The Dining Dead.
Noisy
Do we sit here and watch the others? Are we supposed to be looking around, hopelessly searching for something to set our eyes on? A conversation starter, maybe? My mind's racing but I can't seem to think of anything. Then again my mind's not really racing. I'm tired.
Her eyes seem dull. The cup is brought to her lips, and she noisily clatters it back into its saucer. I can see her swallow it. I can see her throat moving up and down like that. I turn my head away.
The waiter's here and finally there's a purpose for our eyes. Simultaneously, we flash an exaggerated smile towards the young man; he sets the plates down while giving a description of the dishes. Thanks, but we know what we ordered. No need for that.
The plate doesn't look as nice as I thought it would be. I don't really know what I was expecting. She's staring at her salad now; here we go with the inspection. Oh, here it comes, riiiight now... She picks up a fork and I swear it's slow motion as she moves the lettuce around the plate, tilting her head as if checking for rat droppings. Slowly, slowly. Inspecting it like there's poison.
This beef is not bad. I'm chewing slowly, looking about the room. The place is quaint and there's something dainty about it. Apart from those dark red curtains. What's the deal with those? Looks like they belong in a retirement home. It's so noisy in here...
My mind's wandering.
I remember she's sitting opposite me and I turn to her. She looks at me and I flash her a smile. Kind of like the one we gave to the waiter.
''How's your salad?''
She's chewing slowly. Crunch, crunch, crunch. Ah. Must be cucumbers.
''Good.''
I nod my head as if I approve of this grand response. The salad is good. All's right with the world.
''Your pork?''
It's not pork. ''Nice.''
Back to quiet. Back to emptiness. Back to being silent corpses at the table. Are we the dining dead?
There's so much clatter and noise going on in here. These people are so loud, their voices seem to be reverberating throughout the restaurant. Forks scraping against plates, someone drops a glass, talking talking talking -
''You've got something... right there...'' She points to the corner of her mouth. I grab a napkin and swipe it off.
''Thanks.''
I haven't tried to make a joke in weeks. They're shit, and I know that; she knows it too now. I don't bother. Voices climb over each other in the room; I'm looking around and there's hands flying everywhere. Movement. Words. Communication. Someone laughs. Someone else laughs - this one is loud and screechy. I twist my mouth at the sound. I look around to try and find the culprit - and something catches my eye.
There's a small crack between the retirement home curtains not far on my left. A pale yellow ray of light seeps through it, and the curtains shine a brilliant red. I can see something - a ball of light; it flickers and moves and sways through the air...
''Hey, do you see that?''
She breaks my concentration. I look at her, and I find her staring right at the light. Her plate of food abandoned, her eyes are bright and her teeth shine as they get caught in a small smile.
''Can you see that tiny...''
''Yeah,'' I say. ''That light.''
We both gaze at the beauty and simplicity of the scene. Nothing is actually happening. It's just sunlight. I turn to see her lit up eyes and her lit up mouth and watch her hand as she tries to catch it. I hear her lit up laugh, careless and wonderful and real.
The noise is drowned in her laugh.
Her eyes seem dull. The cup is brought to her lips, and she noisily clatters it back into its saucer. I can see her swallow it. I can see her throat moving up and down like that. I turn my head away.
The waiter's here and finally there's a purpose for our eyes. Simultaneously, we flash an exaggerated smile towards the young man; he sets the plates down while giving a description of the dishes. Thanks, but we know what we ordered. No need for that.
The plate doesn't look as nice as I thought it would be. I don't really know what I was expecting. She's staring at her salad now; here we go with the inspection. Oh, here it comes, riiiight now... She picks up a fork and I swear it's slow motion as she moves the lettuce around the plate, tilting her head as if checking for rat droppings. Slowly, slowly. Inspecting it like there's poison.
This beef is not bad. I'm chewing slowly, looking about the room. The place is quaint and there's something dainty about it. Apart from those dark red curtains. What's the deal with those? Looks like they belong in a retirement home. It's so noisy in here...
My mind's wandering.
I remember she's sitting opposite me and I turn to her. She looks at me and I flash her a smile. Kind of like the one we gave to the waiter.
''How's your salad?''
She's chewing slowly. Crunch, crunch, crunch. Ah. Must be cucumbers.
''Good.''
I nod my head as if I approve of this grand response. The salad is good. All's right with the world.
''Your pork?''
It's not pork. ''Nice.''
Back to quiet. Back to emptiness. Back to being silent corpses at the table. Are we the dining dead?
There's so much clatter and noise going on in here. These people are so loud, their voices seem to be reverberating throughout the restaurant. Forks scraping against plates, someone drops a glass, talking talking talking -
''You've got something... right there...'' She points to the corner of her mouth. I grab a napkin and swipe it off.
''Thanks.''
I haven't tried to make a joke in weeks. They're shit, and I know that; she knows it too now. I don't bother. Voices climb over each other in the room; I'm looking around and there's hands flying everywhere. Movement. Words. Communication. Someone laughs. Someone else laughs - this one is loud and screechy. I twist my mouth at the sound. I look around to try and find the culprit - and something catches my eye.
There's a small crack between the retirement home curtains not far on my left. A pale yellow ray of light seeps through it, and the curtains shine a brilliant red. I can see something - a ball of light; it flickers and moves and sways through the air...
''Hey, do you see that?''
She breaks my concentration. I look at her, and I find her staring right at the light. Her plate of food abandoned, her eyes are bright and her teeth shine as they get caught in a small smile.
''Can you see that tiny...''
''Yeah,'' I say. ''That light.''
We both gaze at the beauty and simplicity of the scene. Nothing is actually happening. It's just sunlight. I turn to see her lit up eyes and her lit up mouth and watch her hand as she tries to catch it. I hear her lit up laugh, careless and wonderful and real.
The noise is drowned in her laugh.