Middle C - Part Two
By Rod Jones Artist-Writer
Nicholas looked up at the waitress as she walked up to the table where he and Elise were sitting.
“Is there anything I can get you two? I’m going to be taking a break for a little bit.”
Nicholas looked at her name tag.“No Peggy, just the check and thank you for the good service you provided us. I know it’s pretty late. In fact, it looks like we’re moving into the morning.”
Nicholas took the check and told Elise, “It will be my honor to take care of it.”
“No, I pay for my own. I don’t want to be obligated in any way, Nick.”
“So, it’s pretty friendly to call me Nick, and then tell me I can’t have the pleasure of paying for your food and my food at the same time. Plus, I just wanna leave the money here on the counter so we can leave. I’m tired and I know you’re tired and we didn’t get very far telling each other about ourselves. I would like to see you again. Can I call you?”
“No, I don’t want to give you my phone number.”
“OK, I understand. I know one thing for sure you’re very curious about me as I am you but I’m going to give you my card. It has my phone number on it. You can call me pretty much anytime then we can meet again here at Conrad’s, preferably not in the middle of the night, maybe for breakfast or lunch. Although if you’d like to go to dinner, I think we could probably find a place a bit more fun. Here’s my card with my phone number on it.”
“Is this all you have on your business card? I see your phone number. It’s a 310 area code. Also it just has your company name, Thought Row LLC. What is that supposed to be? You put a dent in my car, you try to put a note on my car. You tell me you were up in this building at the top floor. I look at the building and it has no business name on it. By the way, I think it was about midnight. You tell me you had to deliver some papers. I thought maybe you were in real estate or maybe even working for some government office. You now hand me your card with your phone number on it, and the only other identifying mark is your company name which completely does not make sense to me. What is Thought Row LLC?”
“Kind of curious, isn’t it Elise? I will tell you all about next time we meet. Preferably for a nice dinner.”
“Why do you think I’m going to call you? And why would I call you just to find out what you do or what you’re up to?”
“Because, I think you kind of like me. I know I’ve been getting to like you. I also know you’re very curious. I also know that you’re pretty sure I am no threat to you. I present myself well, I’m tidy, I’m polite and courteous. And under that gruff demeanor you have, I think you are probably a very kind and caring person. I would definitely like to get to know you better. I would definitely like you to get to know me better. You have my number. You can call me and we can have a nice dinner together. It’s up to you. Let me walk you to your car, and no, I will not follow you home. In fact, you can let me leave first. I will be turning left, out of the parking lot and heading to the on-ramp, to the freeway, heading west.”
“You’re pretty sure of yourself aren’t you Nick? Maybe, just maybe, I will give you a call, you’re right about one thing. I don’t think you’re a bad guy.”
Nicholas walked Elise to her car, opened her door, shook her hand, and said. When you call me Nick instead of Nicholas does that mean you’re trying to be nice to me?”
“Yes and no. Nick, Nicholas. Maybe I will call you, maybe we can have dinner somewhere here in Pasadena. As my grandmother used to say. Time will reveal all.”
“I thought it was, time will tell all? I kinda like time will reveal all, because in our case I think that’s what’s going to happen. Good night Elise be safe.”
Nicholas thought for sure Elise would call him at least within a week. He did receive one call and it had its caller ID turned off. He thought maybe that might have been Elise. A second week went by then on a Sunday night, about 10:30 the phone rang. There was no caller ID.
“Hello Elise. I know it’s you and I’m glad you’re calling.”
“How did you know it would be me Nick?”
“I just felt your energy.”
“Yeah right! OK, I will have dinner with you Sunday. You name the place, but it has to be in Pasadena. And no, I don’t like sushi. I’m pretty sure you won’t take me to a Mexican restaurant. And yes, I’m not a vegetarian but not too interested in some expensive steak place. If I have a choice, I would like to dine at Cafe Santorini.”
“We already have reservations. I knew that would be a favorite place for you. I’m confident that you do not want me to pick you up, so we can meet in the parking lot at 8 PM. I will see you there on Sunday. I will look for the car with a small dent. The one I so kindly administered to your car.”
Sunday evening at 7:50 PM Elise pulled into the parking lot. She spotted Nichola’s car within minutes. He greeted her and said, “You look radiant Elise, are you ready, let’s go in and enjoy each other‘s company.”
The waiter led Elise and Nicholas to a secluded table, setting them up for a romantic evening.
“Nicholas, did you pay extra to get this table? Do you know someone here? I don’t think there’s another one like it in this whole restaurant.”
“No, Elise. I don’t have that kind of influence, and definitely not in this restaurant, but you have to admit it’s kind of cozy and gives us an opportunity to have a warm and sharing conversation. Would you like me to order us a nice bottle of wine?”
“No, I don’t want any wine.”
“Do you not drink alcohol Elise?
“Yes, but that’s not what I want.”
“What would you like? Is there something else you would like to drink?”
“No, I don’t care for anything to drink, but there is something I want.”
“You name it and I will do my best to get it for you.”
“I want to leave, I want to leave with you. Let’s go sit in my car, you know the one you put a dent in.”
“I apologize for that and I’m sorry, but think about it, that’s how you and I met and I don’t think that little dent turned out to be such a bad thing. Right now, I thought I was about to have a wonderful dinner and get to know someone I truly want to know. And now you want to go sit in your car and talk. I’m OK with that. Let me settle with the waiter and thank him for the table, he suggested it to us. Do you want me to walk you to your car?”
“No, I will meet you there. I hope you weren’t too hungry Nicholas.”
“You will be there right, you’re not gonna drive off?”
“Yes, I will definitely be there, come and sit with me in my car so we can talk. And no it’s not going be some serious conversation. I think it’s a better way for us to talk to each other in an honest fashion, not in a restaurant.”
“OK that sounds good to me and no, I’m not that hungry and I would love to get to know you. I believe you know that.”
Nicholas went to Elise’s car. The passenger door was unlocked and he sat down comfortably, turned towards her and said “I’m all here for you. Why don’t you start?”
“ I don’t want to go through the whole dating scene with you. I don’t want to meet with you for dinners. I don’t want to go with you to a movie, and God forbid some stupid sporting event. That seems like a big waste of time not to mention money. I’m going to be perfectly honest with you and I expect the same from you. I’m going to ask you one question. I know you will give me a truthful answer.”
“I will answer truthfully, and I will share with you my feelings Elise.”
“OK, I appreciate that from you Nicholas. My number one question is, do you truly like me and I’m not just talking about my looks. Tell me seriously from your heart, then after you tell me, I will tell you exactly what I think of you. I will tell you this upfront, I don’t want to date you. I want my relationship with you to be permanent, long lasting and filled with genuine caring and love. I know you may find that shocking, but we are either gonna move forward as one or now would be a good time for you to get out of the car and drive away Nicholas.”
“I am quite honored, I think. I hate to use the term conventional, but how you just approach me is definitely not what I expected. But here is exactly how I feel about you, and it doesn’t have to do with how you look or if I’m physically attracted to you. I suppose I am, but that’s not why I wanted to get to know you. I picked up something off of you. I don’t know exactly how to describe it, Elise, but there’s an energy that you have that seems to meld with mine. I’ve never felt anything like this before in my life. And to be very honest with you, I don’t think I can have a life without you in it. I can go on and on, but I think you know or understand what I’m saying, at least I hope you do now. Tell me why you want to be with me?”
“I don’t just want a boyfriend. In fact, I don’t even care if I get married. I want you. I want you in my life forever with that energy you felt and I felt. I projected it on you but you also projected your energy on to me. I don’t think it’s anything mystical or spiritual. It’s just meant to be. We’re going to find out very quickly.”
“What do you mean, how are we going to find out very quickly Elise? I really don’t know anything about you and you really don’t know anything about me.”
“Let’s move to the backseat of my car. There’s plenty of room back there.”
“You’re kidding, right? That could be dangerous for you and that could be dangerous for me. I’m not that progressive when it comes to meeting a girl, especially when you consider how we meant we haven’t even had a dinner together and now you’re asking me to move to the backseat of your car. I admit that the idea of being able to sit next to you, I find that’s something I would really love to do, but I don’t want to compromise our relationship before it’s even started.”
“You just need to do one thing: get in the backseat with me then I will tell you what you need to do. After that, I will tell you all about myself and you can tell me whatever you would like me to know about you Nicholas.”
Nicholas followed Elise’s lead. He got out of his side of the car and moved to the backseat. She moved back there herself rather quickly. There they sat facing each other.
“Now what? I can really feel your energy, especially being this close to you.”
“Kiss me! Get close to me, hold me and kiss me. It will change everything for both you and I.”
“OK, I have to admit the idea of kissing you feels very natural, something I would really like to do. I hope, then again I pray that this is the right thing for you and for me.”
Nicholas put his arms around Elise and pulled her close to him. He never allowed anyone to make that kind of demand of him, especially under these circumstances. He held her tight and she did the same, never felt anything like this in his whole life. He never kissed a woman that made him feel like he felt inside, in his mind, and throughout his whole body. There was an energy there where he never wanted to let go. He felt completely enveloped from head to toe. There was a complete sense of security and elation. No kiss had ever revealed so much as that kiss shared between Nicholas and Elise.
“Elise, I never felt anything like that kiss. I hate to think of it as just a kiss. There was so much more meaning and depth to us coming together like that. I opened my eyes while I was kissing you. I could see you were doing the same thing. seeing you and watching you looking at me seemed to add something I’d never experienced before in my life. What did that kiss tell you, why was it so important? It certainly changed my life in a remarkable way.”
“Nicholas that kiss told me what I already knew. It was important to prove something to you, as I knew it would. We were destined to be together in this lifetime. No dating, no bottle of wine, none of the usual courtship was ever necessary.”
“I guess I experienced something I never knew was possible. When you asked me to go to the backseat of your car, I have to admit I was nervous. I didn’t know what you were up to. It could’ve been something not pleasant and dangerous for me. I didn’t think you knew me well enough, it could’ve been a very dangerous situation for you. Who are you Elise? Are you going to tell me something about yourself?”
“Yes, Nicholas. As you might have guessed I live in Pasadena. My parents were extremely wealthy. Unfortunately they died in a plane crash a few years ago. I live in the family home which by most standards in Pasadena is a mansion. I’m also a concert pianist. My career can be very demanding, but I only perform when I feel like it makes sense. It’s not something I plan on doing forever. As you know, I do have a brother that’s why I was at that club. Little did I know I would run into you and I definitely did not think you were going to be the one who is going to change my life inside and outside. I also knew when we sat and had that late meal at Conrad’s, I thought to myself, I might just push you away, but I couldn’t. I knew there was something way beyond what I would initially think of a man I just met, especially under those initial circumstances. I don’t think I need to convince you or persuade you into caring for me. I knew when we kissed that it would reveal everything I needed to know, but I also knew it would reveal everything you needed to know. Unconventional yes. Now tell me a little bit about you Nicholas and I promise I won’t call you Nick unless you want me to.”
“I live in an apartment in West LA. I hate it there. My parents have also passed away and I have no siblings. I make a reasonably good living in media. I am not a Hollywood studio groupie, projects come my way, I execute, get paid, then go back to my apartment. I have had girlfriends before, but they were just very casual relationships. I never really felt someone that I knew was right for me. Especially in my industry a lot of women are only looking out to see how you could help them in their career. Once they discover you’re not the ticket they were looking for they quickly move on. There was nothing covert about those papers I was delivering when I bumped into your car and ultimately met you. Little did I know meeting you was going to have such an impact on my life in such a beautiful, wonderful and meaningful way.”
“Nicholas, there is a term in music referred to as, The Middle C.”
“What does that mean Elise? What does that mean regarding you and I? If you’re a concert pianist there must be some deep meaning, and it must have something to do with you and I coming together. Admittedly, I’m not that knowledgeable about music and playing an instrument, especially a piano. Tell me what does that mean?”
“I’m not going to tell you just yet, Nicholas, because it won’t mean that much to you, but it will soon enough. I want you to come to my home in Pasadena, pick whatever day you like.”
This is the end of Part 2 - Should there be a Part 3? You tell me.
The short stories and essays published in Thought Row Vignettes are written entirely by me, Rod Jones Artist and Writer, using only a human hand and imagination. AI does not write, revise, or generate the fiction, essays, dialogue, plots, or endings. Any imperfections in grammar or punctuation are authentically mine.
Some accompanying visuals may be original photography, properly licensed stock images, or AI-generated illustrations created from my own visual direction. These images are visual companions to the writing, not substitutes for it.
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