the lost compliment

What do you feel like eating, her husband asked. She thought that this question really meant, Do you feel like eating what I feel like eating? She said she felt like a glass of red wine and pasta. Miraculously, he felt like eating that too.

The restaurant was new to them. Her husband found it on Yelp, and it had a good number of stars, or likes, or photos of people happily eating. When they entered the small dark bistro with reddish gold low candles on each table, it felt promising, but then they were taken to an outdoor parking lot patio with plastic sheet walls, and he noticed the table was like the mini plastic one they had gotten from Home Depot. She could feel his mood sour slightly.

They were talking. About what, who knows. He said something was cool and then he said it again, cool. She said, cool back to him and then laughed and added, We have such a wide vocabulary. His face clouded over, silent.

What? she asked.

Well, I was about to give you a compliment but…

She started her dance. I was talking about us – myself and you. I was making a joke. It was just a silly thing. You know, you said cool and I said cool and so I said we had a wide vocabulary.

He shrugged and blurted, Well, I felt insulted.

Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you. And now I’ve missed out on a compliment. Can you try giving it to me now? She smiled flatly.

Her husband sat there, across from her at the plastic table from Home Depot. He looked right into her eyes and said nothing. She tried a few more pathetic times. Is the compliment gone forever? Huh? Did it flutter away? Can you catch it? He sent her back a blank stare that slowly shifted into benevolence. She saw his gaze change, from blank to feeling sorry for her, grasping at the long-lost compliment.

They stared passed each other for a bit and then talked lightly about the food, which was just as OK as the plastic table. They went home, she rubbed lotion on her elbows… not really, but you get what kind of evening it was. Interestingly, he had stomach cramps all night and spent the next two days in and out of the bathroom.

She didn’t really think like this, of course, she was not that cruel or self-centered, but the word karma did come to mind.