Revisiting the Sad but True, Hemingway Style

After 20 minutes, the waiter brought us our food on a great platter.  He put down the appetizers and then both of our entrees, removed our bread plates and left the two of us without speaking.

"I would've preferred to have the starters separately,"  she said, "I'll have to say something to Jerry on Monday."

I nodded,  slid my fork into the murky broth, and stabbed at an unseen mussel.

"Three years," she said, raising her small glass.

The wine was very good and crisp and went well with the food.    

Later, Jerry stopped by with a magnum of very expensive red wine.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

Jerry tipped the large bottle into another of my girlfriend's glasses.  "I'm here with Stephanie.  I saw you and had to share this bottle with you." He looked at me and poured some of the wine in an adjacent glass. "It's not on our menu here.  I brought it from my house.  Let me know what you think, Jamie."

She set down her fork, tines down on her plate and straightened her knife on the table beside it.

She tasted the wine and smiled.  "It's delicious, Jerry.  The flavors are so deep and satiny.  It's wonderful."  She glanced at me and took a long sip of ice water and placed it back down beside the wine glass.

I drank mine too.

Jerry put his hand on her shoulder and said, "I knew you'd like it, Jamie.  I'm so happy you do."

"Where are you and Stephanie sitting?  I didn't see you when we came in,"  I asked.

"We're just around the corner.  Back there," Jerry said.   He pointed to the rear of the restaurant, on the other side of the bar.  I turned my head.  

I had never met Stephanie.   There were a few regulars at the bar and the bartender was talking to them quietly and pouring dark liquids.  

Jamie lifted another glass to her lips and held it in her mouth for a moment before swallowing.  She closed her eyes.

Jerry smiled and said, "I know."

After he shook my hand and left with his bottle, I skipped the dessert course and said my goodbye and goodbye and goodbye and drank my water because there was no more wine to drink.