A Matter Of
Interpretation
By MMW
Meredith sighed and sat back in her
chair as she watched her friend's children run amok in the backyard.
"That's something of a
sigh," Laura said. "What're you thinking of?" she asked settling
into a chair.
Meredith turned her head, lacking
the strength to do anymore. Her cold had more or less faded away, but she was
still tired. The constant traveling didn't help, but it had afforded her a
chance to see one of her close friends. Laura and Meredith had been friends for
years. They didn't get to see each other often since Meredith was living in
Denver and Laura lived outside Cleveland, so Meredith took the opportunity of a
down day to spend some time with her close friend.
Looking at the happy glow of her
friend, Meredith felt a pang inside, wondering if she could ever be that happy.
"Just thinking of what might be," she replied with a smile. Turning
back to watch the giggling children, she continued, "You know me, always
living the fantasy and never the reality."
Laura laughed. She was very familiar
with the rich tapestry that made up Meredith's imagination and how timid her
friend could be in real life. "Who is he?" she asked, nestling into
her chair, looking forward to a good story.
Meredith smiled, comforted by the
fact her friend understood her so well. "You know my friend, Vin?"
she asked, shifting her eyes she witnessed her friend's smile widen.
"One of the really cute ones?
The one with the long hair and motorcycle. The one with the really nice...
er... backside?" Laura amended as her daughter came within earshot.
Meredith laughed lightly and
replied. "Yes, the one with the nice backside... and the gorgeous hair...
and the most amazing eyes..." Meredith replied ending on a sigh.
Laura took in the _expression on her
friend's face, the tone of her voice and drew an immediate conclusion.
"You're in love," she declared. She saw Meredith's eyes widen.
"You're in love with him."
Meredith shifted uncomfortably.
"In lust," she corrected. "It can't be love unless the feeling
is returned."
Laura snorted. They had been over
this argument time and again and no matter how many times Laura pointed out
that even in Meredith's own experience that wasn't necessarily true. "OK.
You're in lust with him. Is he in lust with you?" She saw Meredith's face
cloud.
Shifting in her chair, Meredith
actually thought about the question before sighing and shrugging. "I don't
know. I don't know if there's interest there or if I'm reading things into the
relationship that aren't there. If I just had some clear sign... Some way of
knowing..."
Laura considered Meredith's words.
Given her knowledge of her friend and what she'd heard of Vin Laura came to the
conclusion that there was most likely much more to the relationship than either
of them was aware. The question was how to make Meredith aware of that.
"Have you tried to sound him out?" she asked. She laughed and rolled
her eyes at Meredith's _expression, of course not! Shaking her head, she
admonished, "Meredith, how are you ever going to get what you want if you
won't take a chance?"
Meredith shrugged and smiled
slightly, knowing the response would drive Laura nuts. Sure enough the cry of
frustration soon followed. Meredith's smile bloomed into a full-blown grin and
soon both she and Laura were laughing.
"Have you two been on a
date?" Laura asked. Seeing her friend about to deny it, she specified,
"I mean, have the two of you set up a time together that was just the two
of you?"
Meredith thought about the question
and shifted uncomfortably. She and Vin had spent a lot of time alone together
and much of it intentionally scheduled so that they could be alone with each
other. It never seemed like a date, though, after all, they were just friends.
Weren't they? She was pretty sure his intentions had never been anything but
pure friendship and until recently she knew her's had only been feelings of
friendship.
"Dating's a lot about finding
out about each other and becoming friends. Without friendship there can't be
anything more. I know, I know, you've never been comfortable 'dating', but then
you've always had some pretty strange notions." Laura laughed as Meredith
stuck her tongue out at the observation. "So... When was your first
date?" Laura asked, leaning forward in her chair an expectant look on her
face.
Meredith laughed, acknowledging
Laura's victory. "Sounds to me that your definition of first date is a
matter of interpretation. I would say we haven't had one, but you'd probably
disagree. Gosh, let's see... By your definition I guess our first date happened
just after I met Vin, he asked me out to dinner as a thank you after I helped
him out, but I think you're thinking more along the lines of asking me out as
something other than a thank you. I would have to say, in that case, it was
about six weeks after I first met Vin."
"Ooo, do tell," Laura
teased.
Meredith rolled her eyes at her
friend, taking a moment to gather her thoughts with regard to what she now was
about to relate as her first date with Vin. "I was chatting with a couple
of people at lunch. Vin, was sitting with some of his team at the next table
and he overheard me saying I wanted to explore a particular area of the state.
He turned, excused himself for butting in and said he knew the area and offered
to take me that Saturday. I was surprised but agreed. We settled on 7 am as a
starting time."
"So is he yummy looking that
early in the morning?" Laura teased.
Meredith rolled her eyes and laughed
with her friend. "Yes, he looks very yummy in the morning if you must
know," she informed with a smile. "But that's not the point. We
headed out and drove around a while, taking in the sights I'd marked. He was
quite knowledgeable about the area and had all sorts of stories. Of course,
every now and then I had to call him on a story he was telling because I just
couldn't believe it, but afterward he took me to his primary sources."
"Primary sources?" Laura
asked, eyebrows raised in curiosity.
Meredith smiled. "Some books at
the library, but there were some people he knew as well, long-time residents.
They had some pretty remarkable stories and of course..."
"All of them were true?"
Laura interrupted. They both laughed.
"Well, anyway, it was getting a
little late and a storm had blown in making it really difficult to drive
especially up and down the mountains. It was around dinnertime and there wasn't
anywhere to eat. You know those areas where you're lucky if you find a
restaurant?" Seeing Laura nod, she continued, "Well, pulling up to
the one and only eatery in the area I was about to ask him to go on when I
heard his stomach growl and gave in. I have to admit, I was a little nervous
when we saw the first sign. Eating somewhere called "Ponderous
MacDale's" isn't really my idea of a good time."
"Ponderous MacDale's?"
Laura laughed in disbelief;
Meredith laughed with her and nodded
her head in agreement. "I have to admit I was a little wary, and it only
got worse as we pulled up and I saw the neon sign version of it which read
"onerous Dale's". Honestly, the neon green had faded almost to a sage
color! Though personally, I think onerous was much more accurate. Anyway, Vin
pulls in and we park the car..."
<><><><><><><>"I
can't believe we're going to eat here," Meredith said in disbelief.
Vin laughed. "I've eaten at
worse. Ready to experience the finest dining in the building?"
Meredith mock-shuddered and they
both laughed as they exited the car.
Opening the restaurant's door, Vin
glanced quickly about the inside before allowing Meredith to walk through. He
winced slightly at the condition of the restaurant, if you could even call it
that. Still, he was really hungry and knew appearances could be deceiving.
Stepping in behind Meredith, Vin
found himself face to face with a rather tall gentleman wearing full Scottish
regalia. "Ya can't come in here dressed like that!" the man bellowed
in a very distinctive Brooklyn accent.
Vin stopped dead. Glancing toward
Meredith to make sure she was alright, he was shocked to see her trying to
suppress laughter. It was bad enough that a hole in the wall like this seemed
to have a dress code, but to be called on the carpet for it... "I'm
sorry," Vin began, unsure of what to say. "If y'all could tell us of
another diner, we'll head there."
"No, no. Not a problem. I have
some colors you can borrow," the man continued as if that would explain
everything.
Seeing the puzzled look on Vin's
face, Meredith supplied, "You have to wear a kilt."
"What!" Vin exclaimed, his
voice practically a squeak. "I ain't wearin' no skirt!"
"Not a skirt, Vin, a kilt.
Specifically the MacDale colors," she said trying to suppress her
laughter.
Vin narrowed his eyes at his friend.
She was enjoying this far too much. They waited as their host went to retrieve
the "proper attire" for Vin. As Vin saw the kilt the man was
carrying, a wave of horror swept through him at the thought he would be forced
to wear such thing. "That's... That's..." he stammered.
"That's your kilt,"
Meredith supplied trying valiantly not to laugh at the puce, chartreuse and
bright orange conflagration of colors the man had brought out.
Vin accepted the article of clothing
and began slipping it on over his jeans only to be stopped by the host.
"Oh, no. You have to wear it the traditional way," their host
instructed.
"Traditional way?" Vin
asked with great trepidation. He saw Meredith shaking with suppressed laughter
and felt his cheeks begin to color knowing something truly awful was awaiting
him.
"Of course. Haven't you heard
the ballads about what a Scotsman wears under his kilt?"
Vin's eyes grew wide. Of course he'd
heard the rumors and the stories and had laughed them off as had all American
men. "But that's... It's not..." he sputtered trying to argue his way
out of having to go through with the restaurant's dress code while feeling his
face turn several very interesting shades of red. He saw his host fold his arms
across his chest as if daring the Sharpshooter to say or do anything against
wearing the kilt in the "traditional" manner. He looked over at
Meredith who now had tears streaming down her face from trying not to laugh at
his predicament. Shooting her a glare, Vin opened his mouth and was about to
tell her they were leaving when he saw Meredith mouth the word
"chicken". Closing his mouth and squaring his shoulders he turned
toward their host and asked, "Is there someplace I can change?"
Showing Vin to a dressing room,
their host, who it turns out was Ponderous MacDale himself, showed Meredith to
the eating area and a table.
How she got to her table she would
never know. She'd seen some fairly unique furniture in her time, even sat on a
few chairs she was sure were one of a kinds and thankfully so, but she was
absolutely stupefied by the selection of chairs nestled around various tables.
Settling into her chair, she was shocked at how comfortable and relaxing her
chair felt. She could feel any remaining tension leave her body as she settled
back into the chair's embrace. Waiting patiently for Vin to join her, she
scanned the rest of the restaurant. It was decorated in a more sedate manner
than the family colors of Ponderous MacDale would have hinted at. There were
several settees along the walls which, while nice enough, could only be
described as less than delicate. All in all the atmosphere was soothing and
Meredith found the thought of driving back to Denver less attractive.
Eventually a blushing Vin made his
appearance. Though the colors of the kilt were garish to say the least, she was
surprised by how attractive he looked in a kilt. It showed off his well-formed,
muscular legs and tempted the eye just enough to make one long to see what he
was - or wasn't - wearing under the kilt. As he sat down, she made a point of
telling him, "Aside from the colors in it, you look really nice in a
kilt."
Vin shot her a look and then smiled
at the compliment. "Thanks, but you best enjoy this while you can. I ain't
never wearin' a skirt again." He saw Meredith's smile widen and a twinkle
of mischief enter her eye. "And if you ever tell anyone about this, you'll
be sorry!" He was frustrated when Meredith laughed at his threat, but gave
into the humor of the situation and joined her.
The two talked while they waited for their waitress to appear. "Feels like we've been waiting a fortnight," Meredith commented, noting that by her watch it had only been about 40 minutes.< o:p>
"Good thing these chairs are so
comfortable or I'd suggest getting up and leaving," Vin added.
As if on cue, their waitress came up
to them. "HiI'mVapidandI'llbeyourservermayItakeyourorder?" she said
in a rush.
Meredith did a double take,
surprised first by the woman's rapid speech and second by the fact she'd just
said her name was Vapid. "Excuse me," Meredith interrupted. "Did
you say your name was Vapid?"
The woman looked at her and offered
a high-speed laugh.
"RapidmynameisRapidatleastthat'swhateveryonjearoundherecallsme," she
replied.
"Holy mackerel!" Vin
exclaimed at the rapid recitation. He was still trying to parse out her
sentence when he heard Meredith ask for menus. Watching the young woman move
quickly away, he turned to see a mirror of his own stunned _expression writ on
Meredith's face. "I'd ask if you caught every other word, but I think she
only used one."
Meredith offered a light laugh in
response. "Holy mackerel?" she asked.
Vin shrugged. "Seemed more
polite than what I almost said." This earned him another light laugh from
Meredith. He was about to comment further when Rapid came back, deposited two
menus and disappeared. Opening the menu, he began reading what was available.
Looking up from his menu he saw the baffled _expression on Meredith's face. "Some
selection," he observed.
The corner of Meredith's mouth rose
in a wry smile. "I"ll say. I don't think I've seen so many things
crossed out ever. Have you found anything they still have?"
Scanning his menu, Vin smirked,
"Grapes, peaches, dinner rolls, and sweet rolls."
"It appears that our drink
selection includes bubble bath and tea," Meredith observed.
Vin wrinkled his nose. "Bubble
bath?" he asked, incredulous. He gaped as Meredith just nodded her head.
"Surethingsweety!
Whatelse'llyahave?" Rapid asked, quickly making a note that Vin wanted
bubble bath to drink. Vin opened his mouth to protest, but Rapid jumped right
in. "It'sareallyreallygooddrinkit'slikearootbeerfloatonlywithbubblegumicecreamandclearsoda."
After a few seconds of silence while
the two processed what had just been said, Vin spotted the telltale tremor of
Meredith's shoulders indicating she was laughing again. Wanting to get back
some of his own, he decided to order for both Meredith and himself. "I'd
like a bowl of peaches, grapes and the dinner rolls on the side. Meredith will
have the sweet rolls and tea," he finished taking Meredith's menu and
handing them to Rapid while ignoring the face Meredith was making at him.
"OKThosedinnershouldberightoutnoproblem,"
Rapid informed them before disappearing to the back.
Meredith sat looking at Vin. "I
can't believe you ordered for me!" she exclaimed. "I don't even like
sweet rolls that much!"
Vin laughed. "If I have to wear
a skirt -"
"Kilt" Meredith corrected.
Shooting a look at his dinning
partner, Vin continued, "kilt, then you can live with me ordering for you.
Besides I have to drink a bubble bath!" He tried not to smile or laugh
with Meredith, but failed miserably. Soon his laughter joined hers.
The duo continued to talk for a
while before becoming impatient. "Think they'll ever bring the food?"
Meredith asked.
Vin checked his watch.
"Well," he observed, "it took them 40 minutes to bring us menus,
I reckon we could wait a good twenty or so before they bring us our food."
Meredith smiled in agreement. Sure enough, after twenty minutes by Vin's watch,
Rapid came out bearing a tray with their meals.
Both Vin and Meredith managed to
hide their amusement at the presentation. Vin's fruit was being served in the
bottom part of a planter, the dinner rolls were served on a hubcap and
Meredith's sweet rolls cam in what could only be an old flute case with the
insides taken out. As for their drinks, Vin's bubble bath came in a traditional
milkshake glass, but Meredith's tea came in a rather fancy looking soap
dispenser. Nodding their thanks to Rapid, they waited for her to disappear out
of earshot before giving voice to their mirth.
Looking closely at the food,
Meredith raised an eyebrow. "Your fruit doesn't look half bad. Want to
share?" she asked.
Vin looked at his friend and
grinned. "Nope. You get the sweet rolls and tea." He watched
Meredith's resigned look and relented slightly. I'll split the fruit if you'll
share your tea."
Looking directly into the blue eyes
to judge his sincerity, Meredith finally nodded in agreement to the deal.
"Deal," she said. Reaching across the table, she picked up the cup
from in front of Vin and quickly dispensed some tea.
For his part, Vin reached over and
took the saucer of Meredith's teacup and put a portion of fruit on it before
replacing it. Settling back, he graciously accepted the tea Meredith offered.
Bringing it up to his lips, he missed Meredith's warning as he took a sip of
the hot liquid. Pulling the cup away quickly as he felt the tea scald his lips,
some of it spilled onto his kilt. "Damn," he said quietly.
Meredith was concerned as she asked,
"Are you all right?"
Vin grabbed the bubble bath and took
a sip, oddly surprised that the sweet concoction tasted pretty good.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he admitted sheepishly. "But I spilled some
tea on my skirt," he said sounding disgruntled. "It won't stain will
it?" he asked. He saw Meredith's mouth twitch as she tried to suppress her
smile. Putting his hands on his hip he lowered his head as his own smile grew.
Soon they were both chuckling and then laughing. "I didn't just say that,
did I?"
Meredith nodded as she tried to
catch her breath. "Yep, sure did." Catching a bit more of her breath,
she held up her hand to his protest. "I know, I know. If I ever breathe a
word of this to anyone I'll regret it. Don't worry word of this will never
reach the ears of your teammates, friends or acquaintances."
Nodding his agreement, Vin released
a sigh and settled down to eat his dinner. The rest of dinner, as the day
proceeding it, was filled with laughter and chatter. Of their selections, the
dinner rolls were their favorite, though still far from tasty. Eventually they
asked for the check. Seeing the disappointment in Rapid's eyes as she looked at
the leftovers, Meredith sighed and asked to have the leftovers wrapped,
shrugging in response to Vin's pained _expression. Rapid beamed at them and
quickly departed to wrap their leftovers.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Vin
said, "I can't believe you asked for the rest."
Meredith smiled and shrugged.
"She just looked so put out. We can always leave it for the animals to eat
or throw it out when we get to town."
Vin shook his head and winced.
"Hell, I don't reckon that even the critters 'd eat that mess."
Meredith laughed and agreed. Then
stopped. Her eyes grew wide as she watched Rapid come out with a fish tank
filled with their leftover rolls. Unable to say anything, she pointed.
Turning to see what she was pointing
at, Vin felt his jaw drop at the sight of Rapid carrying a fish tank filled
with rolls. Closing his mouth, he shut his eyes and shook his head in
disbelief. Turning to look at Meredith, he saw her just shaking her head.
Paying their bill, they took the
fish tank and left, though, not before Ponderous MacDale talked Vin into
keeping the kilt. Leaving the building, the two quickly made their way into the
car and made their way toward Denver. Once within Denver, they stopped by the
first trash can they found got rid of the rolls.
"Why're you keepin' the fish
tank?" Vin asked.
Meredith smiled. "It's a
perfectly good fish tank," she offered by way of reply.
<><><><><><><>"So,
why did you keep the fish tank?" Laura asked.
Meredith smiled. "Birthday
gift."
"Birthday gift? For whom?"
Meredith's smile broadened.
"Vin. I picked up a few fish and the necessary equipment and gifted him
with three fish in that tank."
Laura laughed. " I can't
believe you did that! What did he say?"
Meredith was chuckling along with
her friend. "He thanked me for it and promptly named the fish Rapid,
Ponderous and MacDale." Both women laughed.
"And the kilt?" Laura
asked.
Meredith's smile softened. "He
still has it. He had it cleaned and has it stored away somewhere. I tease him
about it every now and then, but then, he doesn't seem to mind too much so long
as his teammates don't find out."
Laura smiled at her friend.
"Sounds like Vin cherishes his time with you," she observed.
Meredith tilted her head to the
side, thinking about Laura's words. "I suppose. But don't you do the same
with all your friends."
Laura nodded, knowing Meredith would
try to deny it. "How do you explain the kilt?" Seeing her friend's
puzzled _expression she explained. "He's obviously embarrassed about it
and didn't really enjoy wearing it, yet he not only kept it, he had it
cleaned." Meredith looked into her friend's blue eyes. Laura smiled at the
confusion, doubt, fear and hope she read in Meredith's eyes. "Whether he
knows it or not on a conscious level, I think the man is taken with you."
Meredith felt her cheeks color. From
the knowing grin on Laura's face, she knew she was blushing. Rolling her eyes,
she released a sigh. Thinking over Laura's words as well as her own memories,
Meredith could only wonder how true Laura's words were. Her thoughts were cut
off as Laura's son ran up an leapt at her. Scooping up the little boy, she
flipped him over and began tickling him, making a mental note to think about
what Laura said later.