The break up – what composure & grace

The couple walked into Real Man last night. A take away he suggested, the small pretty American woman suggested they eat in and he agreed. He ordered a coke, she tap water. I sat in my chair and waited for them to order. Neither drank a thing. There were a few quiet words exchanged.

Then he grabbed his jacked and walked out. He looked angry. She seemed close to tears. “Is everything alright” I asked. “”Sure.”  She ordered a glass of Orvieto and a meal and said “ I shall be dining alone – we just split up”. As an afterthought she said, “it’s okay I initiated it.”

She nibbled a slice of pizza and toyed with her phone. She looked as if she was close to tears throughout. It was painful to watch. But she just wasn’t going to let the world know how upset she was.  I boxed her meal for later didn’t bill her for the coke. The coke was the past, the rest is the future.

 And then she wandered out to take the pizza home. Alone. I suspect once insider her own door the self-control would just disappear.

But as she sat there my thought was “ I want to put my arm around you. Poor woman.  She may have initiated it but she has grace and is upset. He was merely angry and unshaven. “