#NaNoWriMo 2017 Short Story #6 of 10 — Dinner for Two

“Why hello! You are a little early, but that’s fine. Dinner will be along soon enough.” The high-pitched, almost over the top voice of Shelby Barber greeted her friend Mary Leon. Mary’s husband, Nate, as well as their two children were invite over to the Barber’s for dinner. It was the first time they had been invited over.

“Ooo Nate and I are just delighted to bring the kids for dinner. The Krenshaws had told us how magnificent your last dinner party was and we feel privileged to be next!” Mary screeched. Kevin, Shelby’s husband beamed a big smile her direction. He quickly kissed her on the hand, then ran back into the kitchen to continue working on the night’s feast. The kids were non-plussed, but they were fifteen and getting to the age where they didn’t care for such things.

Leading the guests into the foyer, Shelby took their coats, cracked open a thin closet door, and hung the garments on evenly-spaced hooks. After closing the door, she led her guests through a short hallway and into a living room area with a high, vaulted ceiling. Picture windows filled the triangle at the top of the side of the house. Facing the western sky with a wide expanse of open field behind them, the sunset filled their house with a radiant red glow. The fiery colorscape belied the sizzling of that night’s meal from the kitchen

“Almost ready!” Kevin’s voice projected from the kitchen, just around the corner from where the guests and Shelby sat. Wonderful, savory smells enveloped the now-settled couple and their faces floated upwards as they inhaled the evidence of a dinner not yet served. The children sat, quietly, on the floor. In truth, the night really wasn’t for them. These dinner parties were always for the parents.

“What a lovely evening.” Shelby said, interrupting what had been a quiet moment of sniffing and smiling. “How was your week Mary?”

Mary sighed. “Long. My boss loaded me with piles of paperwork. How late was I out every night this week, Nate?”

Her husband replied, “Well, it must have been seven or seven thirty every night. The children were starving. My cooking skills, are, as one might say, non-existent. You certainly are lucky to have a guy like Kevin!” Chuckling hard, the adults enjoyed that moment of humor. “Somehow, this champion of a woman came back after twelve hours at work and make food for us. These children need to eat, of course!”

Shelby nodded. “Absolutely. That is the most important thing to do as parents!” She continued. “And what about you Nate? Are they still treating you well over at the accounting firm?”

Nate lit up, exclaiming, “You will never guess what happened this week.” He paused, eyes wide open, glancing back and forth at the two women, expecting a response. When none came, he pouted a little, then spoke with a smile. “I’ve been promoted to Junior Executive Manager!”. Shelby let out a cheer while Mary patted her husband’s shoulder. “Been a long ten years, but finally working my way up the company. And with a promotion comes money. And with money…”

Once again, he feigned the expectation of participation from the listeners of his story. Mary play punched him on the shoulder. “Get on with it, dear!’

Taking a more serious tone, Nate whispered “Okay, okay.” Then, after clearing his throat, he revealed what he was working towards. “Mary and I will be headed to Europe!” The room lit up with excitement, except of course, from the kids, who obviously would not be going.

“Oh, that’s wonderful Nate!” Shouting into the kitchen, she queried Kevin, “Did you hear that babe? The Leon’s are going to Europe next year!”

Kevin yelled back, “Excellent! By the way, we are almost done in here. You can probably start moving towards the table now. I look forward to hearing more about that while we eat.”

With that comment, Shelby stood up, motioning to Nate and Mary to do the same. The kids followed them into the dining room, but they wouldn’t actually be joining the adults for dinner. They would simply grab some food and take it into the basement, as was customary. It just wouldn’t make sense for them to be a part of the conversation.

The dining table was a perfect square, made of a dark brown wood. Mary and Nate sat on the western side, while Shelby and Kevin would be sitting on the eastern side with their backs to the kitchen.

“Beverages? Pepsi? Dr. Pepper? Jack and Coke?” Shelby smirked, standing with her arms on a chair in front of her.

Mary thought for a moment, then chimed in, “Do you have any wine? I could go for a nice Moscato. You too, Nate?” He nodded. Shelby gave a thumbs up and headed into the kitchen. She grabbed her husband from behind, kissing him on the cheek. Then, she pulled a large bottle of Moscato from a shelf to the left of the refrigerator. Eventually, after searching through the upper cabinets, she settled on the wine glasses she’d like to use. Pouring slowly and carefully, she managed to made each of the four amounts perfectly even. Shelby liked things even. She left the bottle out since it was just about finished.

Slowly she walked from the kitchen back to the dining room, carrying just two, and delivered them to their guests.

“Thank you much, kind host!” Mary said with gratitude.

“Hey, dear. Want to come give me a hand to plate this stuff? Thanks.” Responding to her husband’s beckoning, she returned to the kitchen and assisted in the plating of the meal. A dark meat had been cooked on the stove top, while mashed potatoes were warming in the pot next to that. In the over, a fresh casserole was finishing it’s baking. It was a simple midwestern meal, but one these families loved.

Upon dishing out the various components of the meal, Kevin and Shelby each carried two plates to the dining table and set them down. Adding a dramatic flair, Kevin served each guest from behind like a waiter at a fancy restaurant. Trying on his best French accent, he spouted, “Deenar izz zerved!” More laughter rang throughout the house.

They sat down and began to dig in. Sounds of knives scraping the plates and muffled chewing replaced the once sizzling stove. Moans were heard from Nate as he took his first bite of the cooked meat.

“Wow Kevin. Perfectly seasoned. Cooked well done. I’m impressed, my man!”

Shrugging and smiling shyly, Kevin simply thanked him. “It is nothing really. Was a good year. I think we froze this back a couple of years ago. Really strong specimen. We thought it would be too tough but the lemon-pepper vinaigrette softened up nicely. Don’t thank me, thank that stuff.”

Nate continued the conversation. “Fair enough. I am terrible at taking compliments too. Let’s change the subject. How is the baseball team coming along at the local college?”

Excited to talk sports, Kevin was eager to put down his food and explain. “Undefeated there bud. We’ve got this pitcher, Ben, who is really something. Almost had his folks over to dinner when he was twelve, but his parents were a bit rude, so it never happened. I can only imagine that if he’d met me back then he probably wouldn’t be playing for me today!” Kevin was pleased with that comment and snickered loudly.

On and on the couples went, catching up on everything from hobbies to occupations to that annoying neighbor who just moved in across the street. It was a fun evening for dinner, and kept up the tradition set forth by the Barber’s. Every month for the past five years they have had a new guest. Somehow, during their occupation, walks about town, or other adventures, they have met the new couples. Each couple always had two children about the age of twelve. That was their type. Peculiarly, the Barbers never had any children of their own, so must couples thought that they enjoyed the company, or couldn’t have kids of their own and wanted to live vicariously through them.

Upon finishing the meal and wrapping up their conversation about the state of capitalist economics, Kevin and Shelby cleaned up the table, hauling the sullied dishes into the main kitchen area. Rinsing the dishes briefly, Kevin moved the plates and cups into the dishwasher beside the sink carefully. As that was happening, Shelby grabbed a fresh rag and wiped off the table. While completing that task, she ushered her guests into the other room.

“We’ll be right over. Get comfortable. If you want, there is a small refrigerator back by the main entrance with some adult beverages. Feel free to help yourself!” added Shelby.

Nate heads into the foyer and grabs a few drinks for the rest of the people, but first opens the basement door to check on his kids. Peering down the stairs, he can see they have found some books and are reading quietly. He shouts down to them. “Doing okay down there? It should only be about an hour more.” The children look up and nod, clearly bored, but as most children are, powerless to change the circumstances their adults put them in.

Heading back to the living area, Nate joins his wife on a loveseat and hands her a beverage. They begin drinking as their hosts finish up cleaning the kitchen.

“Alright!” Shelby calls as she walks with Kevin back into the living room area. “All done cleaning. Time to relax and continue our conversation.”

“Thank you again for that great meal!” Mary exclaimed. “I’m quite amazed at how good everything tasted! You certainly have some skill!” Kevin blushed a little and looked down, smiling wryly. He then spoke up.

“Well, I guess the time has come. Let’s chat about your kids, shall we?” The question hung in the air for a while. Mary and Nate both lost their smiles, with Nate fielding the request first.

“I’ll talk about Darla. She is really quite smart. If she wasn’t home schooled, I bet she’d be top of her class. Definitely a lot of gray matter up there in her head. Activities for her include running and some weight training, although her brother does a lot more of that. Nutrition is important in our household, so we make sure she has been getting her vitamins and minerals.” He pauses, looking up at the ceiling as he searches for more things to say. “We’ve also recently switched them over to a more organic diet, and have stopped them from eating junk food or drinking soda.”

The host couple nods in unison. “That is wonderful!” Shelby gushes. “What about your son, Merrick?”

Mary chokes a little, then answers. “Our wrestler has really bulked up over the last couple of years. Even though he isn’t a part of the local school district, they still let him participate in the school sports. It has been very beneficial for his development. He is what, now, Nate? Over two hundred pounds of lean muscle. I’m impressed he was able to attain that on such a small frame. He certainly has put in the work!”

Kevin chimed in. “And is he on the same type of diet as Darla?”

“Y-y-yes. Absolutely. They are both in tip top shape. You can trust us!” The room got quiet. It was definitely tenser now than it had been all evening. Both couples deep in thought, you could have heard a pin drop.

“How about a hundred thousand dollars for the pair? Does that seem fair?” Kevin stated matter of factly, like he was trying to purchase artwork.

“Whoa now, that is way less than we expected.” Mary retorted, a clear look of disgust on her face. “When we talked to the Krenshaws, that is what you paid them. Our kids are in much better shape, much stronger brains, and have been on exceptional diets. We won’t take less than five hundred thousand. This hasn’t been easy!”

Nate stepped in for support. “Listen, you guys provide a great service, and we don’t want to minimize that. But we’ve taken care of them for fifteen long years and have made quite the investment into them. I can’t imagine your received two better kids in the last five years. Look, we understand your usage and what you need, but you have to look at it from our perspective too!”

Shelby and Kevin traded looks, and then exchanged whispers. Once a few minute had passed, Shelby spoke up. “Okay, we won’t go five hundred thousand, but we could do as much as three hundred.”

Now, it was Mary and Nate’s turn to discuss the situation. They softly talked about their want to expand their European trip to several months and to pay off their house. Hemming and hawing, they finally returned to the negotiating table.

“I think we have a deal!”

Cheers erupted as both parties were excited about completing the transaction. They shook hands. Then, Kevin headed into their bedroom to grab their checkbook and pay them for their children. It wasn’t long before he was back out and handing them three hundred thousand dollars.

“What a night!” Nate proclaimed as he and Mary were led to the door, and then outside. “You have to tell me how you got that meat to taste so good, Kevin.”

Kevin simply smiled. “It’s the athletic ones, really. Those children always taste the best!”

The couples laughed heartily as they parted ways for the night.