The Dinner Party

It was with little anticipation that I had walked into the door. I knew this was a moment of celebration, a time for us to reward each other for our sales successes this past year. I tried to come up with a good reason to cancel, but I couldn’t come up with anything that wouldn’t make me look like a bad team player. I dreaded spending one more business dinner where I would be the only one without a date.

Quickly I managed to slip into the room and find a place at a table before everyone could see I was alone again. I manoeuvred myself between two couples whom I didn’t know so that if I got an opportunity to slip out early, they would not mention that I left. As I sat there, sipping on the glass of wine the waiter poured, I looked up and saw Katherine walk into the room.

I should have realized she would have found a way to get an invitation, but I didn’t expect to see her here. Katherine was in another department that normally would not be coming to this event. As I looked past her, I saw that he had come with her. Immediately my heart jumped. It had been a while since I had seen him. Last time was the company New Years Party.

It was at last year’s kick off dinner that we first made eye contact. Just like tonight, he had come as Katherine’s date. I felt his eyes on me then, and was so flustered that I didn’t know what to do. It was the first time I understood what it meant to meet your soul mate. We hadn’t actually talked. We didn’t need to. I felt the connection and I knew that he did too. It was the same at each company event after that.

I saw they were coming to my table. I almost stopped breathing as they sat across from me. I nodded to Katherine, mumbling some inane comment. I could feel him looking at me. When I looked up all I could see was the dark pools of his eyes. It seemed as if we were the only ones in the room. No one else existed at that moment. There were no noises, just our voices intermingling, yet we were not making any sound. Still I could hear him calling me, and feel his eyes boring into my soul. It felt as if our souls were touching, as if the table between us did not exist. In some sense I knew that there were people around us, yet at the same time, we were together in a plane where no one else existed.

The waiter showed at my elbow with my dinner plate shaking me into reality. I felt flustered as I reached for my silverware. The hard cold feel of the fork and knife contrasted with the emotions running through me. As I looked up again, he had turned away to speak with Katherine. With his attention focused toward her at the moment, it gave me a chance to compose myself.

I was still shaken with the intimacy we had felt together, and found it difficult to understand how he turned his attention away so quickly. I was not sure I could leave him another night without talking to him, acknowledging our connection. As he continued to talk to Katherine, I pretended not to be watching his every move.

It seemed like Katherine was totally unaware of what was happening. While he talked to her, laughed with her, I knew that he must have heard my soul cry out to him. As he touched her hand, he felt my fingertips on his.

As the meal was served, I pretended to concentrate on the food, but I didn’t know what I ate or how much time elapsed. I hoped that I didn’t look flushed as I laboured through the meal. All of a sudden, he got up. I knew it was a signal to me. This would be our opportunity to connect, to speak to each other at last.

After a moment, I too excused myself, stumbling off in the same direction. Thoughts of what would follow consumed me. After months of meeting through furtive looks, our opportunity had finally happened. This was meant to be.

As I followed, I found myself standing at the door of the toilet. I waited for him to come out. Emotions were swirling around me making me dizzy with anticipation. All of a sudden the door opened. He looked at me with confusion. Then he smiled and said, “Oh excuse me, I didn’t realize there was a queue out here.” He then sauntered off to the table and to Katherine.