The Valentines Day From Hell - Part 4 and 1

14 February 2012

501 

R. Linda:

If I lose being coherent there is a reason for it.

Boston was the venue. Yes, it was, with a long silent trip home with Tonya was for me the only personal drawback. Me thinking was that at least Weasil wouldn't be staying at me abode, he'd be tucked away in a hotel room. Patrick and Ms. Jaio would not drive to New Hampshire, so it had to be Boston. Worked for me! Sort of.

The place (or more like the scene of the crime) was a rather up-scale restaurant at the wharf. I made reservations straight off because I knew Valentine's Day would be booked as most of the restaurants would be packed that night. I was lucky because I had a party of six, and they were more apt to accommodate me than if I was a party of two. Everyone was happy with the choice, all except Patrick who was telling me how expensive a place that was, and yadda, yadda, yadda. It was no more expensive than anywhere else on Valentine's Day, gees the man. You'd think he was a cheap Scot and a not a poor Irishman. Oh, I see there, that's the problem, being a poor Irishman. Oh well, too late.

Me first trial by fire for the night was the opening experience Patrick was about to partake of, that be that Charlotte be really one Ms. Jaio. To make this get away proof on Patrick's part, I told him to meet me at the restaurant, I'd bring 'Charlotte' so go to the table, sit down, order a drink and wait for me. Yup.

Tonya opted to go straight to the restaurant. She had taken the bus down and I know she was not pleased about that (I had the car and it was foolish to have two), and I knew she wanted to ride home with me so she could tear me a new one), so she opted to meet us at the restaurant.

Weasil and Amanda would also be along and so I arranged for them to meet there as well. At 5:30 I grabbed the loudly protesting and pad flashing, not to mention hesitant Ms. Jaio, and off we went to the wharf. It was like riding with Tonya, her mouth didn't stop the entire trip. It got to be where she was flashing the pad that she wrote out her words at me, with a flood of Chinese that I did not understand assaulting me ears!

Little did I know that another player would be at the same restaurant and coincidentally seated at the table next to ours. Yes, R. Linda, it was not in the game plan it wasn't. Anyway, I knew Patrick would be at the restaurant first to procure the table and I told Tonya not to arrive too soon, or she'd be subject to a conversation with Patrick that I much preferred I be there to run interference. She had scoffed at me and told me she was a big girl, not to worry. She texted me her bus was in early and she'd be at the place just after 5:45. OH MY GOD. I could see it now, the two of them at the table together. Her on one end, he on the other acting like the other wasn't there. Or worse, Tonya coming out with something and he taking offence or vice versa. I knew she'd dig her heels in. Her last encounter (See 22/01/12 Well That Went Well . . . Not) was a disaster and she hadn't forgotten his innocent insults. Well, innocent sort of, at least they were at first. But it wasn't Tonya I need have worried about. Imagine me surprise to learn that when Patrick was seated at the table, he saw his nemesis Maureen walk in and the hostess was about to seat her next to him! Begorrah!

"Oh, there be a mistake," she said to the hostess, meaning she wasn't Patrick's date.

"No, THIS is the O'Sullivan party reservation for six." The woman said.

"Oh, dere it is, I'm with the Sullivan party of TWO."

After apologising she was seated at the table next to Patrick.

Give the man a drink quick! There was no place to hide, he didn't know what to do, but she did! She acted surprised she did, to see him and asked him what he was doing there.

"What duz it look like? I'm here for dinner." He said and went to perusing the menu. And, he did not realise he was clucking his tongue to the prices which made Maureen laugh. Yes, she did right in his face, sort of. 

She feigned a smile feeling decidedly a little too close for comfort and if I had been there I'd have made sure I was between them, but the hostess had no clue putting her in such close proximity even if it wasn't the same table, well . . . who knew? Well, as for Patrick, he tensed up immediately and put the menu down looking extremely uncomfortable. He had no idea Maureen would be there.

Trying to be a gent he asked her how she was.

Their conversation started off like this.

"You don't look well, is someting da matter?" Maureen said seeing his discomfort.

"I've caught a cold," he said hoping she'd take another chair, far away from his.

"Really?" She said, her voice full of disbelief and reading him like a book which just made her dig in more.

"Aye, feel a wee bit congested I do," he answered with a feigned cough into his hand.

"A wee bit, huh?

"Aye, a wee bit."

"Have da sniffles do ya?" She smiled drastically pleased he was sick.

"Uh-huh," he said starting to catch on she wasn't really being solicitous.

"Are ye sure yer all right? Ye don't look well at all. Maybe I should call a doctor, get ye a cab to the emergency room?" She said feigning concern that he read exactly as it was delivered.

"Can ye shut up?" he asked her.

"I'm only asking if I can be of soom assistance." She said all innocent.

"I know ya aren't bein' sincere." He stated the obvious folding his arms across his chest.

"I AM bein' sincere right now. This is ME bein' sincere," and she tried to keep her laughter in as he looked hard at her.

"No you are not, ya don't know the meanin' of the word," he said, and luckily for the two of them the Weasils, a party of two arrived before he was wearing the pitcher of ice water that Maureen's hand was toying with.

"Ya sound like an old married couple," the unthinking Amanda said sitting down a chair away from Patrick. "Ye know each other or are ya flirting?"

"Ummm," Maureen smiled sardonically eyeing me as I walked in with 'Charlotte' I mean Ms. Jaio. Then she looked at Patrick who was sitting there, his mouth open to the floor, looking . . . well FLOORED. All this amused her no end.

As we approached the table, Patrick physically jumped in his chair at the sight of his date, the bespectacled Ms. Jaio, who's thick glasses winked in the candlelight. She sat down on his right and looked up at him as he looked down at her aghast, her eyes did a corner take at Maureen just behind her elbow and instantly she was tense. Oh boy.

I had caught Tonya as I was walking in with Ms. Jaio, and I knew right then and there as I sat down between Tonya and Amanda, catching a glimpse of Weasil's expression of total amusement (as he looked back at me), that he read it all and knew what was going on and he was freaking loving it! Yup, this was going to be an evening none of us would soon forget.

Gabe

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