Across the Multiverse

Chapter 7 | Boston, MA

I'll beg Gabe to leave for Newport in the morning. We will just have to make sure to limit ourselves to one glass of merlot at dinner. Though that may be easier said than done after the day I just trudged through.

Why can't anyone just read the procedure!! I'm not trying to blow up in a chemical-fueled fire because someone grabbed for the wrong material.

Sorry for the side-rant.

Anyways, I start with a shower. If Gabe is going to treat me to a night on the town, then I might as well look halfway presentable.

Hey, I might even loop a few curls into hair. I haven't actually touched my hot iron since I cut my auburn locks to chin-length.

The greatest hurdle is scavenging for said little black dress. It's certainly not an ensemble I keep in my regular rotation.

I pilfer through my entire closet before finding it at the bottom of a long-forgotten pile of clothes.

I laugh when I am reminded of how small it is. My husband is sorely mistaken if he believes I can squeeze into a size four at this point in our relationship.

I throw the LBD back atop the pile of misfit clothes from which it came. I stick my tongue out at it for good measure just to make sure I hurt it as much as it just hurt me.

I didn't want to wear that dress tonight anyway.

I make my way over to a rack of not-so-historical outfits, and I do find a black maxi dress. Same thing, right?

At the very least, I manage to dress my outfit up with a pair of gold hoops and a smidgen of daring-for-me red lipstick.

Practiced speed has me ready by 5 PM. Dammit. Now I just need to find something to do with the next two hours of my life. Time always passes by so slowly when you're excited about something.

As if on cue, I receive a frantic text from my best friend, Tori. She very much needs to fill said gap in my schedule. She needs to run to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription, and she would very much prefer not to bring her two under two with her.

"I'd do some pretty crazy things to have someone watch the boys right now," she texts me.

"On it."

I figure I'll just hang out at Tori's house until it's time to leave for Lorenzo's, since she lives right around the corner from the restaurant.

I leave just as the chicken nuggets are coming out of the toaster oven. The boys don't need any added distractions while trying to eat their dinner.

This lands me at Lorenzo's a good fifteen minutes early. The place is absolutely packed, but luckily, my little forward thinker has already booked us a table in the back by the stone fireplace.

I sit down and order that promised bottle while I await Gabe's arrival.