The 2nd Date Call

Once he passed through the outside doors of the office, Rory stumbled down the stairs and out onto the sidewalk of Damen. The same sidewalk teemed with other recently dispatched cashiers, content writers, data entry typists, nurses, hostesses, paralegals, operations managers, part-time tutors, gallery receptionists, secretaries, and several punks. Nobody was walking with anyone else for the first few blocks. He lit a cigarette. The throng of pedestrians spilled out onto Milwaukee and collided with more personally involved people, talking with one another, walking more slowly than the rest, laughing together, looking grave together, holding hands with each other, whispering nefariously, walking with an arm around the other each, and much more slowly, smiling privately, arguing, one establishing the upper hand, the other talking at nothing, and occasionally, a couple that looked happy as pie.
Rory called Ireena, and she answered.
“You really called right after 5, huh?”
“I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to get it over with.”
“You have to get talking with me over with?”
“No, I mean, calling you. I had to get calling you over with.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. Are you saying you don’t want to feel obligated to call me anymore?”
“No! Just forget it.”
“Okay, well, what do you want to do, Mr. I had to get calling you over with?”
“Do you want to go out to dinner tonight?”
“Yes. Definitely.”
“Okay, great.” Rory sighed a silent breath of relief. “Do you want to go to Bin 36?”
“Ooh so you are a high-class boy,” Ireena rolled her eyes at the ceiling of her apartment, she was peaking, “In that case I have to change. Do you want to meet there at 8?”
“Yeah, I’ll even make a reservation. I’m right by it.”
“Come on, it’s not that popular.”
“Hey, I just walked by it and it’s already really crowded.”
“Do what you want. I’ll see you at 8.”
Rory walked into the restaurant and made a reservation for two at 8. Rory had been mistaken about the crowd. Because of foreshortening of his vision from the street, he only saw the first two rows of tables, which colluded with the last two rows to form a bustling picture. There really were not many people there. Nevertheless, he placed the reservation, smiled at the hostess, and headed to the train.