Chapter 6 - Their First Date

Dean could barely stand the anticipation of waiting for Friday night. His Mother knew something was up by the way he was acting but since he didn't share the news with her, she had no idea what he had planned. She did notice that he had put on a suit and tie on Friday and told her that he would not be joining her for dinner and not to expect him back for a while. She reminded him that he was still recovering and that his sleep was important and that he was too old to be out all hours of the night. She also reminded him that he was above a one night stand. He looked at her with a discouraged look and asked her if she really thought he was that type. She backed down and said no, that she knew his Nanny had raised him to be a gentleman.

Dean was happy to get out and head to Amanda's. He had borrowed his Mom's BMW and was thinking about what a great night this was going to be as he drove along. Amanda had given him directions while at the hospital and he knew right where she lived. He soon pulled into her driveway and hobbled to her front door and rang the bell. He was greeted by a feisty older woman that he knew right away had to be Amanda's Mother. It suddenly dawned on him that he probably should have brought flowers for both of them but it was too late now. He held out a hand and introduced himself. Dotty smiled and welcomed him into the home and told him to follow her into the kitchen as she was making dinner for Philip and Jamie. He found her to be very nice and easy to talk to.

Dotty said "So Dean, I recognized you right away. We watch you on Channel 7 all the time. Why just the other day, I was saying to Amanda what a handsome man you are and wondered if you were seeing anyone. She could use a nice man in her life; you know after finally divorcing Joe".

Dean replied "Thanks Mrs. West, Amanda really helped me while I was in the hospital. It was so boring there and I felt like I was losing my mind but it was nice to look forward to her visit each day"

"Please call me Dotty, all my friends do. Yes, Amanda is very good at cheering people up. I always tell her that she should try to find a job helping people but she says that she would have to go back to school in order to get a decent paying job in that type of field".

Dean replied "I'm sure she will find a job soon. I heard she has been looking for a while. If I hear of anything that might interest her, I will be sure to let her know. In the meantime, do you know if she is almost ready? Our Reservations are for 6:30pm and I hate being late."

"I'll go check on her"

At that moment, Amanda was descending the stairs and responded "You don't need to Mother, I'm right here. Sorry to have kept you waiting Dean. I see you have met my Mother. I had to make sure the boys were doing their homework and then give them hugs and kisses goodbye since I didn't want them to meet you at this time".

"That's fine Amanda, but we should go. Mrs. W...I meant Dotty, it was a pleasure meeting you. I hope to see you again" Dean took Dotty's hand in his and instead of giving it a kiss, he shook it. Dotty gave Amanda a confused look and Amanda had to hide the smile that had formed on her face. Yes, Dean was definitely different.

Dean let Amanda go ahead of him out to his car. She told him what a beautiful car he had and he mentioned that it belonged to his Mother. He slipped into the Driver's seat and asked Amanda if she was going to get in. She smiled and stepped into the car thinking "he certainly isn't much in gentlemanly manners" They drove in silence to La Bergerie, a little French Restaurant that was considered one of the best in the area. It occurred to Amanda along the way that not only had he not helped her into the car, he also had not mentioned what he thought of the dress she was wearing. Even Joe had always been nothing but a Gentleman when they were together. Dean definitely didn't have the social skills for dating, she mused. When they arrived at the Restaurant, she wasn't at all surprised that he didn't help her out of the car even as she struggled from the low sitting car with her high heels. He did act impatient though as she scurried out of the car so the Valet could go park it but the Valet was a young man around 20 years old and he held out his hand and helped Amanda out of the car. Dean motioned for Amanda to go in front of him as they walked into the Restaurant and were seated. She thought maybe he would follow her lead so she said "Dean, you look very nice in that suit. I would have to say that Blue is definitely your color as it makes your eyes stand out".

Dean's Response was "That is nice of you to say Amanda. I picked this suit up in New York when I was out at a Weatherman's convention in 1980. I'm so glad it still fits me"

Amanda waited for him to compliment her and nothing happened. So she gently tried again. "I'm glad that I chose a blue gown too so that we don't clash. I typically enjoy pinks and reds but I wasn't sure what you would wear so I thought blue might be a better choice"

Dean replied "yes, you can never go wrong with wearing anything in the color blue"

Amanda gave up and turned the conversation to his recovery. He told her that the PT appointments had been harsh on him but were paying off. He was beginning to be able to walk a bit more normally and he would be returning to his job next week. Amanda told him how happy she was for him.

The rest of the evening was spent talking about Dean and his job. He really loved his job and loved talking about it. He told her that now that she knew a famous weatherman, he could make sure she knew what the weather would be at all times so she could plan her life around it. She smiled and said that there were other things that factored into how she planned her life but that she appreciated his help too. This Restaurant was way above what she was normally used to but she enjoyed the food immensely. As she sat listening to Dean, she found her mind wandering "What was she doing with her life? Now that Joe was no longer around, did she want to be alone all the time? For instance, here was this really nice man who obviously was financially stable who seemed to like her and yet, she really wasn't feeling any kind of connection to him. Shouldn't she feel something while on a first date? Shouldn't there be some sort of spark or something that told her that this could be the one?

"Amanda? What are your thoughts?"

"I'm sorry, What Dean?"

"I asked you what your thoughts were?

"About what?"

"I was asking you if you thought Cirrocumulus or Altocumulus clouds are nicer to look at?"

"Oh, sorry, I never thought about it before. I have always preferred Cirrus Clouds"

"Oh Amanda, those are much too common. I definitely prefer Altocumulus Clouds myself"

Amanda realized that she had no idea really what Dean had just said to her for the past 20 minutes.

The rest of the evening was okay but nothing to write home about. Amanda found that Dean's life really consisted around the weather, his trips out of town for Weather Conventions and his time with his Mother. She couldn't help but feel a little sad for him. She also realized that he didn't really have much of a sense of humor. He rarely smiled and seemed very intense most of the time. Soon enough, she found herself beginning to yawn. Dean didn't even seem to notice and kept talking about some sort of documentary he was working on for the Weather Bureau. It really didn't interest her a lot though so she really wasn't sure what exactly his part in it was. After their dinner plates were taken away and they both refused dessert, Amanda suggested going to a local club to enjoy a live Jazz band and maybe dance a little. Dean's face showed complete panic and he immediately told her that he should take her home because he had an early morning and really needed to get some sleep. Amanda was a bit disappointed but agreed that he needed his sleep. He drove her home and as they sat in her driveway, he reached out his hand to take hers and shook it again. It was clear that he had no intentions on helping her out of the car or walking her to her doorway so she got out and thanked him for a nice evening. He thanked her for agreeing to go out with him and asked if he could call in a few days. She said that would be fine and quietly closed the door and went into her house. Dean sat in the driveway for a moment thinking about what a great evening he just had. He was sure that there was a huge connection between them and he couldn't wait to take her out again. In a rarity, he was still smiling as he backed out of her driveway and headed home.

TBC