Greg had arrived at the restaurant, Ray’s Boathouse. He stood outside the entrance, right against one of the walls. As he stood there Greg began to take some deep breaths. Greg then decided to light up a cigarette. It was a Marlboro red. Greg smoked the red and a twinge came across his face.
He stood up against the wall, the smoke being exhaled out of his lungs. He looked towards the parking lot and averted his eyes away. Greg then began to examine the Marlboro red, already one third gone. He looked at the burnt end, checked out the butt, then went ahead and placed it back in his mouth.
“I thought you gave that up?” Sheila asked as she walked up to Greg. While she was not dressed up to the nines, she was wearing a simple outfit that consisted of tight jeans, a light green sweater vest, with a base under shirt. Her glasses were on and that gave off a certain energy. Greg stood there in awe.
“You know I only do on certain occasions”. Greg replied.
“Having dinner with me makes you smoke a cigarette? Great sign”.
“I think you give me butterflies”.
“Don’t try to please”.
Greg and Sheila entered the restaurant and were seated right away. They were at a table for two with a bit of a nautical romantic touch which included all the accoutrements. They were surrounded by different paintings and photographs of the ocean and aquatic life which further added to the scenery. There was a lifesaver hanging in between them at the table that they sat with a boat’s steering wheel plastered to the ceiling above. They looked at one another, Sheila’s noise scrunched up and her eyes cross.
“Why here?” Sheila asked.
“I heard that the seafood was good up here, so I just picked one”.
“Flying by the seat of your pants, are we?”
“I did check the reviews so don’t worry; it’ll be good”.
“We’ll find out, won’t we?”
Sheila let out a smirk as the waiter came to take their order. Greg ordered a plate of surf and turf with lobster and a filet mignon. Sheila ordered the wild caught salmon with mixed vegetables. Once the waiter left Sheila found herself looking to the floor. She stared at the hardwood floors before she turned back up.
“What assignments have you been on lately?” Greg asked.
“Nothing major. Just different things here and there. Feels like mostly busy work to be honest. That’s one of the reasons why I accepted this. It actually sounded interesting to me”.
“What? The owls?”
“Yeah, why not?”
“Just never pegged you as someone who was interested in owls”.
“And I never pegged you at all”.
“As open minded as I wish I was I could never get myself to do that. You’ll have to pardon me”.
“But the owl myth around owls is interesting. They have been the ultimate survivors. They have evolved and adapted to their environments with ease over the years and then all of sudden they start dropping off. How does something with that much tenacity and staying power just suddenly begin to get wiped off the face of earth?”
“I don’t know, how?”
“That’s why I am here. I want to know not only the how but the why”.
“What do you think it could be?”
“At this point your guess is as good as mine. But I don’t know, I feel like there’s something to this that’s we’re either being left out of, or there is something big that we have no clue about”.
“Why can’t it be both?”
“Could very well be both. Anyway, that’s where I am with that. What made you take this?”
“…Truth be told?”
“That’s why I am asking”.
“I was hoping that you’d be here”.
“There is no way you could have known that I was even approached about coming”. Sheila said as she moved her food around her plate with fork in a circular motion.
“I know that I why I said a prayer before I came out here”.
“And if I wasn’t here?”
“Then I would have been shit out of luck, wouldn’t I?”
Greg put on a grin that rang his face and Sheila tried to turn away but could not. She instead looked at Greg as his grin intensified. She touched her utensils as Greg grabbed his glass of water and began to sip on it. She then went for her. Once she said it down Greg his fingers touching and making a teepee.
“Please don’t”. Sheila said.
“Don’t what?” Greg asked.
“You know exactly what I mean”.
“No, I don’t know what you mean at all. Care to explain it to me?”
“Got some time?”
“I got all the time in the world”.