Motivation logo

Reflection

The love that you find, may not be what you're looking for....

By Rachael EbaughPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
1
Reflection
Photo by alevision.co on Unsplash

I hate blind dates. I thought to myself as I opened the door to Petronelli’s, the little Italian restaurant up the street from my house. It’s not fancy by any stretch of the imagination- a little brick building in a shopping center- but I’d never gone in before tonight. I don’t get out much and on the rare occasion I do, I can’t justify spending $13 on mozzarella sticks, no matter how good they are. Tonight was the exception. My coworker insisted I meet a friend of hers and set us up on a blind date. It looked as if I had arrived first, so I awkwardly shuffled up to the hostess, who smiled at me.

“Hi! How many in your party tonight?” She asked with a perpetual grin that was borderline creepy.

“Two.” I replied, holding up two fingers. “I’m meeting someone.”

“Ok, perfect! Follow me and we’ll get you set up at a table!” She said brightly. Her infallible cheeriness was starting to get on my nerves.

I followed her down a small hallway by the host stand which opened to the main dining room. It was dimly lit, the only lights coming from garish wall sconces and tall candles in the center of each table. The hostess led me to a corner two-seater booth and made a sweeping gesture for me to sit down. I couldn’t help but think this woman missed her calling as a flight attendant. I smiled at her and slid into the booth, watching as she walked back to the host stand. I drummed my fingers on the table anxiously as I waited for my date to arrive, slaring blankly into the complementary water glass on the table.

The waitress’ footsteps as she approached the table brought me out of my trance. She gave the usual spiel: her name, what the specials were, etcetera, and then asked me if I would like something to drink while I waited. I glanced over the wine list, eventually settling on a glass of Pais de Poetas Merlot.

“Excellent choice!” The waitress exclaimed before trotting off to the computer to put in my order. I looked at my phone. My date was now 15 minutes past our agreed meeting time. I sighed, taking a sip of water. Was my date going to show at all? Was I being stood up? These questions raced in my mind, unearthing a lifetime of feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. I started tearing myself down in my head. Why would they be interested in me? I had never considered myself particularly attractive, and lord knows I wasn’t successful or really memorable in any way. Thankfully, the waitress returned to the table with my wine, interrupting my train of self-deprecating thoughts. I lifted the glass to my mouth, greeted first by the aroma of chocolate and coffee, instantly lifting my mood. As I took a sip, the fruitiness and richness of the wine assuaged my rapidly diminishing self-worth. I checked my phone again. My date was now 20 minutes late. Rolling my eyes, I decided to give them 10 more minutes before throwing in the towel, and inevitably having some very cross words with this friend of mine. I told the waitress to leave the bottle on the table as I quickly downed the first glass.

I rose from my seat to make a trip to the restroom. If my date showed up, then they would be the one waiting on me for a change. As I stood up, someone familiar caught my eye. She was wearing a red dress, and a single diamond pendant hung loosely from a golden chain. As our stares met, I never noticed how the light caught her brilliant hazel eyes, revealing flecks of gold. When she smiled, butterflies fluttered in my stomach and I felt warmth radiating from my core, and I found it difficult to tear myself away from her gaze.

A passing waitress put a hand on my shoulder and broke me from my trance.

“Ma’am? Are you ok?” she inquired.

I turned around to face her and nodded, before turning back to face the mirrored partitions dividing the booths. “I’m perfect.” I said, watching my reflection smile back at me.

happiness
1

About the Creator

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.