Thursday, January 19, 2012

How I Met Love, Seasons 52, Part 2


*To start at the beginning click here.*

He was leaning back comfortably in his chair, smiling, watching my enjoyment.

"What do you think?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"It's incredible! It's just so beautiful!"

"Just wait until you try the food! Why don't you go ahead and look at the menu and I'll be right back. I'm going to go wash up."

I opened the menu and started skimming through all the selections. I didn't know how I was ever going to choose! Everything looked delicious! When Shanam returned I expressed my dilemma.


"How am I supposed to decide?! Look at this amazing chicken and roasted garlic flatbread. And this pear and pine nut spinach salad. What a great combination! I have never seen that before!" I paused to take a breath, then continued, "As far as the entrees go, I think I've narrowed it down to two. Either the grilled jumbo sea scallops or the crab-stuffed shrimp. What would you recommend?"

When I looked up from the menu, Shanam's huge grin said it all.

"I'm sorry!" I laughed, "I really love good food!"

"No need to apologize. I'm glad you love food. It's something I love, too." he said, not able to stop smiling.

When the waitress came by to take our order, Shanam did something I never would have expected. Without even opening his menu to choose what he wanted, he ordered every single thing I had pointed out! When the waitress left, I just stared at him dumbfounded.

"We'll share. This way you get to try everything," he stated. At that very moment, Shanam rose above any other guy I had ever dated. He became my hero.

All throughout dinner, our relaxed discussion traveled in and out of various topics, weaving a pattern of common threads; interests and passions we shared, similar experiences and lessons we had learned, even down to the same type of seasoning our family used growing up (which is "Spike"--don't ask me how that came up!). Before we knew it, two hours had gone by and our waitress was back, asking what we wanted for dessert. Part of our discussion earlier covered how we felt about desserts and food that used coffee or alcohol as ingredients, so when she offered a dessert shot of tiramasu as one of our choices, we both smiled at each other and simultaneously said, "Tiramasu, please."

By the time we finished, the sun had long past set, but the night air was cool and inviting.

"What would you like to do now?" Shanam asked, as we walked back to the car.

"Wouldn't it be great if we could go on a boat out on the lake?" I answered dreamily.

"That's exactly what I was thinking! The weather is perfect, but where are we going to find a boat?"

"I have an idea." I smiled mischievously. "There's a boat that takes guests from the Wilderness Lodge to the Magic Kingdom. I bet we could hitch a ride. Want to try it?"

He agreed that was a great idea, so we jumped back into the car and took off towards Disney World. We had no problem getting into the resort and once we found the dock, we ran to jump on a boat that was just about to leave. He sat down first, with his arm extended towards me on the back of the seat and I gladly slid right in beside him. The night was indeed perfect for boating and we enjoyed being on the water, watching as the lights of Magic Kingdom became brighter and brighter as we got closer. We got off and decided to hop on the monorail to go explore the different resorts it stopped at. He hadn't been to Disney World in a while, so I had fun being tour guide on my home turf. Our final stop was the Polynesian Resort where I led him through the amazing lobby and out the back doors. I had a specific place in mind that I knew he would love.
The walkways, lined with tiki torches, curved and twisted through large tropical plants. Calming Hawaiian music floated through the trees and we felt as though we had been transported to an exotic island. The atmosphere was enchanting and as we walked side by side, it felt completely natural when Shanam gently reached over and took my hand in his.
We had arrived at the beach I wanted to show him, where hammocks awaited us. We chose one secluded from the rest and nestled into each other, laying in each other's arms. We talked about past relationships, what our dating standards and limits were, what we looked for in the opposite sex, and most importantly, what we enjoyed about each other. We laid in that hammock not caring what time it was, not worrying about work the next day, not wanting to end that magical night.

Text Message (2:00 am)

Me: Thank you for a perfect date! I had a fabulous time. You are amazing and definitely know how to make a girl feel special. Drive home safely!

Him: Thank you so much for making the night wonderful. I have to say it was the best ever! This drive would be much better if you were with me.

No comments: