would draw attention to her cleavage, which had grown two cup sizes with the birth of her child. Even after so many years she still was, at times, uncomfortable with the growth. Besides, she would have to leave the top three buttons open to expose the necklace, which would expose too much and send the wrong message.
Solomon arrived early at the restaurant. He wanted to be there to watch Michele walk in. And she came in feeling and looking confident. She spent ample time applying makeup and lip gloss and styling her hair. She looked great, fresh.
The way he saw it, she was walking in slow motion as she entered Arizonaâs. Statuesque and radiant. The extra pounds she had put on did not faze him.
âHi there,â he said. Solomon was unsure if he should hug her or notâhe told himself to be very careful about how to handle this first dateâbut he immediately discarded that idea and leaned in for a hug.
Michele leaned in, too, and they embraced. âAh, you smell so good,â Solomon said. âI see youâre still into Avon.â
She laughed loudlyâthat was one of his favorite things about her that he had forgotten: Michele laughed a full, throaty laugh that was infectious.
âI have you know this is Mary Kay,â she joked, and they both laughed.
The hostess sat them in a booth near the front of the dining room. âI think this is an occasion for a midday cocktail,â Solomon said. âSome champagne?â
âSounds great,â Michele said, and Solomon ordered two glasses of Veuve Clicquot.
âWhat are we toasting to?â Michele asked.
âHow about, to redemption and recapturing?â he said.
âAnd renewing,â Michele added, and they tapped glasses.
Over the meal, they enjoyed small talk, caught up on each otherâs families and in general felt each other out.
The âelephant in the roomâ had been ignored for quite a while before Solomon said: âThank you for being here, Michele. I donât even know if I deserve your forgiveness, but Iâve been asking for it for years, putting it out there in the universe because I didnât think I would see you again.
âBut here you are and Iâm grateful. I have a friend here, Ray, who I told that I donât live with regrets. But, really, that wascrazy. Everyone does things they wish they hadnât, and at some point they regret them. I regret what I did to you.â
Michele just looked at him; she didnât know what to say.
âNow, Iâm trying to find my soul,â he went on.
âYour soul?â Michele said.
âYes, my soul,â he said. âFor me, my soul means my heart, conscience and rational mind. Those three together. And when Iâ¦never mind.â
âWhat?â
âIâll leave it at that for now.â
âOkay, I see,â she said. âWell, thanks for asking me out and being patient. My thing is I had to come down off the whole righteous indignation. I was hurt, but thatâs a part of life, relationships. It doesnât mean that itâs okay or that I donât have my issues behind it because I do.
âAnd the main issue is trust.â
âI understand that,â Solomon said. âThatâs something, if you give me a chance, that I have to earn. That I can earn.â
âYes, but itâs really more about me trusting myself,â Michele said, âtrusting my mind and my heart. And when they disagree, trusting that I can and will make the decision that makes the most sense.
âYou may leave here today saying, âSheâs gained some weight and she has a kid and sheâs crazy and I donât want to deal with herââand disappear,â she said. âThat would be messed up, but I couldnât be afraid of that anymore. I had to go for what I believed in.â
âAnd you believed in me? Wow,â Solomon said.
âI believe in the idea of you,â she
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