Rose of Silk

Chapter 5

The driver pulled up to the restaurant as Maxwell opened the car door and waiting for me to get out. I held on to my dress and proceeded to step out. Maxwell grabbed ahold of my hand and closed the door behind me. My eyes widened as I stared at the restaurant. There must have been over a dozen people in there. Maxwell smiled at the limo diver as he drove off. I held on to his arm as I began to feel nervous going in with him. "Why did I agree to this," I thought as there were people staring at us as we got our booth. I felt queasy as I felt like I was about to throw up. The waitress came by with two glasses and a pitcher full of water. I glanced at her name tag that read: Margaret. I poured me a cup and drank it down as fast as I could. Maxwell took off his coat and sat across from me. He could tell I wasn't use to all this fancy glamour stuff. He touched my hand as he gave me a look while I was still drinking the water. My face felt heated as I touched it. I don't know what was wrong with me. He picked up his menu at the edge of the table as I did the same. I covered my face with it as if I was looking through it. Not paying attention I glanced through it and was surprised by the prices.

"Too expensive..." I thought as I zoned out the music that played through the restaurant.

Maxwell called out to me a few times as the waitress came back around. He told the waitress to bring the most expensive bottle they had to offer as I skimmed the menu some more. She nodded and left.  She returned minutes later and placed it in the bin. She pulled out her pad as she took our order. Maxwell ordered a Salsberry steak with mash potatoes and greens for the sides. She wrote it down and turned to me. I didn't know what to order so I got fish squeezed with fresh lemon pepper and garlic. She wrote down my order and walked away.

"Queenie, what seems to be the problem?" he says as he takes a glass from the bin along with the bottle and pours our drinks. He hands it to me as I stare at him and take a tiny sip. As it hits the tip of my tongue I noticed he ordered the same drink that we had in the limo. I took another sip as he tapped his fingers on the table.

"S-Sorry Mr. Rose-" I say as he puts up his hand.

"Call me Maxwell, Queenie," he says as he insisted.

I shook my head and took another sip of the Chardonnay. He studied my form as I listened to the music play. I looked around the restaurant as there were many people chatting among themselves. I didn't see any stereos hooked up indicating there was music playing; instead, there was an elderly man in his fifties playing the piano gracefully and another man singing on the mic. He was singing the blues and singing like he has all his life. A few people got up and placed a couple of dollars in the tip jar he had on display. From where I was sitting it seemed like he was in business his tip jar was half full.

The waitress came back around, but this time with our food. She placed down mine first then his as the plate was hot and steamy. She pulled back her hair behind her ear and smiled then asked if we needed anything else. I politely shook my head no as Maxwell did the same. She walked away and that's when the nerves came rushing back. I grabbed my water as he pulled it way. I looked down at my food as it looked delicious. I couldn't seem to keep my composure around him as he still held my hand.

"Relax Queenie, breathe," he says in a calm tone of voice.

I looked at him as we ate our food. He took a bite of his steak as his lips wrapped around the fork. I started to squirm in my seat for I had to use the restroom. I shouldn't have drunk all that water" I thought as I felt uncomfortable. I quickly got up quietly and headed towards the bathroom. By the time I came back there, he was with one dessert and my food still untouched. I sat back down feeling humiliated and ashamed for I was making a complete fool of myself. I ate my food slowly as I enjoyed every bite. Maxwell watched me as the lights above us shined through as I smiled sideways at him. The waitress came back and took my plate for I barely ate anything.