Upon arriving home, Catherine walked into the lobby of her apartment building, and one of her fellow tenants had a table set up, selling Poinsettias for their Grand-daughter's school fund raiser. Thinking they were so beautiful, Catherine happily said she would love to buy a few of the white ones. And after paying for them, she then stealthily juggled the Poinsettia plants, along with her To-Go box from Rita. So needless to say, Catherine had her hands full!
Successfully, Catherine entered her apartment without dropping anything! And as she felt totally spent from the emotional events of the her last day, she thought of all she wanted to do right now, was to relax a little bit before venturing into China Town.
And as she listened to the soothing music, Catherine thought about the surprise dinner date for Vincent and how she prayed all would go well tonight, and then a slight smile of satisfaction came to her lips, knowing this time, nothing could go wrong.
And so Catherine finished getting ready, looked at the clock, and realized, in order to arrive at Pai's a little bit before nine, that it was time to call a taxi.
Happy to hear a car would be right over, Catherine had no sooner hung up the phone, when it began to ring. As Catherine answered, she heard Steven excitedly say, "Cathy I just got back, and I have so much to tell you! I am on my mobile car phone, and on my way over to your place right now! Awe Cathy...I cannot wait to see you...and..."
Finally, Catherine was able to break in, and because she was determined not to have Steven ruin this dinner date with Vincent, Catherine firmly said, "Steven, this is not a good time. I have plans, and actually on my way out."
To which Steven urgently expounded, "You can't be...I mean I hurried back just to see you!"
But because Catherine knew it would cause her to be late even if he popped in for a minute, Catherine explained, "The Taxi is due to arrive any second..."
And then Steven over zealously butted in, and offered, "Look, I am practically there already, and so I AM coming! And I will take you where ever you need to go! You can ride in style! So just cancel the two-bit Taxi!"
And so because of Steven's pushy arrogance, Catherine realized she needed to really hold her ground, and said, "I would never do that Steven! That would be unkind and unfair to the driver."
To which Steven replied, "Awe who cares, just send them away when they come, I just have to show you some photos of my place and of the countryside..."
And because Steven was being so assertive, Catherine interrupted to say, "DO NOT come over here Steven! I already said I have plans."
Upon hearing Catherine's refusal to see him, Steven became angry, and spewed, "Look at you! Cathy with the big plans, who hasn't the time to spare a minute or two!"
To which Catherine sternly responded, "You are out of line Steven!"
In reply, Steven incredulously said, "Out of line? I will tell you what is out of line, and that is telling a friend who is dying, that you haven't time to see him! What is wrong with you? Don't you know time is of the essence for me?"
Realizing she really had a loose cannon on her hands, Catherine calmly replied, "That is an unfair thing to say...""
As Catherine waited for Steven's assertive reply, she instead only heard a deep sigh on the other end of the phone.
And so Catherine herself, took a deep breath, and then finally Steven softly said, "Oh my...did this really just happen? Did I do it again?"
To which, Catherine understandably said, "Look, I am trying to understand your illness may cause mood swings, but I have decided after the other night, I will not tolerate this irate behavior from you under any circumstances."
In response, Steven calmed his temper, and tried to sound repentant, as he sorrowfully said, "Of course you are right. I am sorry Cathy...here I am, lashing out at the kindest person I know..."
And then humbly, Steven asked, "Well, can I at least see you sometime tomorrow? It can be any time, what ever time you say?"
But instead of cow towing to him, Catherine in a cool response, said, "I have relatives coming into town, and we have shopping plans, and then seeing The Phantom in the evening, so I will be busy all weekend. And Monday I begin my job at the DA, I am thinking it may be for the best, if I call you in a week or two, after things die down..."
To which Steve tragically suggested, "Funny choice of words Cathy...die down, maybe I will be one of those things...uh?"
Thinking that was a horrible thing to say, Catherine responded, "Why would you say that Steven? If you are trying to gain my sympathies, you are way off..."
Steven then admitted she was right, and said, "I guess when it comes to our relationship, it is the only card I have left in my hand..."
Steven then tried to shamelessly gain sympathy again, by degrading himself, saying, "Oh my...I cannot believe I have managed to alienate my only friend by coming on too strong again...I am so foolish!"
After hearing how downhearted Steven sounded, Catherine took a deep breath, and compassionately said, "I'll call you on Sunday in the early afternoon, maybe around noon, after my company leaves."
To which Steven happily said, "Thank you Cathy! Thank you! You don't know what this means to me. I will wait to hear from you on Sunday."
As Catherine hung up the phone, she thought to herself, "Oh my, what have I started! And why did I mention my weekend plans? If we run into him shopping or something, I am gonna flip!"
And so just as she tried to shake off the angst Steven's call had caused, the Doorman buzzed up, telling Catherine her taxi had arrived.
Excitedly, Catherine grabbed her coat, locked the door, and as her excitement rose, she was ready for her dinner date with Vincent!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Jacob who was in on the surprise dinner date, feigned a cold, and told Vincent, he needed a herbal treatment, and asked his son to pick up the herbs from Pai's restaurant in China Town.
To which Vincent clarified, "Father, didn't you mean to say, I should go to Dr. Wong's shop for the herbs?"
But because Jacob didn't want to mess up the plans, he insistently argued, "Normally yes, however, in Dr. Wong's note, he instructed the herbs to be picked up at Pai's restaurant tonight."
And because this was an unusual arrangement, Vincent then outwardly reasoned, "Perhaps Dr. Wong is going to be at their restaurant, dining with Lin and Henry..."
Then looking at Jacob, Vincent asked, "Do you suppose this may be so?"
As Jacob adjusted Vincent cloak, he anxiously said, "Perhaps so, now you better run along now..."
Meantime Vincent continued to contemplate this issue, and then noted, "However, on the other hand, Lin has mentioned, that her Grandfather very rarely agrees to come to eat with them...and she wishes he would more..."
Upon realizing all this in depth rationalizing of the wheres and whys of picking up these nonexistent herbs, would make Vincent run late for the Dinner date, Jacob then quickly, and weakly butted in as he inserted, "Oh please just go and do this for me Vincent...I haven't the strength to figure out why you are picking them up here, or there, or if they are dining or not! Now please, just go with you."
And because Jacob admitted to being weak, Vincent became concerned, thinking his father was sicker than he thought! And so as he began to take off his cloak, he said, "I will send Mouse on this errand Father...I am not going to leave your side when you are feeling like this. And I am also going to send word to Peter, and ask him to come and perform a physical check up on you!"
Alarmingly, Jacob shouted, "You will do nothing of the kind! Now go Vincent...I am not on my death bed. For God's sake, just go and get my herbs!"
Contemplating what to do, Vincent stood thoughtful for a moment, and as he slipped his cloak back on, he said, "Very well Father, to save you further stress, I will go as you request. I shall return as quickly as possible, and in the interim, I will be contacting Peter as well."
Knowing an extra task, could ruin the plans Lin had so carefully set out, Jacob did some quick thinking, and said, "Actually, don't bother, you see Peter is already on his way! Yes, yes that's right! Peter has sent word telling me to expect him, so when he comes, I will have him examine me. So there you see, everything is taken care of. So go now, the Pai's, are expecting you."
Feeling better knowing Peter was coming below, Vincent kissed his Father's cheek, and then set out on his errand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Catherine stepped from the Taxi, and knocked on the restaurant door.
Warmly, Henry greeted her, and said, "Catherine, Welcome."
Appreciatively, Catherine stepped in and said, "Thank you Henry."
And then humbly Catherine looked at Henry, and added, "Lin wasn't sure if you would approve of us trying this again, but tonight, I don't see how anything can go wrong."
To which Henry assuredly said, "Neither do I Catherine, and believe me, we are pleased to do this for both you and Vincent. And no worries about the time. This is Lin and my inventory night, and it takes us hours to complete. So relax and enjoy."
As Henry then graciously led her to the Legends Private Dining room, he explained, "Lin is keeping watch for Vincent...but she asked me to tell you hello, and to convey how excited she is for this event to take place."
To which Catherine nervously stepped in to the room, and as she removed her coat, Henry picked up on her anxiousness. He then smiled warmly, as he took her coat from her, and said, "Sit down and relax Catharine, leave everything to Lin, and I. May I pour you some tea?"
Nodding yes, Catherine then complimented Henry on the romantic ambiance, saying, "Henry the candles, and the music, it is really beautiful here..."
Catherine then noted, "This is a different room from before..."
Affirmatively Henry nodded, and then explained, "Yes it is. Lin and I wanted this night to be untainted by the prior experience in the Sonata Room."
As Henry looked around at the enchanting room, he thoughtfully added, "This room, is one of our most requested private dining room for committed couples, who wish to share a very special evening, dining alone."
Shyly Catherine smiled, as she looked downward, knowing she and Vincent definitely qualified to be there then, being as committed as they were with one another.
And Catherine also thought, of how Henry's comment indicated he recognized, and felt their bond, as did all those who knew them did.
Politely, Henry then bowed, as he exited the room, and discreetly closed the curtains, to leave Catherine alone to await Vincent's arrival.
Meanwhile, as Vincent entered Pai's through his usual entrance, he came face to face with a smiling Lin!
Hurriedly, Vincent huskily said, "Lin, I understand you are expecting me...your Grandfather has prepared some herbs for Father?"
To which Lin took Vincent by the hand, and said, "Yes I will get them for you, meantime relax in the Legends dining room while you wait."
As Vincent looked around, and since neither Henry nor Dr. Wong were around, he then said, "I do not wish to interrupt your family dinner Lin, and the way Father is feeling...I should return as quickly as possible."
Not realizing it would be this difficult to get Vincent into the Private Dining room, Lin gave Vincent an extra tug, and widened her eyes as she insistently said, "Vincent...just go in there and RELAX...please!"
Suddenly it dawned on Vincent, something was up, and began to hope Lin was luring him, to where...Catherine was waiting! And so as he searched Lin's eyes, he knew this was indeed so.
And so before Vincent went another step, he thankfully looked at Lin, who with tears in her eyes, gave him a quick wink, as she whispered, "Just ring the bell if you need anything..."
Humbly, Vincent nodded, and as he gingerly stepped in through the curtains, he slowly raised his eyes, to see his Catherine sitting their in the candlelight...waiting for him.
As Vincent stepped up to her, he asked, "Catherine...you did this?"
To which Catherine admitted, "Lin and Henry did...they wanted to complete the plans you had originally set into place for me."
Seeing the tears in Vincent's eyes, tugged at Catherine's heart, and caused tears to form in her own, and with her eyes glistening by the light of the candles, she looked around, and asked, "Isn't this lovely Vincent?"
As Vincent looked around too, he humbly said, "Yes...lovelier than I could have imagined..."
Catherine then stood, and looking up into his beautiful eyes, she said, "This is our night Vincent..."
With only a breath between them, Vincent then brought Catherine even closer to him, and protectively held her for a time, as they both savored the moment that had been illusive and seemed impossible for them.
Then with a sigh filled with angst, Vincent noted, "Because of who I am, our time together, must be so guarded...I do despise you are deprived of these overt every day joys..."
Catherine brought her fingers to Vincent's lips, to stop his down-hearted words, and said, "It is because of who you are, the strength of spirit you own...that our time together is so cherished and special...don't ever feel I am cheated of anything...my life has been so enriched by you."
Feeling empowered by the words which Catherine spoke to him, and the impact they made on his heart, forced Vincent to accept that the things he is able to give, are enough for Catherine.
And so with a sanctioned amour-propre, Vincent then motioned to the table and asked, "Shall we?"
After Catherine, Vincent then sat down beside her, and as they shared the ambiance together, they settled in to enjoy the music, candlelight, and the cuisine.
(Over to see Vincent and Catherine together at Pai's)
Elegantly, Vincent served as he poured their tea, and after lifting their cups to one another, Vincent toasted, "To this night, to you Catherine..."
And then Catherine lovingly added, "To us Vincent..."
To which Vincent in agreement, humbly nodded, and said, "Yes...to us..."
And after a while, it was then Vincent thought to ask about Catherine's day, and so with concern asked, "How was your last day at the firm?"
Thinking back on all of the roller coaster events of the day, Catherine softly shared, "It was a very special day...and it made me realize how much the every day people in my work life, really do mean to me."
Catherine then began to laugh a bit, causing Vincent to ask, what was funny. And so she told Vincent about the embarrassing moment, when Joe stepped forward at her party, revealing he had heard the unflattering comments she made about him.
Explaining, how she and her Dad were exchanging barbs, and was bolstered a little by the laughs they were getting, and got carried away by it. So when she realized Joe was there, she later apologized, saying she did NOT normally speak badly about people, but it was just for the sake of a joke. And that another Don Rickles she was NOT! And of how surprised she was when Joe had said he understood the whole situation.
And then Catherine thoughtfully shared, "Although, that bad moment occurred, it just may have been a tipping point, because Joe apologized too, and so maybe, just maybe we can be friends."
Vincent nodded, as he listened, and then observed, "Perhaps your comments, helped Joe to better see himself as well."
To which Catherine privately thought, "Maybe so..." But expressed, "Still...I cringe thinking I spoke so harshly about someone...taught me a lesson that's for sure, joking or not, it was unkind."
Warmed by the sweetness of Catherine's heart, Vincent continued to listen, as Catherine continued to speak about the event, and of how she was grateful for all the affection she had received from her Dad, co-workers and friends.
With a lump in her throat, she said, "It was a very grievous, yet...memorable and a very dear day for me. A day I will hold sweetly within my heart, for a very long, long time."
Vincent then replenished Catherine's tea, and as he poured some for himself, he sighed, "So, to new beginnings..."
Catherine raised her tea cup to clink with his, and said, "Yes...new beginnings."
To be continued
Chapter Twelve
Successfully, Catherine entered her apartment without dropping anything! And as she felt totally spent from the emotional events of the her last day, she thought of all she wanted to do right now, was to relax a little bit before venturing into China Town.
And as she listened to the soothing music, Catherine thought about the surprise dinner date for Vincent and how she prayed all would go well tonight, and then a slight smile of satisfaction came to her lips, knowing this time, nothing could go wrong.
And so Catherine finished getting ready, looked at the clock, and realized, in order to arrive at Pai's a little bit before nine, that it was time to call a taxi.
Happy to hear a car would be right over, Catherine had no sooner hung up the phone, when it began to ring. As Catherine answered, she heard Steven excitedly say, "Cathy I just got back, and I have so much to tell you! I am on my mobile car phone, and on my way over to your place right now! Awe Cathy...I cannot wait to see you...and..."
Finally, Catherine was able to break in, and because she was determined not to have Steven ruin this dinner date with Vincent, Catherine firmly said, "Steven, this is not a good time. I have plans, and actually on my way out."
To which Steven urgently expounded, "You can't be...I mean I hurried back just to see you!"
But because Catherine knew it would cause her to be late even if he popped in for a minute, Catherine explained, "The Taxi is due to arrive any second..."
And then Steven over zealously butted in, and offered, "Look, I am practically there already, and so I AM coming! And I will take you where ever you need to go! You can ride in style! So just cancel the two-bit Taxi!"
And so because of Steven's pushy arrogance, Catherine realized she needed to really hold her ground, and said, "I would never do that Steven! That would be unkind and unfair to the driver."
To which Steven replied, "Awe who cares, just send them away when they come, I just have to show you some photos of my place and of the countryside..."
And because Steven was being so assertive, Catherine interrupted to say, "DO NOT come over here Steven! I already said I have plans."
Upon hearing Catherine's refusal to see him, Steven became angry, and spewed, "Look at you! Cathy with the big plans, who hasn't the time to spare a minute or two!"
To which Catherine sternly responded, "You are out of line Steven!"
In reply, Steven incredulously said, "Out of line? I will tell you what is out of line, and that is telling a friend who is dying, that you haven't time to see him! What is wrong with you? Don't you know time is of the essence for me?"
Realizing she really had a loose cannon on her hands, Catherine calmly replied, "That is an unfair thing to say...""
As Catherine waited for Steven's assertive reply, she instead only heard a deep sigh on the other end of the phone.
And so Catherine herself, took a deep breath, and then finally Steven softly said, "Oh my...did this really just happen? Did I do it again?"
To which, Catherine understandably said, "Look, I am trying to understand your illness may cause mood swings, but I have decided after the other night, I will not tolerate this irate behavior from you under any circumstances."
In response, Steven calmed his temper, and tried to sound repentant, as he sorrowfully said, "Of course you are right. I am sorry Cathy...here I am, lashing out at the kindest person I know..."
And then humbly, Steven asked, "Well, can I at least see you sometime tomorrow? It can be any time, what ever time you say?"
But instead of cow towing to him, Catherine in a cool response, said, "I have relatives coming into town, and we have shopping plans, and then seeing The Phantom in the evening, so I will be busy all weekend. And Monday I begin my job at the DA, I am thinking it may be for the best, if I call you in a week or two, after things die down..."
To which Steve tragically suggested, "Funny choice of words Cathy...die down, maybe I will be one of those things...uh?"
Thinking that was a horrible thing to say, Catherine responded, "Why would you say that Steven? If you are trying to gain my sympathies, you are way off..."
Steven then admitted she was right, and said, "I guess when it comes to our relationship, it is the only card I have left in my hand..."
Steven then tried to shamelessly gain sympathy again, by degrading himself, saying, "Oh my...I cannot believe I have managed to alienate my only friend by coming on too strong again...I am so foolish!"
After hearing how downhearted Steven sounded, Catherine took a deep breath, and compassionately said, "I'll call you on Sunday in the early afternoon, maybe around noon, after my company leaves."
To which Steven happily said, "Thank you Cathy! Thank you! You don't know what this means to me. I will wait to hear from you on Sunday."
As Catherine hung up the phone, she thought to herself, "Oh my, what have I started! And why did I mention my weekend plans? If we run into him shopping or something, I am gonna flip!"
And so just as she tried to shake off the angst Steven's call had caused, the Doorman buzzed up, telling Catherine her taxi had arrived.
Excitedly, Catherine grabbed her coat, locked the door, and as her excitement rose, she was ready for her dinner date with Vincent!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Jacob who was in on the surprise dinner date, feigned a cold, and told Vincent, he needed a herbal treatment, and asked his son to pick up the herbs from Pai's restaurant in China Town.
To which Vincent clarified, "Father, didn't you mean to say, I should go to Dr. Wong's shop for the herbs?"
But because Jacob didn't want to mess up the plans, he insistently argued, "Normally yes, however, in Dr. Wong's note, he instructed the herbs to be picked up at Pai's restaurant tonight."
And because this was an unusual arrangement, Vincent then outwardly reasoned, "Perhaps Dr. Wong is going to be at their restaurant, dining with Lin and Henry..."
Then looking at Jacob, Vincent asked, "Do you suppose this may be so?"
As Jacob adjusted Vincent cloak, he anxiously said, "Perhaps so, now you better run along now..."
Meantime Vincent continued to contemplate this issue, and then noted, "However, on the other hand, Lin has mentioned, that her Grandfather very rarely agrees to come to eat with them...and she wishes he would more..."
Upon realizing all this in depth rationalizing of the wheres and whys of picking up these nonexistent herbs, would make Vincent run late for the Dinner date, Jacob then quickly, and weakly butted in as he inserted, "Oh please just go and do this for me Vincent...I haven't the strength to figure out why you are picking them up here, or there, or if they are dining or not! Now please, just go with you."
And because Jacob admitted to being weak, Vincent became concerned, thinking his father was sicker than he thought! And so as he began to take off his cloak, he said, "I will send Mouse on this errand Father...I am not going to leave your side when you are feeling like this. And I am also going to send word to Peter, and ask him to come and perform a physical check up on you!"
Alarmingly, Jacob shouted, "You will do nothing of the kind! Now go Vincent...I am not on my death bed. For God's sake, just go and get my herbs!"
Contemplating what to do, Vincent stood thoughtful for a moment, and as he slipped his cloak back on, he said, "Very well Father, to save you further stress, I will go as you request. I shall return as quickly as possible, and in the interim, I will be contacting Peter as well."
Knowing an extra task, could ruin the plans Lin had so carefully set out, Jacob did some quick thinking, and said, "Actually, don't bother, you see Peter is already on his way! Yes, yes that's right! Peter has sent word telling me to expect him, so when he comes, I will have him examine me. So there you see, everything is taken care of. So go now, the Pai's, are expecting you."
Feeling better knowing Peter was coming below, Vincent kissed his Father's cheek, and then set out on his errand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Catherine stepped from the Taxi, and knocked on the restaurant door.
Warmly, Henry greeted her, and said, "Catherine, Welcome."
Appreciatively, Catherine stepped in and said, "Thank you Henry."
And then humbly Catherine looked at Henry, and added, "Lin wasn't sure if you would approve of us trying this again, but tonight, I don't see how anything can go wrong."
To which Henry assuredly said, "Neither do I Catherine, and believe me, we are pleased to do this for both you and Vincent. And no worries about the time. This is Lin and my inventory night, and it takes us hours to complete. So relax and enjoy."
As Henry then graciously led her to the Legends Private Dining room, he explained, "Lin is keeping watch for Vincent...but she asked me to tell you hello, and to convey how excited she is for this event to take place."
To which Catherine nervously stepped in to the room, and as she removed her coat, Henry picked up on her anxiousness. He then smiled warmly, as he took her coat from her, and said, "Sit down and relax Catharine, leave everything to Lin, and I. May I pour you some tea?"
Nodding yes, Catherine then complimented Henry on the romantic ambiance, saying, "Henry the candles, and the music, it is really beautiful here..."
Catherine then noted, "This is a different room from before..."
Affirmatively Henry nodded, and then explained, "Yes it is. Lin and I wanted this night to be untainted by the prior experience in the Sonata Room."
As Henry looked around at the enchanting room, he thoughtfully added, "This room, is one of our most requested private dining room for committed couples, who wish to share a very special evening, dining alone."
Shyly Catherine smiled, as she looked downward, knowing she and Vincent definitely qualified to be there then, being as committed as they were with one another.
And Catherine also thought, of how Henry's comment indicated he recognized, and felt their bond, as did all those who knew them did.
Politely, Henry then bowed, as he exited the room, and discreetly closed the curtains, to leave Catherine alone to await Vincent's arrival.
Meanwhile, as Vincent entered Pai's through his usual entrance, he came face to face with a smiling Lin!
Hurriedly, Vincent huskily said, "Lin, I understand you are expecting me...your Grandfather has prepared some herbs for Father?"
To which Lin took Vincent by the hand, and said, "Yes I will get them for you, meantime relax in the Legends dining room while you wait."
As Vincent looked around, and since neither Henry nor Dr. Wong were around, he then said, "I do not wish to interrupt your family dinner Lin, and the way Father is feeling...I should return as quickly as possible."
Not realizing it would be this difficult to get Vincent into the Private Dining room, Lin gave Vincent an extra tug, and widened her eyes as she insistently said, "Vincent...just go in there and RELAX...please!"
Suddenly it dawned on Vincent, something was up, and began to hope Lin was luring him, to where...Catherine was waiting! And so as he searched Lin's eyes, he knew this was indeed so.
And so before Vincent went another step, he thankfully looked at Lin, who with tears in her eyes, gave him a quick wink, as she whispered, "Just ring the bell if you need anything..."
Humbly, Vincent nodded, and as he gingerly stepped in through the curtains, he slowly raised his eyes, to see his Catherine sitting their in the candlelight...waiting for him.
As Vincent stepped up to her, he asked, "Catherine...you did this?"
To which Catherine admitted, "Lin and Henry did...they wanted to complete the plans you had originally set into place for me."
Seeing the tears in Vincent's eyes, tugged at Catherine's heart, and caused tears to form in her own, and with her eyes glistening by the light of the candles, she looked around, and asked, "Isn't this lovely Vincent?"
As Vincent looked around too, he humbly said, "Yes...lovelier than I could have imagined..."
Catherine then stood, and looking up into his beautiful eyes, she said, "This is our night Vincent..."
With only a breath between them, Vincent then brought Catherine even closer to him, and protectively held her for a time, as they both savored the moment that had been illusive and seemed impossible for them.
Then with a sigh filled with angst, Vincent noted, "Because of who I am, our time together, must be so guarded...I do despise you are deprived of these overt every day joys..."
Catherine brought her fingers to Vincent's lips, to stop his down-hearted words, and said, "It is because of who you are, the strength of spirit you own...that our time together is so cherished and special...don't ever feel I am cheated of anything...my life has been so enriched by you."
Feeling empowered by the words which Catherine spoke to him, and the impact they made on his heart, forced Vincent to accept that the things he is able to give, are enough for Catherine.
And so with a sanctioned amour-propre, Vincent then motioned to the table and asked, "Shall we?"
After Catherine, Vincent then sat down beside her, and as they shared the ambiance together, they settled in to enjoy the music, candlelight, and the cuisine.
(Over to see Vincent and Catherine together at Pai's)
Elegantly, Vincent served as he poured their tea, and after lifting their cups to one another, Vincent toasted, "To this night, to you Catherine..."
And then Catherine lovingly added, "To us Vincent..."
To which Vincent in agreement, humbly nodded, and said, "Yes...to us..."
And after a while, it was then Vincent thought to ask about Catherine's day, and so with concern asked, "How was your last day at the firm?"
Thinking back on all of the roller coaster events of the day, Catherine softly shared, "It was a very special day...and it made me realize how much the every day people in my work life, really do mean to me."
Catherine then began to laugh a bit, causing Vincent to ask, what was funny. And so she told Vincent about the embarrassing moment, when Joe stepped forward at her party, revealing he had heard the unflattering comments she made about him.
Explaining, how she and her Dad were exchanging barbs, and was bolstered a little by the laughs they were getting, and got carried away by it. So when she realized Joe was there, she later apologized, saying she did NOT normally speak badly about people, but it was just for the sake of a joke. And that another Don Rickles she was NOT! And of how surprised she was when Joe had said he understood the whole situation.
And then Catherine thoughtfully shared, "Although, that bad moment occurred, it just may have been a tipping point, because Joe apologized too, and so maybe, just maybe we can be friends."
Vincent nodded, as he listened, and then observed, "Perhaps your comments, helped Joe to better see himself as well."
To which Catherine privately thought, "Maybe so..." But expressed, "Still...I cringe thinking I spoke so harshly about someone...taught me a lesson that's for sure, joking or not, it was unkind."
Warmed by the sweetness of Catherine's heart, Vincent continued to listen, as Catherine continued to speak about the event, and of how she was grateful for all the affection she had received from her Dad, co-workers and friends.
With a lump in her throat, she said, "It was a very grievous, yet...memorable and a very dear day for me. A day I will hold sweetly within my heart, for a very long, long time."
Vincent then replenished Catherine's tea, and as he poured some for himself, he sighed, "So, to new beginnings..."
Catherine raised her tea cup to clink with his, and said, "Yes...new beginnings."
To be continued
Chapter Twelve
| 1 |
| Treasure of my Heart! By Sharon Holtz Chapter Eleven __________________________________ |
| 1 |
