Research

Stella has reasons to doubt.

Wors 297

Stella sighed with annoyance when she removed a tissue from Dave’s pants before throwing them in the washing machine.

“How many times do I have to remind you to empty your pockets before you put your dirty clothes in the laundry hamper?” she shouted.

“Sorry,” came the automatic reply from the bedroom, where her husband was still in bed.

“And what’s this?” Stella asked as she walked back into the bedroom waving a piece of paper she’d removed along with the tissue.

“What is it?” Dave looked over his glasses and lowered the newspaper he was reading.

“Looks like a restaurant receipt. When did you go to the ‘River Room Café.”

“Oh,that doesn’t mean anything?” he gave a dismissive wave.

Stella searched for the date on the receipt. “It was last Wednesday. Wasn’t that when you said you were working late?”

Her husband raised his eyes as if he was thinking. “Oh, yes” he said slowly, “It was a dinner meeting with a client.”

“Cause for celebration was there?”

“Huh?” David who suddenly found something riveting to read in the paper looked up. “Did you say something?”

“You’ve never taken me to the River Room for let’s see,” she read from the receipt, “Oysters Kilpatrick, one dozen, Steak Tartare for two, one bottle of Shiraz and oh yes, one bottle of French Champagne.” She glared at her husband of twenty years and raised her eyebrows, waiting to see what he had to say for himself.

“It was research, love,” he answered her accusing stare without missing a beat.

“Research? What sort of research requires eating oysters, steak and drinking French champagne?”

“Anniversary research of course. Now you’ve ruined the surprise,” he pouted.

Stella gave him a long look. “You’d better be more careful with your research in future then.”