I was in a recording studio this morning finishing up the latest corporate video for HP. When I finished at around 11am, I decided not go into the office but to spend the rest of the day at home instead. I can do that. After perusing the bare cupboards of the kitchen, I decided that I deserved a treat so I invited a very lovely young lady out to lunch.

I don’t think I had every been to a restaurant with this girl before – just the two of us. It was exciting. I insisted on paying for both of us and immediately felt giddy like we were on a first date.

We strategically tackled the all-you-can-eat salad bar. I picked out all the foods that I thought she would like and she just sat back and let me take charge. We found a table at the rear of the restaurant where there weren’t many people. I pulled out her chair for her and made sure she was comfortable before I sat down.

It was such a wonderful feeling staring across that tiny table, making small talk and watching her eat. We laughed a lot! I caught a few people staring at us. I offered her some of my soup and she insisted that I spoon feed it to her. She kept coming back for more. I considered giving her a taste of my wine but I knew that would be a bad idea.

For dessert, I ordered the fruit cup for her and a frozen yogurt for me. She generously let me have a few pieces of her fruit and, in return, I gave her some of my yogurt. A guy walked past our table as I was feeding her a spoonful of yogurt, smiled widely, and gave me a knowing wink of encouragement.

I really did have a surprisingly wonderful time today. No cooking, no cleanup, and exquisite company. From now on, I’m going to try to take a day off and bring Emily out to a restaurant with me every week.