FINE DINING

revelation

NO MORE LIES

 

We dine on duck, green beans and squash

Eat slowly, savoring each morsel, and chat

Christine reveals matters concerning her family

Which I am not familiar with

She informs me about her ex-lover and how he mistreated her

I ingest all the gory details and attempt to comfort her

She seems to be in a fine place now, after many visits to her therapist

We toast once more to better times

It seems we both require a sip

 

Suddenly, the telephone rings in the sitting room

Christine scurries to answer it

I wonder

cannot hear the conversation, too far away, merely muffled sounds

a few minutes pass and now I worry for her

she returns with an anguished-looking face

I query her promptly, I worry

She does not respond straight away

Her face appears pasty

Then, in a very muted voice she reveals that my Henry,

My beloved, has passed away from a sudden blood clot in his lung

I turn white, colorless, light-headed, as Christine holds my shoulders tight

 

I cry a million tears, and, in those tears, I whimper that he is such a good man and wanted to go back to his family in America, and finally awakens enough to know the present time

Poor Henry, he fought for so long, and now he is gone

For endless moments, I am mute

I am in a dark tunnel and cannot see the opening

 

The hospital doctor informed me of the news by telephone

Dear Christine did not want to upset me to hear it this awkward way

I need not have knowledge of the details

What does it matter now? We sorrowfully had no future

In some bizarre way, fleeting scenes appear before my eyes

Yet, long before, I had already convinced myself that he was dead

And perhaps that was a mistake

Still, a lie nonetheless, and now the truth emerges to all

I shall return the call to the doctor and advise that I shall be there early morning to discuss details with him

He shall need to know where to send his body and other matters

I shall send a telegram to his brother to advise of his sudden death

His poor brother, his only remaining family

I grab some tissues from my purse to wipe my sullied face

Must strive to gather some sleep tonight, though with difficulty

I believe tomorrow shall be a stressful day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[Lydia Shutter]

Enjoying a good meal with a close friend and then hit over the head with the news....the horrible news. Sometimes knowing the details helps you cope. Betty, I am so sorry for your loss. The emotions expressed in this poem are so honest...so real. Thank you for sharing this. Lydi**

[Betty Hermelee]

Hi Lydi….no loss, just recuperation….my hubby❤️

[Betty Hermelee]

This is not me Lydi, this is from a book I’m writing

[Lorry]

And that is why I can never fully enjoy a great night of fine dining. It seems to me that karma always bites back when you are enjoying yourself too much, which is why the more I enjoy something, the more nagging doubts about something going wrong occurs.
I had a waitress lose her balance behind my seat and drench me in various liquids, thankfully none of which was red wine or id have ended up looking like Carrie!
But on this occasion the duck was blameless, as we'd been served pheasant, which was surprisingly delicious but required a loosening of the belt because it just sat there leaving me feeling all bloated and I never even got to enjoy my champagne sorbet dessert...unless of course wearing champagne counted. 😀
Now I insist on only eating tried and tested food, just in case that waitress is working again! 😀

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you dear Lorry, always a pleasure
To read your own little quips !!🌸
Warmlyread moreThank you dear Lorry, always a pleasure
To read your own little quips !!🌸
Warmly
B

[Thomas W Case]

Quiet domesticity shatters without warning—grief arriving between courses, unstoppable and blunt.
You don’t flinch from the wreckage; you stand in it, steady, telling the truth even when it hurts to breathe.

[Betty Hermelee]

Thanks for a fine review Thomas... your words are spot on!!!
Warmly, B

[John the Baptist]

After all of the things the young lady went through to be with her wounded soldier, death has finally taken him. Now all that remains is to let his brother, who is his only family, know of his passing. After that is done, she will now have a decision to face. With Henry no longer in the picture, what will take his place as the center of her life? She will have decisions to make, more than she can envision now. Her strength is about to be tested once again.

[Betty Hermelee]

John ...you are so amazing at capturing exactly what transpires in this episode...Thank you my friend!
Warmly, B