on the Spirit of Washington. Leon glanced at Abby; her smile and wide eyes said it all. He was happy that she was happy; he had been worried that the cruise would be too much too soon for her.
"Leon, this is so awesome. I've always wanted to go on a dinner cruise. How did you know?"
"I didn't. I wanted something different for dinner, not the standard restaurant fare. I hope you like this."
"I am sure I will! Let's go board!" Abby tucked her arm into Leon's and just about bounced at his side to the boarding area.
"Vance; reservations for two," Leon checked in. They were led to a table on the top deck, with a spectacular view of the waterfront and DC. The pair was brought glasses of water and sweet tea. The waiter asked if they wanted to order a cocktail or wine, but Leon declined, knowing that Abby preferred not to drink alcohol.
Dinner was a buffet with so many choices that Abby had a hard time deciding what to put on her plate. When both had eaten more than they should have, two slices of chocolate cake with raspberry sauce were brought to the table with coffee.
While they ate dinner and dessert, a band played in the background and couples had a chance to dance if they chose. Abby joked that she had two left feet when it came to dancing and Leon laughed that he had four left feet! They agreed not to dance, with Abby joking that the cruise company did not have enough liability insurance for them to be on the dance floor.
After the cruise reached the dock, Leon told Abby they had one more stop. As he headed on the interstate towards Franconia, she smiled, guessing the final destination was the diner. When they arrived, Leon held her hand in the SUV for a minute.
"Abby, I have had a fantastic day with you today. I hope you enjoyed the day as well. Clyde has a special dessert just for us inside. Before we go inside though, I want to ask you something." Leon looked into Abby's eyes.
She nodded and squeezed his hand, "What is it?"
"Um, would you, um, do you mind," Leon was suddenly tongue-tied. He swallowed hard and spoke, "Would it be okay with you to be my girlfriend? I really like spending time with you."
"YES, YES, YES!" Abby nearly shrieked and squealed as she hugged Leon. "We are officially dating then?"
"Yep. Now let's go inside and see what Clyde has for us. It'll be just as much a surprise for me, because he wouldn't tell me what he is making for us." Leon helped Abby from the SUV and up the steps into the diner. Clyde was waiting for the pair.
"I thought you'd never come inside; please have a seat at this table with the red and white tablecloth." Clyde grinned at his friends. Leon and Abby both noticed that they were the only two people in the diner as Clyde went back into the kitchen. They chose to sit side by side at the table, and waited expectantly for Clyde to return.
Abby gasped when Clyde returned with the dessert. He placed it on the table and handed Abby and Leon each a fork and a spoon. "You'll need both; the outer shell is a pound cake made with amaretto; then the next shell is chocolate mousse; inside that shell is fresh strawberries with almond and chocolate flavored whipped cream and in the center, chocolate and raspberry swirl ice cream. Enjoy! Oh, and feel free to feed each other," Clyde winked at the couple, and went back to the kitchen to finish washing dishes.
Abby dug her spoon into the center, getting ice cream and a piece of strawberry. Leon started with the chocolate mousse layer and also got a slice of strawberry on his spoon. Both put the bites of desserts in their mouths. "Oh. My. God." Abby was flabbergasted with the flavors in her bite.
Leon laughed, "I agree!" He scooped another bite the same as his first as Abby got another spoonful of ice cream and whipped cream. Leon held his spoon for Abby to taste and she held her spoon for him. Clyde peeked out the doors and smiled to himself. They really did make a cute couple, even if to someone who didn't know the two it appeared that they were polar opposites. Clyde knew better. He went back to dishwashing, figuring he would go back out to the dining area in about fifteen minutes. That would give the couple time to eat the food and be together.
After the pair finished the dessert, Abby turned to Leon, "Thank you so much for this wonderful and awesome day!"
Leon grinned at her, "Anything for you, Abby. You're welcome!" She leaned in and kissed Leon just as Clyde came out of the kitchen.
"I see the magic has worked," he teased his friends.
