others do it because that’s what they think you’re supposed to do when you get to be a certain age. ” She shrugged. “ I think that’s the only reason I went tonight, and it’s just not a very good one. ”
“ You don’t like Mr. Markenson then. ” It wasn’t a question.
“ No, actually, I think he’s a very interesting and kind man. I like him quite a lot, actually. ”
“ So why not go because you want to get to know him better? Why isn’t he a good choice for marriage? ”
“ I don’t know that he isn’t. I just know that this way of determining that isn’t going to work for me. It was so --” Aggie searched for the right word. “ Artificial. ”
After another bite of ice cream, Vannie set her bowl on the coffee table, pulled her legs up against her chest, and rested her head on her knees. “ What is artificial about going out to dinner with a nice man? Doesn’t everyone have to eat? You’ve had dinner with him here… ”
As she thought about how to respond, Aggie grabbed their bowls, carried them to the kitchen, and then returned with an idea. “ Ok, let me try to explain it like this. Tonight we went out to eat, right? ” Vannie nodded. “ Well, when William picked me up, he was wearing his best casual clothes, freshly shaved and showered, and this time, ” she winked, “ he had on his best manners too. ”
“ He told me he was an ‘insufferable bore’ on your other date. ”
“ That about sums it up. It doesn’t sound like him though. ”
The girl giggled as she pushed her hair from her face. “ I was reading one of those old books that Mommy collected and asked what someone would have to do today to be one. He said, ‘Take a woman out to dinner and make the meal miserable because you’re embarrassed at what someone else did. ”
“ Well, I want to be gracious and say it was understandable, but frankly, it wasn’t. I was very upset that he took it all out on me. ” Forcing the memory from her mind, Aggie redirected her thoughts to the example she wanted to share. “ Anyway, I wore my favorite dress, a little perfume, and made sure I looked my absolute best. ”
The girl looked more confused than ever. “ I don’t understand. Shouldn’t you look your best? Mommy always dressed up when she went out with Daddy. ” Vannie swallowed hard. “ She was all dressed up that night --” Though she didn’t collapse in tears, the bereft girl couldn’t continue.
“ I know, but your mother was dressing to please her husband -- to make him feel special by looking as attractive to him as she could. I don’t like the feeling I got dressing up for a man that wasn’t ‘my’ man. Does that make sense? ”
“ I guess… ”
It seemed as if she’d never be able to explain her heart. “ Well, when we got to the restaurant, the waitress led us to an amazing table that overlooks the lake. There were candles, on the tables, soft music played around us, and some couples danced out on the terrace. We talked about the menu, the music, and the stars… ”
“ That sounds so romantic. ” Vannie’s sigh made her sound as if she were lost in a dream.
“ Vannie, ” Aggie laughed, “ it was like we were acting out lines from a movie or a book or something. There’s nothing wrong with candlelight dinners, beautiful music, and flowers. Yes, they can be romantic, but --” She struggled to find the right words to express how awkward it had all felt. “ I guess what I’m trying to say is that tonight I learned that most of what we call ‘romance’ is not real life -- or at least it’s not my real life. ”
“ But isn’t your real life whatever you make of it? If you aren’t something and you want to be, you start doing it and then you are. ” A stubborn look flooded Vannie’s eyes. Aggie knew that look; it was the exact one she’d always seen in Allie when someone criticized the number of children they had, the lifestyle they led, or commented on the “ waste ” of
“ You don’t like Mr. Markenson then. ” It wasn’t a question.
“ No, actually, I think he’s a very interesting and kind man. I like him quite a lot, actually. ”
“ So why not go because you want to get to know him better? Why isn’t he a good choice for marriage? ”
“ I don’t know that he isn’t. I just know that this way of determining that isn’t going to work for me. It was so --” Aggie searched for the right word. “ Artificial. ”
After another bite of ice cream, Vannie set her bowl on the coffee table, pulled her legs up against her chest, and rested her head on her knees. “ What is artificial about going out to dinner with a nice man? Doesn’t everyone have to eat? You’ve had dinner with him here… ”
As she thought about how to respond, Aggie grabbed their bowls, carried them to the kitchen, and then returned with an idea. “ Ok, let me try to explain it like this. Tonight we went out to eat, right? ” Vannie nodded. “ Well, when William picked me up, he was wearing his best casual clothes, freshly shaved and showered, and this time, ” she winked, “ he had on his best manners too. ”
“ He told me he was an ‘insufferable bore’ on your other date. ”
“ That about sums it up. It doesn’t sound like him though. ”
The girl giggled as she pushed her hair from her face. “ I was reading one of those old books that Mommy collected and asked what someone would have to do today to be one. He said, ‘Take a woman out to dinner and make the meal miserable because you’re embarrassed at what someone else did. ”
“ Well, I want to be gracious and say it was understandable, but frankly, it wasn’t. I was very upset that he took it all out on me. ” Forcing the memory from her mind, Aggie redirected her thoughts to the example she wanted to share. “ Anyway, I wore my favorite dress, a little perfume, and made sure I looked my absolute best. ”
The girl looked more confused than ever. “ I don’t understand. Shouldn’t you look your best? Mommy always dressed up when she went out with Daddy. ” Vannie swallowed hard. “ She was all dressed up that night --” Though she didn’t collapse in tears, the bereft girl couldn’t continue.
“ I know, but your mother was dressing to please her husband -- to make him feel special by looking as attractive to him as she could. I don’t like the feeling I got dressing up for a man that wasn’t ‘my’ man. Does that make sense? ”
“ I guess… ”
It seemed as if she’d never be able to explain her heart. “ Well, when we got to the restaurant, the waitress led us to an amazing table that overlooks the lake. There were candles, on the tables, soft music played around us, and some couples danced out on the terrace. We talked about the menu, the music, and the stars… ”
“ That sounds so romantic. ” Vannie’s sigh made her sound as if she were lost in a dream.
“ Vannie, ” Aggie laughed, “ it was like we were acting out lines from a movie or a book or something. There’s nothing wrong with candlelight dinners, beautiful music, and flowers. Yes, they can be romantic, but --” She struggled to find the right words to express how awkward it had all felt. “ I guess what I’m trying to say is that tonight I learned that most of what we call ‘romance’ is not real life -- or at least it’s not my real life. ”
“ But isn’t your real life whatever you make of it? If you aren’t something and you want to be, you start doing it and then you are. ” A stubborn look flooded Vannie’s eyes. Aggie knew that look; it was the exact one she’d always seen in Allie when someone criticized the number of children they had, the lifestyle they led, or commented on the “ waste ” of
Similar Books
