Chicago, First Date, and a Bottle of Merlot

"Can you believe our luck?" Rick asked Trent. "I mean we met some great women and we should definitely get together."

"Yeah, we met some really classy ladies," Trent stated as they walked down the street from the bar. "They are nice ladies and I definitely say that we should take them out to dinner and a basketball game. I hope they are both fans of the Chicago Bulls." The two walked back to their respective apartments in hopes that they would see the two women again.

"Not a bad idea," Rick stated.

It seemed like just another day for J. R. and Angel. They both are fans of the Chicago Bulls. They decided that they would hang out at Angel's place for the game. As usual, they had the Papa John's pizza and this time instead of Pepsi, they chose the Merlot. Angel was hoping one of these days the foursome could go on a date to watch the Chicago Bulls take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. They hoped that there would be decent box seats. Angel had another friend who had box seats at the United Center who she also met during her first time moving to Chicago.

"Did you see that dunk?" Angel remarked as she reached for a slice of pizza.

"That was an awesome dunk right there,"J. R. replied. "Man I hope the Bulls go all the way to the playoffs. If they don't, I will have a horrible fit. Last season, I almost wanted to wish that Michael Jordan could make a comeback so that he can come back and make the Bulls win. I mean in his day, his basketball skills were stellar. No wonder that UNC wanted him to play and no wonder the Bulls made the best choice to draft him in 1984. Thanks to him, the Bulls won so many championships, they should have had a party in Chicago each and every year."

"They did, called a parade," Angel belted out. She had on her #23 Michael Jordan jersey. After the game was over, J. R. was about to leave the condo. The phone rang.

"Hello," a voice said on the other end. "This is Trent Johnson, we met the other night at the bar. "

"Oh Hi Trent, yes I remember," Angel replied.

"I was wondering if you were available next Friday night. I hope your friend is too. Me and Rick were wondering if you two would like to get together for dinner at one of the hottest restaurants in Chicago? Are you a Chicago Bulls fan?" Trent asked.

"J. R.," Angel yelled. "Hey, we got a first date. You remember the guys we met at the bar? Well Rick and Trent want to meet up at one of the hottest restaurants in Chicago? And they want to take us out to a Chicago Bulls game."

"Yeah," J. R. replied. "Why not, after all we would like to have another date after meeting those guys."

"Yes we will be there and ready. And yes the both of us are Chicago Bulls fans.," Angel replied.

"Splendid," Trent stated as he turned to inform Rick that the ladies would be ready for a date on Friday. Angel and J. R. both sat up wondering for the next week what they might wear on this first date with Rick and Trent. After all, they were both a couple of classy small-town ladies, now that they live in Chicago, they tried to see if they could do the Chicago-glam. They each spent hours shopping and they went to store after store trying to find a decent dress.

"They never tell you that a first date, will make you play musical stores," J. R. blurted.

"You got that right," Angel replied. They hoped that a shopping trip to Armani exchange would help their fashion finding. After they each found their dresses, they each went to their condos and decided to rest for the night. The next day, Angel found herself buried under a ton of laundry that she had to finish washing. After all, it was Thursday and the date was set for Friday. They were hoping that Rick and Trent would take them to one of Chicago's most classiest restaurants. After all, most of the restaurants that are along the Chicago River are pretty good. The following Friday night, J. R. and Angel were ready. They were going to get a bite to eat at Fararro's, which was one of Chicago's fanciest restaurants. The foursome would then attend a Chicago Bulls game. They hoped for a great evening. J. R. was putting the finishing touches on her makeup and she was at Angel's condo getting ready.

"Wow, Angel," J. R. exclaimed, "Don't we both look great? I hope this evening will be great."

"It will be, we are going to the best restaurant in Chicago, Illinois. We are going to Fararro's and they make the best food you will ever find. Take that to Springfield, Cairo, Mattoon, and Scahumburg," Angel replied. The women were waiting dressed in their best dressws, when the doorbell rang.

"Hello, Angel?" Trent stated as she opened the door.

"Yes, Trent, please come on in and hello there Rick, J. R. will be out shortly," Angel replied. Moments later, J. R. appeared.

"Wow," Trent exclaimed, "You look gorgeous."

"Hi, Rick,"she blurted out, "Good to see you again. I am looking forward to our date."

"Hi J. R.," Rick replied, "That's a nice dress. Well, what are we waiting on? Let's get out of here."

The foursome left the condo and they piled in to Rick's Jeep Wrangler. It was not too cold, but it was windy. They arrived at Farraro's ready to be seated. The foursome were seated at a window that overlooked the Chicago River. They soon were approached by the waiter who brought the menus and told them of the specials that were on the menu. Rick and Trent ordered for themselves and J. R. and Angel placed their orders. They chose the four course meal special. First course was the appetizer, which was fried calamari with a marinara sauce.

"So Jamie Renee, I mean excuse me, J. R., " Rick blurted out, "What do you do for a living?"

"I am an insurance executive for the best insurance company in Chicago yet. I tell ya, when you have an accident call the insurance firm of Johnson, Johnson, Johnson, and Johnson and what about you Rick?," J. R. asked as she looked up from her plate.

"That's nice. I work for the best Cadillac dealer in Chicago. I am a sales agent. You want a Caddy, well come see me or any of my guys at Otangeley's Cadillac/ Chevrolet." Rick replied as he dove into his calamari.

"Angel, what do you do for a living?," Trent asked as he looked up from his calamari dish.

"Well I work for the firm Nottingham's Finance, which is a brokerage, and I am responsible for trading the assets of the firm. It is so fun to do. There is never a boring day. After all I have had my license for at least a year," Angel replied as she sipped her water.

"That's nice, Angel," Trent replied as he looked up from his meal. He was eating very slow as he had been recovering from an upset stomach. He was hoping that the second course would be much better.

The second course was a salad well-prepared by the chef, who made a balsamic tomato glaze. Rick sat there for a second and stared at the salad. He eventually began eating it at a slow rate as well. It seemed so good. Trent ate some of the salad, but he wanted to make sure that he left enough room for the main course. Which was coming up.

"Would anyone care for something to drink while you are waiting for your main course?" the waiter asked.

"Yes, ladies, is it okay if we order a Merlot with this meal?" Trent asked as he looked up from his salad.

"Sure," J. R. replied, "I don't see nothing wrong with that at all, Angel, are you up for a bottle of Merlot?"

"Yep, I am up for a bottle any time," Angel replied. The waiter returned with the bottles of Merlot to the table. He then poured the Merlot into the glasses that sat on the table, and then Rick wanted to propose a toast to the foursome and their new relationships.

"I would like to propose a toast to the four of us coming from various parts of Illinois all the way to Chicago. I would also like to propose a toast to the four of us meeting and enjoying a nice glass of Merlot to go with it," Rick stated as he raised his glass. The four slowly drank the Merlot and they enjoyed it.

"Wow, so far the evening is getting off to a great start," J. R. stated as they sat around and waited for the main course.

"Yes, it seems to be," Angel replied.

"Ladies, you know we got game day tickets to see the Bulls take on the Washington Wizards," Rick blurted.

"Cool," J. R. replied. "I was hoping we would be in for a real treat. I like the Bulls."

"Cool," Rick replied.

"Yeah, I am up for a Bulls game any day of the week," Angel replied.

The third and main course consisted of Beef Roast in a butter glaze, which is what Rick ordered. Trent ordered a lobster and a steak. J. R. ordered the poached salmon in a balsamic glaze with mashed potatoes. Angel ordered a baked chicken with pasta with a marinara sauce.

"You were right about this place," Angel stated to Trent as she looked up from her meal, "This is some wonderful food here. The chef must be a real genius."

"I'll second that," J. R. stated as she sipped the rest of her Merlot. They finished their second course and began waiting for their dessert.

"I am glad you know about this place," J. R. said to Rick, "I will have to recommend this to others. "

"Thank you," Rick replied, "I am sure that someone would give this restaurant five stars."

"Good choice of a restaurant, Trent," Angel said as she looked up from her food.

The fourth course was dessert. This was a slice of cheesecake with chocolate sauce. They all paid their respective tabs and left. They climbed back into the Jeep.

"So far, this evening has been a total blast," J. R. quipped as she checked her cell phone.

"Yes, it is going well," Angel replied. "I can't wait until we get to the United Center. I wanna see the Bulls defeat the Timberwolves."

This time they were headed to the United Center to watch the Bulls take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. They sat in the sky box seats. They were able to watch all of the action from where they were seated. J. R. was enjoying the popcorn. They had some Coca-Cola that was from the wet bar. They cheered as DeMar DeRozan gave a powerful slam dunk. The game concluded with the Bulls winning the game. The foursome then piled back into the Jeep. J. R. and Angel were enjoying the night as they cruised through most of Chicago. They were in front of the ladies' condo.

"Thank you Rick," J. R. Replied, "I had a great time tonight."

"You're welcome," Rick replied. "I enjoyed getting to hang out with you and double date with your friend and Trent. Can we do this again sometime?"

"Yeah," J. R. said as she got out of the passenger side.

"I will be looking forward to it," Rick replied.

"Thank you Trent, this was a lovely evening," Angel stated. "I especially enjoyed taking a trip to the United Center."

"I enjoyed the date as well," Trent replied. "The evening has been fun. I hope I can see you again soon."

"Trent, you sure can. I hope to see you again soon also," Angel replied. "I hope the next time that we go to the United Center, we end up sitting courtside."

"I'll see, I will call you sometime this week," Trent replied.

"I'd like that," Angel replied as she and J. R. walked back to their condos. They were both taken aback at how nice the date went.

"Trent sure has a knack for getting people together" Angel said as they walked back.

"Rick is a genius," J. R. said. "We come from different parts of Illinois, but this is one first date I will never forget."

"Me neither," Angel stated. Both women went to their repsective condos and they reflected on the date.