When We Meet Again

‘Choose your battles’ the voice in her head sounded like her grandmother who was well known for keeping a level head when all about her were losing theirs. The car drew out of the hospital parking lot and on to the highway.

“Are you taking me home?” she asked tentatively since Dean didn’t offer any information as to their direction.

“Yes but I thought I’d take you for breakfast first,” he said. Meaghan nodded and said nothing. If this was a break up, it was the longest one she’d ever heard of. They drove in silence for the half hour it takes to reach the restaurant Dean was aiming for. Meaghan was surprised to see that it’s the restaurant her and Bain favor.

“La Trattoria?” she asks Dean. “Why?”

“I thought you liked this place,” Dean says.

“I do, I just didn’t know that you did.”

“Well that one time you brought me here, I really enjoyed the food and since I know you like it, I thought it was a good place to eat.”

“Oh,” Meaghan said getting out of the car without waiting for Dean to get her door; she was too bemused.

He took her hand and walked her in. Luigi was at the Maitr’d’s station looking through a book. He looked up and his eyes lit up before he looked over Meaghan’s shoulder and didn’t see Bain. His face fell so suddenly it was comical and then he hitched a smile on his face and came over to welcome her.

“Meaghan my dear. How are you?” he asked.

“I’m good, thank you for asking. This is my friend Dean,” she said indicating him with her hand. “We thought we’d see how your breakfast measures up to your dinners.”

Luigi smiled, “I don’t usually make breakfast, that I leave to my mother. But I am sure you’ll enjoy her cornetto and cappuccino,” he said.

“Bring it on,” Meaghan said with a smile and applauded his restraint in not asking after Bain. Clearly despite what Bain had told her, this man was still carrying a torch. Luigi led them to their seats and promised to be back with their breakfasts. They sat quietly not saying anything or looking at each other as they waited. Meaghan wondered how long all this was supposed to go on. She inhaled deeply and then opened her mouth to see what would come out.

“How’s the bookshop?”

Dean smiled at her, “It’s good. You should come by; pick up a few books. I won’t even charge you.”

“Oh really. How very generous of you,” Meaghan said snidely but with a teasing smile.

Dean returned it, “Well there have to be some perks to being my girlfriend.”

Meaghan stared at him wondering if he was aware of what he’d just said or was if it was a slip of the tongue. She decided to change the topic just in case. If he didn’t mean it she really didn’t want to know.

“You know what this reminds me of?” she said instead.

“What?” he asked. His face looked untroubled by his prior statement so Meaghan decided to assume he was unaware of it.

“Gone with the Wind,” she says.

Dean furrowed his brow in puzzlement, “I don’t get it.”

Meaghan shrugged, “There just seems to be a lot of willful blindness around me,” she said. Dean stared at her suspiciously.

“Are you saying I’m being willfully blind about us?” he asked. Meaghan smiled at him and begun to hum a song. Dean continued to stare at her suspiciously. Then she began to sing under her breath.

“You’re so vain; you probably think this song is about you. You’re so VAIIINNN; you probably think this song is about you; don’t you? Don’t you? Don’t youuuu?

Dean burst into loud laughter. Luckily there weren’t many people to be disturbed since the restaurant was all but empty at this hour.

“If the song is actually about you, are you still vain?” he asked.

That made Meaghan laugh, luckily she was saved from answering because Luigi brought their breakfast himself. The cornetto was just warm from the oven and turned out to be some form of croissant that Meaghan was happy to add to her list of favorite foods. The cappuccino was hot and sweet and just what she needed after a long night at work. By the way Dean tucked in, Meaghan figured he shared her enjoyment of the meal.

“Did you find that Scarlett O’Hara was a bit unrealistic as a character when it came to how oblivious she was to everything?” Dean said out of nowhere. Meaghan looked up startled and found him studying her intently with the green eyes gone so dark they were almost black. Or maybe the room’s dimness was responsible for that. And maybe she was responsible for the question; it was she after all, who brought Gone with the Wind up.

“I wouldn’t say oblivious. She just told herself stories about how she preferred life to be as opposed to how she actually was. I think we all do that.”

“Yeah but unlike with Scarlett, tomorrow has to come sooner or later,” Dean said.

“True; or you can just keep running indefinitely. I mean what do you think alcoholics or drug addicts are doing?”

“I thought addiction was a disease,” Dean’s tone was mocking.

“Yeah but why do people start drinking heavily?” she asked seriously even though she wasn’t sure how serious Dean was being. “They’re usually running away from something they don’t want to think about.”

“Do you do that yourself, run away?” he asked further surprising her. This conversation seemed to be all over the place but somehow Meaghan didn’t think that it was. Dean was after something. Meaghan just wished she knew what.

“I’m more of a face it now type person,” she said. Dean nodded his head slowly as if in understanding of her words. He didn’t say anything else though.

“What about you?” she asked and Dean looked up at her in surprise. Meaghan guessed he thought he was the only one who could ask questions.

“Me? Um, I don’t know. Avoidance is my tactic I guess,” he said.

“I noticed,” Meaghan said sotto voce and Dean pretended not to hear.

Luigi came by to find out if they had enjoyed their meal and if there was anything else they would like; some fruit maybe? Meaghan felt that she really could use some vitamin C so asked for an orange if they had one. The weather was turning cold but La Trattoria had been known to carry out of season fruits and vegetables. They had a farm along the Mediterranean Sea ran by another branch of the family from which they acquired regular shipments of various foods.