Up & Out - Ariella Papa [108]
“Maybe you should call,” Lauryn says, leaning into me.
“Beth?” I ask as I raise my glass and do the shot with the group.
“No,” Lauryn says, making a face after her swig. “Ugh, that was strong. The restaurant.”
“Right,” I say. It seems like everyone at our table is screaming. I grab my cell and start to go outside.
“Where are you going?” Kathy asks, reaching both arms out to me. She pulls me into another hug. She must have been drinking all day. I’m sure I would, too, if my family was visiting.
“I’m just going to call the restaurant and tell them we might be a little late.”
“Oh, is that okay?” Her eyes are big. I want this to go smoothly for her so bad.
“Don’t worry,” I say. I kiss her cheek. Another one of her cousins puts another drink in front of her. “Just enjoy your night.”
I am briefly thwarted by Kathy’s sister, Dina, who wants the scoop on the rest of the night. I tell her the plan. She wants to go to the top of the Marriott bar at the end of the night. She wants her cousins to see the view of the city.
“Okay, we can play it by ear,” I say, trying to extricate myself to make the call. “Let’s see what Kathy is up for.”
The hostess tells me that because I have such a large party she will hold the reservation until ten. This buys us a little more time. I thank her profusely.
“You don’t know how hard it is to get all these people to motivate.” I hope that by befriending and appreciating her she will remember me fondly if we show up slightly after ten.
Next I call Beth. I’m shocked when she answers.
“I’m going to be late,” she says as a greeting.
“You are already late,” I say.
“Where are you? The restaurant?”
“No, we will be there at ten. You know where it is?” She grunts affirmatively, but without commitment. “Look, Beth, I need you to be there, and if you can’t for whatever reason, I need you to tell me now. I want this to be a great night for Kathy. She deserves it. She would do this for you.”
“I’ll be there. Enough with the guilt.” I sigh through my nose.
“Okay, I’ll see you there.”
I go back into the bar. Someone at another table ordered an appetizer of crab cakes. Ben could not eat that, because he doesn’t eat fish. I can’t stop thinking about him. If I can I will try to get to his bar before it closes, but already I doubt that is going to happen. It’s impossible that I could have felt that way about someone I just met. I think I was just swept up in the moment. If I really liked him so much it wouldn’t have bothered me that Tommy didn’t come home at all today. It will go down as a great New York night that didn’t amount to anything, but will be still wonderful in its blending of alcohol, sexual tension and food.
That can be enough for me, right? I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a different girl every night. He’s just friendly.
I slide into the stool next to Lauryn. She is halfway through her pack of smokes. I take one, hoping to relax a little.
“Is she coming?” Lauryn asks. I wonder what she knows about Beth or what she expects me to tell her.
“She says she is. The restaurant will hold our reservation until ten.” Kathy is laughing loudly across the Royalton lobby bar.
“I got you a drink.”
“Thanks.”
At ten after ten we get to the restaurant. I am three drinks and fifty-five dollars down and ready to plead with the hostess if she won’t seat us. I wasn’t expecting Kathy’s family and two of her work friends to primp for twelve minutes in the bathroom or for it to take fifteen minutes for a group of eleven to walk three blocks and an avenue.
“Hi,” I say to the hostess. Dina is hovering dangerously close to me, waiting to tell me I fucked this whole thing up. “We had a nine-thirty reservation for fifteen. I spoke to someone who said she would hold it until ten.”
The woman looks at her watch and shakes her head. Please, great god of food consumption,