#engaging conversation

Janet could tell as soon as Hank had mentioned going out to dinner,that tonight was going to be the night he officially proposed to her.  Even if she hadn’t known it for a fact, she would have been a little suspicious of his choice of Del Posto.  She had never been to this particular restaurant before, but even at a glance, she could see that he was trying to make the evening special.  Live pianist and wine pairings in the triple digits meant that Hank was making an effort to make the evening a special one.  

Once before, she had seen the ring in question.  Janet could vaguely remember that it had been a single diamond set into a gold band. Very classically designed, sleek and elegant.  And so she dressed simply in a little black dress with understated jewelry, which would allow the new ring to shine. For a moment in front of the mirror, Janet took her mother’s engagement ring and slid it onto her own finger.  It no longer fit.  Though she was about the same size her mother had been, her hands were too used to fighting and combat to be so dainty.  She returned it to its place and selected instead a gold necklace and tear-shaped earrings.  

When she arrived at the restaurant, Janet saw that Hank was already there.  It seemed that, for once, he could be motivated to leave his lab early and not have to be persuaded.  She told the maitre de that she saw her date, and strode around the low wall, past the pianist and the bouquet of flowers standing in ornamentation, to the table at which he was seated.  Jan couldn’t put her finger on exactly what the pianist was playing.  Classical, and she knew in another few minutes would be almost unnoticeable.