In order to have something to knit on tonight at Friday Night Knitting I cast on another cast sock toe cap. This time I was careful to do knit 2, purl 2 so I'll be able to decrease the top without having to learn something new. Also it's stretchier. I went downstairs and dug out some other yarns to use for cast socks. My concentration is iffy these days and there's always a need for these so I might as well keep knitting them.
27 November--Barbara Malcolm, The Seaview.
Iggy carried a basket in one hand and it
looked heavy.
"Good evening, Mr. Solomon," I said.
He cocked an eyebrow at me. "Mr. Solomon? Weren't you calling me Iggy all day? Weren't you the one who teased me about being, what is the word..." he tapped his finger on his lips, "oh, yes, persnickety?"
I laughed. "Yes, that was me. Guilty on all counts, but I have to say that suddenly this feels like a date instead of just supper." I felt my blush rise up my neck and flood my face. "I mean, not that I think you asked me for a date but you look so nice and the stars are twinkling and, well, it's warm and tropical and palm trees are swaying..." I stopped before my foot got too far down my throat and choked me. "Help me quit making a fool of myself, Iggy, please."
He set the basket down on the tile floor of the porch and put both his hands on my shoulders. "I did not mean this to be a date, I only wanted to have supper with you, but I am happy to also have a date with you." He picked the basket back up. "Why don't I start the grill? You pour the wine." He reached in his basket and handed me a chilled bottle. "Do you have a corkscrew?"
I nodded and went inside for it and a pair of wine glasses. I heard Iggy clattering around with charcoal and lighter, I also heard other voices. I opened the bottle of wine and picked up a pair of goblets by the stems, not quite rattled enough to stick my fingers into them and carry them that way. When I walked out into the courtyard I could see by the light of the flames leaping from the bed of the grill that another couple was sitting at the table closest to the salt pond, the remains of their dinner on the table between them.
As I got closer I recognized them as the young couple who were staying in the room next to mine. They were from some small town in Germany and had come to the island to dive and explore. I hoped to be able to join them on the dive boat one day before they left for home. I had told them about the delicious lobster pie at Amy's Bakery in Blowing Point and they had ordered one. They thanked me profusely, saying how delicious it was and how they had enjoyed meeting Amy and her daughter. We sat with them while we drank our wine, waiting for the charcoal to be ready.
When the coals were gray and hot, glowing red like friendly fireflies, Iggy split a pair of spiny lobsters and put them on the grill. I went to fetch the salad I had made from the vegetables in my fridge, to slice some bread, and to melt a bit of butter for our lobsters. When I came back with it all on a tray, Heidi and Hans-Jurgen were gathering up their dishes and saying their good nights. "Oh, please don't feel that you have to leave," I said.
But they shook their heads, saying that they were tired and had to get up early to go diving. We bid each other good night, Iggy saying that his employer demanded that he be at work early too so maybe he would see them in the morning.
That really surprised me. Once their room door was closed I said, "Iggy, I'm curious about how you imagine you might see them in the morning."
He looked up from turning the lobsters on the grill. "I suppose that I will be at the Seaview so early that I will see them as they walk down to Tamarind. You want to start work as soon as possible so that we can make progress tomorrow. We will be in the kitchen as that is the room that will take the most time and effort. I might even have Silas in to help me string wires and install junction boxes; it is a big job and I want to do it right. Edward can help ‘Nando for one day, don't you think?"
A bit of tension went out of my shoulders and I took a gulp of wine, which of course went down the wrong way, making me cough. Iggy came over to pat me on the back worried that I was choking. "I'm okay," I said, "I just inhaled a drop of wine."
The lobsters were cooked so he slid them onto the plates that I had brought out. I served each of us salad and bread. It was a delicious meal. I had sectioned a pair of oranges into a bowl and added mango slices, a kiwi, and part of a pineapple, and then I sprinkled on a tablespoon of sugar and tipped in an ounce of rum. Iggy had brought slices of delicious banana bread that were the perfect accompaniment to the fruit for dessert. We sipped our coffee late into the night, watching for shooting starts and talking. It was a lovely evening and not bad at all for a first post-widowhood date. If it counted as a date.
We piled the dirty glasses and dishes on my tray and Iggy carried it into my kitchenette. He kissed my cheek as he left me at the door to my studio. "Maybe next time we can have a real date and a real kiss, hmm?"
My breath caught in my throat. There was that electricity again. "Maybe. Good night, Mr. Solomon," I said as I went in.
I heard his deep, warm voice float back to me from the archway to the road. "Good night, Mrs. Lambert, I will see you in the morning."
Today's toss was a trio of knitting books. Just three. I thought about going into the workshop and seeing about getting rid of the cans of old nails and screws that Durwood had collected but I looked at the stuff and backed away. I don't know what to do with all of that so I'll leave it as is until I can figure it out.
Writing wasn't too hard today. I was glad that I remembered in the mid-afternoon that I had three hours of knitting tonight so I couldn't procrastinate the day away. There are three more days of NaNoWriMo left. Will I keep writing or slide back into my slump? Only time will tell.
--Barbara
1 comment:
Sparks are definitely flying between Rose and Iggy. Their dinner sounds perfect. I'd certainly call it a date. Definitely wait on tackling the workshop for your daily toss. Plenty of time for that one.
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