Midnight Rendezvous

Hal blinked awake to the sound of his stomach growling. Groggy, he checked the glowing numbers on the bedside clock. Jeez, he thought to himself, it’s only one-thirty in the morning?

He glanced over at Kate and listened until he picked up the soft rhythm of her breathing before he eased himself out of bed. He tiptoed across the carpet in his bare feet for fear that while rummaging for his slippers she would stir.

The bedroom door closed silently behind him as he left his wife to her dreams and started for the stairs. His footsteps were light, his own breathing barely audible. Once downstairs, he made a bee-line for the tiny refrigerator in the den’s storage closet. He removed the small, white parcel he’d secreted behind the six-pack of mineral water then headed for the kitchen.

He flipped on the lights, placed the package on the counter and hurried to unfold the paper. Once open he gazed lovingly at the small mound of medium rare roast beef and thick slices of Swiss cheese he’d bought at Zoë’s deli on his way home from work.

His mouth began to water. He gathered bread, lettuce, a few packs of real mayonnaise he’d hidden in the unused cookie jar along with the tube of Dijon mustard he kept down behind the tofu on the lower shelf of the refrigerator.

He hastily assembled his creation then raised it to his mouth and sunk his teeth in. The bread yielded while a myriad of flavors exploded on his tongue. He chewed swiftly, swallowed, and took another large bite. Soon his stomach quieted and a feeling of contentment enveloped him.

While he ate Hal reflected on the honesty of the sandwich he held in his hands. It's honest-to-God taste that Kate’s new fangled macro-tofu, soy-laced veggie, air-filled puffs of nothing diet could never have.

He was pressing the last crumbs into his finger and dabbing them onto his tongue when he heard footsteps. Kate appeared in the doorway, her hair tousled, arms crossed, face etched into a scowl. “I thought you promised you’d keep to the food plan this time,” she said.

Hal pulled his head out of the refrigerator and turned to his wife. Bean sprouts jutted from the corners of his mouth. “I’m just having some of that leftover salad, honey. It’s the best thing I ever tasted. Yessireee.”

Kate let her arms unfold as she strode over to her husband’s side and gave him a hug. “Hal, I am soooo proud of you!”