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I took Stevie to a restaurant called The Back Porch. It was on the beach and the atmosphere and service were great. The smorgasbord of seafood that Stevie and I ordered was too. We had everything: Mahi, shrimp, scallops, crab cakes. And our drinks? Two Hendricks and tonic with extra lime.
Stevie and I had just finished eating when my mom texted me to see how we were doing. I told Stevie what she’d said, then motioned for our waitress to come over to our table.
“Would you mind taking a picture of us?” I asked her.
“Not at all, sir.”
I handed her my cellphone with the camera app ready to go, and she snapped several pictures of Stevie and me sitting at the table with the sunny Destin, Florida beach in the background. I texted my mom the photos and let her know that Stevie and I were having a blast. While waiting for her reply, I asked Stevie if she minded me sending her the pictures of our tattoos.
“You may as well. She’s gonna see them when we get back. Of course, she’ll see yours first and hopefully mine in the near future. Do you think she’ll like them, though?”
“She’ll love them. So will my dad.”
“Then send the pictures. I can’t wait to hear what her response is.”
My mom texted back three smiley face emojis after she received the pictures the waitress had taken, and sent a row of Scottish flags and red hearts after seeing our Scottish thistle tattoos. My mom also texted that she and my dad were proud of our new ink and that they loved it.
I asked my mom how Malcolm was doing and she let me know what I already knew: he was doing great. I’d briefly talked to him on the phone last night, before his bedtime, and I planned to do the same tonight and also on the rest of the nights that Stevie and I were here in Destin. I’d told Malcolm that I was out of town working and he didn’t question it. I worked all the time, so that was nothing new to him. Just being apart from me during the morning and evening was. I missed my mini-me but I was also at peace knowing what good hands he was in with my parents.
After Stevie and I left the restaurant, we agreed it would be good to take a nap as soon as we got back to our beach house since the Norah Jones concert didn’t start until 9:00 p.m. The venue was a smaller one with an intimate setting and limited seats. I’d lucked out by being able to purchase front-row tickets and could hardly wait to make this memory with Stevie.
She and I woke up totally refreshed after an hour’s nap and were ready to take on the night. While we were getting ready for the concert, Stevie played a variety of Norah Jones’ songs on her cellphone. She kept smiling too while randomly dancing around in the bathroom and bedroom. I loved watching her move her body. It really was like poetry in motion.
I wore a pair of tan chino pants with a white t-shirt and a denim button-down shirt over it that I left unbuttoned, and my shoes were a pair of comfortable white sneakers. Stevie wore a light blue spaghetti-strap dress that reached the tops of her knees and her shoes were some blingy light blue sandals. When she came walking out of the bathroom, dressed and ready to go,all I could do was stare at the vision of her. She was breathtaking as always.
When we got to our seats at the concert, Stevie looked all around us and just kept smiling and shaking her head.
“Is something wrong?” I asked her, even though I knew nothing was wrong.
“I cannot believe we’re really here, Zac. This is another dream come true for me.”
“Same here.”
“We’re at a freakin’ Norah Jones concert!” she squealed, and I laughed. Stevie was so excited, and seeing her this way brought me so much joy.
A few minutes later, the lights inside the venue dimmed and the musicians started walking onto the stage. Their warmup got the crowd going and then Norah appeared, immediately prompting everyone, including Stevie and me, to jump to our feet, clap and cheer. When Norah made it over to her microphone stand centerstage, she smiled and then greeted all her fans.
“Good evening and thank you for joining me tonight here in Destin, Florida! How’s everyone doing?” she asked.
The crowd began clapping and cheering again, and then the musicians began playing the first song: “What Am I To You?” When I looked over at Stevie, she was smiling and swaying her body back and forth. I pulled her closer, moving her so she was standing directly in front of me, and then I wrapped my arms around her waist. She leaned her head back onto my shoulder and after I kissed her, the two of us began moving together in rhythm with the music while watching Norah Jones perform.
Toward the end of the song, she looked at Stevie and me, then motioned for us to come over to her. As soon as the security guard walked us up to the stage, Norah shook Stevie’s hand and mine while singing in that smooth, sultry voice of hers. Whenthe song ended, my mermaid and I received yet another surprise when Norah made a statement directly to me.
“Tell me what this beautiful woman is to you,” she said, glancing down at Stevie, who was standing in front of me with my arms wrapped around her waist again.
“She’s my everything. My heart, my soul, and I can’t imagine my life without her.”
Norah smiled. “Good answer, my man! Good answer!”
Stevie, me, and everyone inside the place started laughing, and then the band began playing the next song.
An hour and a half later, the concert ended. On our way back to our beach house, Stevie asked me if I wouldn’t mind walking down to the shoreline after we got back.
“I wouldn’t mind at all. It’s a great idea,” I said.
“I think it’d be the perfect way to bring this perfect evening to a close.”
“It has been a perfect evening, hasn’t it?”
