us this weekend.”
“I’d like that.”
“Ava, that’s not your dinner, is it?”
“Oh, no I was a little restless tonight. I just wanted to be out and about.” Ava smiled and tried to look cheerful, despite feeling the opposite and having no appetite.
“Well, I was just on my way to grab something when I saw you. Why don’t you join me?”
“I don’t know. I’m afraid I probably wouldn’t be very good company tonight.” She continued to look at the ground.
“You seem so sad Ava. Come and have dinner with me and we’ll talk.” With that he gently slid an arm around her shoulders and guided her feet and down the nearest avenue. They arrived at a dimly lit casual restaurant and Wesley asked for a booth in the back. The place was not crowded so they had plenty of privacy. Ava didn’t know what to think. She thought she would find being alone with him awkward, however it felt strangely comforting. He continued to make small talk with her until after they ordered their food and then he started asking questions.
“So, what has happened to make you so melancholy?”
“It’s kind of personal. You probably don’t want to spend your evening listening to me lament about my life.”
“Well, I’m willing to listen if you want to tell me. I spend most of my time on a ship with three couples in love. Believe me, I hear my fair share of drama. I can’t guarantee I can fix what’s wrong, but it might be good for you to get it off of your chest. And since this is your first consultation with ‘the Captain,’ I’ll waive the office visit fee.” He kept a straight face during his small speech.
Ava smiled a real smile for the first time that day. “I don’t know how you and your crew do it, but I always feel better when I’m around you.”
“That’s a good thing because we enjoy spending time with you as well.” He paused. “I wish we had more time together.” He said the words softly while looking directly into her eyes. Ava looked away. She couldn’t believe what he had just said. She wasn’t ready for that sort of thing yet. She decided to tell him about her life, he might as well know about all of the emotional baggage she carried around. Ava began her story as the food arrived. He ate with a healthy appetite and listened while she picked at her plate as she talked. She had tears in her eyes by the time she spoke about how she could not even say good bye to Nathan.
“I’m glad you told me Ava. I can see why you have been so sad. It sounds like you have had such a hard life. It took a great deal of guts on your part to move here and start over. I sense that you feel very guilty about not arriving in time to see him one last time. I promise you Ava; wherever Nathan’s spirit is now he knows you wanted to say good bye and he understands why you could not be there, it wasn’t your fault. He would want you to forgive yourself.”
“Yes I suppose so.” She looked down at the plate she had barely touched and realized Wesley was right. It did feel better to talk to someone. “Thank you for listening to me tonight. I do feel a little better.”
“Anytime.”
Ava studied Wesley as he took care of their bill and asked for a take home container for Ava. She was subconsciously comparing him to her late husband. He had a very different personality than Nathan and physically they were opposites. Nathan was older than Ava by only one year and stood 5’10” tall. Nathan never took an interest in working out and had an average thin build. He had hazel eyes, short light brown hair, and deep dimples. Ava loved his easygoing, warm, carefree, and comforting personality. Nathan always viewed the cup half full and joked about life and its hurdles. This was the trait that Ava missed most about him, the ability to be happy, even when life went wrong. The man sitting with her now could not be more different. At 6’2” with a strong athletic build he practically towered over her. His dark features were
“I’d like that.”
“Ava, that’s not your dinner, is it?”
“Oh, no I was a little restless tonight. I just wanted to be out and about.” Ava smiled and tried to look cheerful, despite feeling the opposite and having no appetite.
“Well, I was just on my way to grab something when I saw you. Why don’t you join me?”
“I don’t know. I’m afraid I probably wouldn’t be very good company tonight.” She continued to look at the ground.
“You seem so sad Ava. Come and have dinner with me and we’ll talk.” With that he gently slid an arm around her shoulders and guided her feet and down the nearest avenue. They arrived at a dimly lit casual restaurant and Wesley asked for a booth in the back. The place was not crowded so they had plenty of privacy. Ava didn’t know what to think. She thought she would find being alone with him awkward, however it felt strangely comforting. He continued to make small talk with her until after they ordered their food and then he started asking questions.
“So, what has happened to make you so melancholy?”
“It’s kind of personal. You probably don’t want to spend your evening listening to me lament about my life.”
“Well, I’m willing to listen if you want to tell me. I spend most of my time on a ship with three couples in love. Believe me, I hear my fair share of drama. I can’t guarantee I can fix what’s wrong, but it might be good for you to get it off of your chest. And since this is your first consultation with ‘the Captain,’ I’ll waive the office visit fee.” He kept a straight face during his small speech.
Ava smiled a real smile for the first time that day. “I don’t know how you and your crew do it, but I always feel better when I’m around you.”
“That’s a good thing because we enjoy spending time with you as well.” He paused. “I wish we had more time together.” He said the words softly while looking directly into her eyes. Ava looked away. She couldn’t believe what he had just said. She wasn’t ready for that sort of thing yet. She decided to tell him about her life, he might as well know about all of the emotional baggage she carried around. Ava began her story as the food arrived. He ate with a healthy appetite and listened while she picked at her plate as she talked. She had tears in her eyes by the time she spoke about how she could not even say good bye to Nathan.
“I’m glad you told me Ava. I can see why you have been so sad. It sounds like you have had such a hard life. It took a great deal of guts on your part to move here and start over. I sense that you feel very guilty about not arriving in time to see him one last time. I promise you Ava; wherever Nathan’s spirit is now he knows you wanted to say good bye and he understands why you could not be there, it wasn’t your fault. He would want you to forgive yourself.”
“Yes I suppose so.” She looked down at the plate she had barely touched and realized Wesley was right. It did feel better to talk to someone. “Thank you for listening to me tonight. I do feel a little better.”
“Anytime.”
Ava studied Wesley as he took care of their bill and asked for a take home container for Ava. She was subconsciously comparing him to her late husband. He had a very different personality than Nathan and physically they were opposites. Nathan was older than Ava by only one year and stood 5’10” tall. Nathan never took an interest in working out and had an average thin build. He had hazel eyes, short light brown hair, and deep dimples. Ava loved his easygoing, warm, carefree, and comforting personality. Nathan always viewed the cup half full and joked about life and its hurdles. This was the trait that Ava missed most about him, the ability to be happy, even when life went wrong. The man sitting with her now could not be more different. At 6’2” with a strong athletic build he practically towered over her. His dark features were
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