Theron's Hope (Brides of Theron) (35 page)

Jo kissed them both and accompanied them down to the lobby to find William waiting out front.  Tom opened the building door and said, “You two look fabulous,” as William opened the rear car door for them to enter. Jo was standing on the curb with Tom talking as she waited for Miguel to pick her up.  William was briefed about the evening plans earlier.  First they would go to the restaurant.  She had already planned the menu with the chef, so the food would be brought out soon after they arrived.  They would be shown to a table near the window overlooking the city.  Then, they would go to the Metropolitan Opera House for precisely 7:45pm to be there 15 minutes before curtain. 

They were shown to their seats immediately with all the smaller details taken care of beforehand.  They were both served the restaurant’s best cabernet sauvignon that Grace believed would best bring out the flavor of the entrée to come.  The iced water glasses were filled and the bread was placed on the table with a small crockery of butter.  A few moments later, the waiter brought a mixed green salad with raspberries, candied walnuts, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes and lemon basil vinaigrette drizzled over the salad that left a pretty pattern on the plate.  She smiled at Zane and said, “This place serves pretty food.  They decorate it on the plate to make it look appetizing as well as artistic.  Tell me what you think about the food.  I would love to hear your thoughts about the flavors of the different things we eat tonight.”

Zane took a bite.  On his plate were a number of green and purple leaves, red berries, and some brown powdered nuts, these green and white sliced things with small red round fruit of some kind.  He tried the greens first.  The lemon basil was prominent in the dressing.  It had a hint of citrus that made the dressing tangy as well.  “This is good Grace.  There are some bitter leaves but the berries and what I assume are nuts really balance out the flavors.  I don’t know if I like the red things.  I really like these wedges here.  What are they?”

“Those are cucumbers.  They have a sweet clean taste to them. That is always how I remember the taste of cucumbers. Grandmamma would serve cucumber sandwiches at tea time with scones.  I love them especially with this dressing.”  She saw Zane finish his salad and butter a piece of French bread that he broke off of the loaf.  The waiters collected the salad dishes and immediately brought out the entrée.

The plates were steaming and arranged on them was wild Scottish salmon on a bed of parsnip puree, roasted sour apple chutney, haricot vert, and a sweet balsamic glazé.  Again the plate was a work of art.  She waited until he sampled his first bite, waiting for his critique of what he had just eaten.  He tasted the pink meat of the smoked salmon.  His eyebrows rose as he tasted it and he nodded his head in approval. “This is wonderful.  We have something very similar to this in flavor where I live.  I will have to make it for you.  I am actually a pretty good cook,” Zane said as he took a sip of his wine.  She was right.  The wine did bring out the flavor of the smoked salmon.  He tried some of the other items on the plate and marveled at how well they went with the salmon. 

“It is a good thing you cook, because I don’t.  I can do simple things in the kitchen but to ask me to cook something would be a big mistake.  That is why I have Jo,” Grace said as she enjoyed her meal.  This last statement Zane found very amusing and laughed.

“I will cook for you.  Believe me, the food I cook in my home is so much better than the food you find on the ship.  You can be sure of that.  However, I am really enjoying the varying flavors of some of the spices and dishes that are reflected by the many ethnicities on this planet.  For example, Jo when made her Cuban food, she said it has a lot of cumin.  I think that I will miss that when I go home. It was certainly an experience that I will treasure.”

“I am looking forward to going to your home.  Zane, are your parent’s still alive?”

Grace asked him.  The waiter came to clear the dinner plates and another one came with the desserts.  On the plate
placed before them was a steaming hot oven warmed apple pie with a scoop of ice cream on top.  “Before you answer that, this is apple pie. In my country, apple pie is considered to be a somewhat patriotic desert.”

Zane took a bite and tasted the sweetness of the fruit and cinnamon.  “This is really good.”  He took a bite of the ice cream and the pie crust mixed with the apple.  “I can see why you like the cream on top.  It adds so much to the flavor.”  It looked like she was waiting for an answer to her question now.  “My parents and my siblings are still alive and well. They are all doctors so we are usually stationed away from the fight.  You will meet them when we go home to Theron.”

Gracie looked kind of worried.  She asked, “Do you think that they will approve of me?  I mean, will they like me?”  She asked casting self doubt on herself.  Her face showed some sign of distress and worry and he felt the need to put her at ease.

“My Dad, Arden and my Mother Claya will be so glad that I have finally found my mate.  My siblings are now out on other ships on similar missions.  They most likely have been called back to return to Theron as we have.  But, know this my love. I know for a fact that my mother is going to absolutely adore you,” Zane said sincerely reaching over the table to give her hand a gentle squeeze.  She looked as if she was feeling better about the prospect of meeting his parents.  Maybe it had something to do with the relationship she had with her own parents. 

They took the napkins off of their laps and placed them on the table after they finished their meal.  Zane got up to help her out of her chair and they met William out on the curb waiting for them.  They got into the car and Grace asked William, “Could you turn on the radio?”

The previous song just ended and the radio announcer said, “It is a beautiful Wednesday night in the city, a great night for a date.  I am going to turn back the clock on this set.  Let’s listen to a chart topping hit from 1994, Mazzy Star, “Fade into you”.  They listened as the guitar strumming started and it’s haunting, twanging notes could be heard.  She grabbed his hand and started singing along with the lyrics, leaning her head on his arm.  Her voice was angelic, a true gift of the Gods.  It was all he could do not to be caught up in the sound of her voice.  She was singing a song that spoke to her obviously for what reasons he did not know. 

She said to him as the song ended, “The song we just heard is perfect for us.  We started out as two lonely people looking to find one another.  We were lost and incomplete until we found each other as strangers, slowly coming to the realization that together, we will never be lonely again.  It is as if we realized that we fill the void in each other’s hearts and souls so completely and so perfectly.  I love you Zane.”

He took her chin between his thumb and forefinger to make her look up at him and kissed her with all the emotion and desire that welled in him at this moment.  When he opened his eyes, he looked into her bright green eyes said “I love you, Grace.”

They made it to the Metropolitan Opera House with 20 minutes to show time.  The valet brought them up to the center parterre box #29.  There was room for 8 people in the box but Michael had arranged it so that they would be alone.  They were directly in front of the center of the stage.  You couldn’t have had better seats in this auditorium.  He showed her to her seat in the front of the box inviting her to sit down.  She pulled out the opera glasses provided for them and took a look at the orchestra.  She could see that the musicians were now starting to take their seats and were just about ready to begin warming up their instruments. 

Zane asked, “So, tell me.  What is this surprise? I am going to guess that it is a play or dancing or something like that.  We used to have these places in the city before the war where Theron’s would act out our history on stage.  Is this similar to that?”

Grace smiled.  She could not wait to see how he would react to this. Opera was something that you absolutely loved and it moved you or it was something you hated and avoided.  Her mother loved the Opera.  Her father thought it was a waste of time but he went with her just so he could meet with clients and conduct business on the side.  She wondered which of the two categories Zane would fall into.  “This is an opera called
Don Carlo
.  Instead of speaking the words, they will sing them in song.  This particular opera is in Italian, but it is not the words that speak to you, it is the music.  The music sets the tone of the play.  You should be able to infer what is going on with actor’s motions on stage as well as the way they sing.”  She added as an afterthought, “Just to let you know, my mother loved the opera but my father hated it.  I just thought this would be a great experience for you.  It can sometimes be very moving.”

Just then they heard the orchestra come to life as they began warming up their instruments.  They started to play the overture and minutes later the curtains began to part and the opera began.  Grace looked over to Zane to gauge his enjoyment of this experience.  The opera had a typical storyline.  Prince falls in love only to be betrayed by the king who marries his betrothed.  The prince goes away to forget his love, but she is always in his thoughts. There is war and social injustice in the background and at the end they still find they are not able to attain true happiness but through death which is emphasized by the final dialogue of the play when Emperor Charles V appears out of the darkness and says “Suffering is unavoidable and ceases only in heaven”.

Gracie was overtaken with emotion as the curtain closed.  She squeezed Zane’s hand as she dabbed at her eyes with a linen handkerchief.  She had seen this particular opera several times, each time performed by a different company.  She looked to Zane and asked, “How did you like it?”

“It was wonderful.  You should introduce my planet to this type of drama.  This was an incredible endeavor.  I really could see what they were saying despite not understanding the language, just as you said I would.  Thank you for sharing this experience with me.”  He looked at her concerned, “Are you alright?  You are crying.”  He said worriedly looking at her as he placed his hand to her face tenderly.

“I typically find that the opera is such an emotional experience for me.  The story was beautiful and it touched me.  Most opera’s have the same kind of storyline.  Two people find love, a conflict breaks their hearts and plans are interfered with, then the lovers reunite usually in death.  Many opera’s end tragically.  It is what makes them so moving,” she said with a smile, “I am glad you liked it.  This is one of my favorites and I am really glad that I could share it with you.  Are you ready to go now?” She said as she gathered her shawl and purse.

“Yes, I am.  I have truly enjoyed tonight with you Grace.”  He stood and took her hand to help her up. 

“Well, the night is young and this is not the end.  I have something for you when we get home.”  She said deviously.

“Really?” Zane said as he eyed her with suspicion.

They waited by the curb as William pulled the car up to the curb and the valet opened the door.  It was a wonderful night so far, Zane thought.  He wondered what she had planned for them when they returned home.  He was hoping it involved getting her out of that tight red dress.  They drove home discussing their interpretations of the opera they just saw.  She gave him the historical background during the time that the story was based on and before they knew it, they were home.  William pulled up to the curb and the night doorman opened the door for Grace. 

Grace bent down into the car and said, “Thank you William for your tireless dedication over the years.  I don’t know when we will see each other again.  Michael will call you on Monday with a business matter.  He will see to it that you are paid a bonus for the past six days.”  She smiled at a speechless William, partly because she wanted to put him at ease.  It was hard enough to have to leave him with such uncertainty.  He could start a business for himself even if he did not take the offer from Michael to be the firm’s driver, because he would own the car he drove for her on Monday.  He was also going to receive a $20,000 bonus. 

Zane took her hand and lead her into the elevator.  He was starting to get the hang of living in a building like this.  He placed the card on the panel and it brought them up to the top floor.  He unlocked the door and showed her in.  She put her clutch on the foyer table and wrapped her arms around him and said, “I had a wonderful time tonight and I hope that you enjoyed it too.”