I couldn’t look in her direction, the direction of the bar, again. I kept my eyes off that fireplace, and I had my eyes down when I left the restaurant with my girlfriend.
It wasn’t just my eyes that had been affected—I was quiet for the rest of the meal. When my girlfriend said something, I did nothing but make a weak smile. Just as we were getting in the car, my girlfriend commented on my reticence.
I was afraid that she could read my mind. I tried to cover up and said that I was just tired, and I was. Then I was saved, saved by something I did days ago.
I opened the passenger’s side car door and let my girlfriend in, and then I opened my trunk. I found what I was looking for. Under a blanket was a bottle of Chardonnay from Australia. I probably had a wine bottle opener in my suitcase, let us pray.
I told my girlfriend about the wine and she cheered up. She thought I had been mad at her for something she did or say. Nothing could be further from the truth. I thought we were getting along well, and I did want to get along. Let’s be honest, I was crazy about her.
Back at the room, I found the opener, and my girlfriend turned up the heat because it was only seventy degrees outside. I poured the wine, which was room temperature, into two plastic disposable cups that came with the room. Her preference is for red wine, but I could tell she liked the Chardonnay. She seemed calm, appreciably calmer than she usually is. The anxiety was gone. I felt that she was herself, finally.
I told her the story of how I got the bottle of wine. Several years ago, a neighbor I knew knocked on my door. He was friendly as usual, but he was in a hurry. He said he had sold his house. I saw a moving truck and asked him whether he needed any help moving.
He said yes, that he had a safe. I laughed. He then said he really had a safe and it was on the second floor. I said shit. Long story short, I helped him and one other guy get the safe down to the first floor. He thanked me and asked me if I could help him move a baby piano. You can guess where the goddam thing was.
After I finished helping him, he took me down to his wine cellar and gave me two bottles of wine, and one of them was the Chardonnay. The Chardonnay was a 1986 wine from Australia, and according to my neighbor, it should be saved for a special occasion. For years I kept it in my bedroom closet, next to an old camera. While I was packing for the trip here, I found a good, safe spot for it in my trunk, hoping that this trip would bring a special moment.