the Table61 blog

“Why shouldn’t you write with a broken pencil?”

Had anyone been looking, they would have seen Mitch facepalm, but they weren’t, they were all focused on Will.

Mitch turned around to Lindsey.

“So, I’ve been wondering, maybe… would you want to… to go to prom with me?”

“Umm… you realize how old we are, right?”

“No! Not like prom prom. It’s this charity bar crawl my cousin is organizing called Tacky Prom. You dress up swanky, have a few drinks, and dance to crappy music. Actually, it’s not really like prom at all, though they do crown a King and Queen.” Rubbing his sweaty palms, he realized it somehow retained the awkwardness of high school.

“Sure, let’s do it, when and where?”

“Next Saturday, in Fort Worth. But let’s make a whole weekend out of it, maybe go a few other places too.”

“Wait, are you asking me to prom, or on a roadtrip?”, she asked with a big smile.

“Well… I guess both.”

As Mitch turned back to Will and his new group of friends, he saw Lindsey pull out her phone but thought nothing of it.

— Friday Night – Leaving Austin —

“I can’t believe we’re doing this… I haven’t pulled an all-nighter since college.”

Mitch, was already having doubts. He did this several times a year, but wasn’t sure Lindsey would last. It should make for an interesting trip.

“So, when do you think we’ll get to Fort Worth?”

“Probably around 5 PM tomorrow, we’ll swing by Hulen Mall and I can grab a new shirt for this suit, grab some food at Rodeo Goat, check-in to the hotel, then walk down to the prom. But, you know, nothing’s locked in, who knows what may distract us along the way.”

Mitch briefly noticed Lindsey typing on her phone before looking back up to deal with the driver next to him who apparently never learned how to merge onto a highway.

— Sunday Afternoon – Approaching Austin —

Turning off 35, Mitch looked over at Lindsey sleeping and smiled. She’d been a pretty good sport about the entire trip. He knew she was tired; he was too, but couldn’t imagine how this must be for her.

He hoped she’d enjoyed the experience. He’d been to all of these places before, but every one of them had been new for her.

He’d promised her just one of these trips but hoped she’d want to go on more.

As everyone magically does, she awoke as he turned onto her street.

“You must be so tired, do you want to come in and stay here tonight?”

“Oh thank god, I was hoping you’d ask. I’m not sure I have the energy to make it home.”

Granted, in Austin, going across the city takes about as long as the rest of their drive.

— Saturday Morning – Lake Charles, Louisiana —

“Oh my god, you were right. This is the best French Toast I’ve ever had. This is amazing! How did you find this?”

Sitting at Favorites Southern Kitchen, they were enjoying the best French Toast they’d ever had.

“Well, I always have lines out for good French Toast, and this place got a bite.” The bites were good, but Nibbles failed to deliver.

They soon returned to the casino. Having spent the night teaching her various card games and slots, Lindsey managed to come out ahead almost $400. Beginner’s luck… Mitch’s only win seemed to be the free White Russian he was holding.

After cashing out, they found themselves standing on top of the parking garage hand-in-hand watching the tugs on the river. Lindsey definitely wouldn’t have imagined a parking lot being such a wonderful moment, but it was her favorite yet. If the trip ended here, she’d be content with everything so far.

“I think it’s time to try another game… what do you know about horses?”

“Nothing.”

“Great, then you already know everything I do.”

They jumped in the car and headed for Delta Downs. Lindsey answered a chime on her phone, but Mitch was focused on driving out of the garage. Call to the Post was in just under an hour.

— Sunday Noon – West —

“I’ve heard about this place, but this is my first time trying it. I thought it may be overhyped. Definitely not disappointed.”

Sitting outside the Czech Stop, Lindsey was devouring her third kolache. She’d completely forgot about her headache.

“So what I want to know is, how do you know all of these amazing places? It’s like every place we go has better food than the last place.”

“I’d better not say. A man’s got to have a few secrets to keep himself interesting.”

There was no secret. Unlucky at cards, lucky in food…

— Saturday Noon – Vinton, Louisiana —

“So what is a… bowden?”

“Boudin… and I have no idea. I just know it’s good. And their baked beans are excellent too.”

Lindsey was buying lunch at Comeaux’s with her track winnings. She admired the quaint restaurant. Given it’s appearance from the outside, she was skeptical of Mitch’s claims. Looking at the food on her plate, she was even more so.

“This doesn’t look that appetizing. Does all Cajun food look like this?”

“Pretty much, it looks good to me.”

Lindsey took her first bite and all doubts were dismissed. After the boudin, she sampled the crawfish etouffee and the beans.

“We’re definitely coming here again.”

As she grabbed her phone, Mitch dismissed any thoughts but his food, assuming she was Instagram’ing her meal.

— Sunday Morning – Leaving Fort Worth —

“Feeling any better?”

“The pancakes helped, but my head is still aching,” Lindsey said from behind her sunglasses. She took a drink from her second bottle of Gatorade.

Stopping at Ol’ South for breakfast had helped, but they were both feeling the effects from the prior evening.

“Is every trip with you like this? Don’t get me wrong, it’s been a blast going to all of these new places, but I don’t know how much more I could handle. Thank god we got the hotel for the night.”

“Well, if we hadn’t drank so much, we probably wouldn’t have needed the hotel,” he teased. “Don’t worry, once we make it to West, I guarantee you’ll feel 100% again.”

— Saturday Afternoon – Fort Worth —

Lindsey was at the bar getting drinks, and Mitch was confident no one else here would know Will, so he wasn’t worried about stealing his jokes.

“It’s pointless!”

All of his new friends laughed, and for once Mitch didn’t shake his head disapprovingly. Someone tapped him on his shoulder, and he turned around, expecting it to be Lindsey returning with another Shiner.

Mitch froze… and stared, thoroughly shocked. Of the things he could have imagined to see on this trip, this was surely not one of them.

“Surprise!” Lindsey proclaimed.

The surprise stared back, also unsure of what to say.

Mitch’s mind raced into the past, remembering Lindsey’s constant texting, wondering how that hadn’t tipped him off. Maybe not to this, but at least that something was up.

Back in the present, he recognized the little black dress, size 2.

————

Based on French (Toast) Holiday and They All Danced.