“I have a reservation under Lockwood,” I said to the host.
“Of course. Right this way Mr. Lockwood. Your guest has already arrived.”
He led me past the main dining area, into a private room with a candlelit table set for two. He pulled out my chair and handed me a menu.
“I thought you said my guest had already arrived?” I saw that the chair across from me was empty.
“I assume she’s in the powder room, sir. Your personal waiter will be with you shortly.”
I looked over the menu and quickly shut it. The special for tonight was spinach and ricotta gnudi, and the chef’s dessert was “cherry pie mousse with a bourbon inspired twist.”
You can do this…You can do this…Don’t think about Selena…
A woman in a blue sequined dress entered the room and smiled warmly at me. I stood up and pulled out her chair.
“Good evening, Irene. I’m Ethan,” I sat back down.
“Nice to meet you, Ethan,” she blushed.
She was really pretty. Her shiny blonde hair was swept into an elegant side bun and her eyes were bright green.
“So, Barry tells me you’re in business?”
I nodded. “Yes, the beverage business. How about yourself?”
“Well, I write screenplays for indie films here or there. I just graduated from Harvard Law not too long ago so—”
She was also really smart. She had a law degree, read all the American and British classics by the time she was eighteen, had traveled to every continent at least once, and kept up with world events. She had an amazing personality—bubbly, but not too bubbly, and was completely charming and charismatic.
“Have you seen any good movies recently?” she asked.
“Umm…Not really. The last one I saw was a romantic comedy—something about a wedding show and two best friends realizing they were destined to be married and—”
“Oh yes! The Altar Games! I loved that movie! I wished they’d picked a different actress for the female character though,” she frowned. “She wasn’t very convincing.”
Selena said the exact same thing…
“Really? Who would you have picked?”
“Selena Ross!” she smiled. “She’s my favorite! She’s amazing in everything! It’s crazy how talented she is, you know? And she’s so beautiful!”
I can’t do this…
I took a sip of my wine and nodded.
“My dream is to write a screenplay that someone like her would want to be in. I don’t mean to come off like a crazy fan, but I’m in complete awe of her talent. I really love her.”
I sighed. “I love her too…”
I woke up late in the afternoon and heard seagulls yapping about. I walked out to the deck and spotted my dad preparing bait.
“Afternoon, Dad.”
“Afternoon son! It’s about time you woke up! Just so you know, my next wedding will be on the last Sunday of January. I expect you to be there.”
“What! Weren’t you just telling me about your divorce two months ago? Is that even finalized?”
“Money finalizes everything,” he handed me a fishing pole. “I told everyone else it’s an exclusive dinner party to make sure they actually show up. I think people are tired of me getting married.”
You think?
I cast my line out into the sea and looked him right in the eye, “Did you ever love my mom?”
“Love is for fools, son.”
“Why did you marry her then? And why do you keep getting married?”
“I had my reasons,” he looked out over the ocean. “We were both so young, so happy when we first got married. They say the first wife is usually the best wife…I thought she and I were going to be compatible forever but people change.”
“She changed? How?”
“Everyone changes. She wanted more children, more fulfillments in life and she told me I wasn’t making her happy anymore. She said she was willing to work on our marriage but…I was too stubborn. I wanted things to say the same. I didn’t think we had any problems.”
“You never loved any of your wives?”
He groaned. “No, son. I didn’t. I married who fit my checklist and whenever it stopped working out, I let her go. Life’s too short to deal with problems. I simply eradicate them once they pop up and make sure I have one hell of a pre-nup.”
No wonder I’m so messed up…
I secured my pole against the railing and sat on the ledge.
“You believe in that love stuff now?” my dad looked at me and laughed. “You believe in one soul-mate for the rest of your life?”
“I didn’t used to…”
His eyes widened and he walked over to me, patting me on my back. “Look, I’m a cynic. Of course I loved your mother, very much. As a matter of fact, if I was ever in love with anyone, it was her…To tell you the truth, I’ve been trying to get that feeling back for decades so…My advice to you is to never let it go once you find it. Don’t ever let that person get away from you, or else you’ll spend the rest of your life regretting that you did…”
“That might be the smartest thing you’ve said to me in my entire life.”
He laughed. “Are we going to play Oprah all afternoon or are we going to catch some fish?”
I lay in bed and called Selena again.
Joan answered as usual. “Good morning, Mr. Lockwood. Miss Ross is currently—”