Dream: The National

I had been working late all week, this part was true. I called him to ask if he wanted to have dinner. He said, Yes, meet me at “The National.”

It was just a block up from the restaurant where I was. We were talking about meeting tomorrow. I got a bill from the waitress for $103, for charges unrelated to food. I asked her about The National. She smiled and nodded approvingly. They have live music there, she said. The chef stopped by and also praised it. He referred to it as a spot.

There was a pause in the conversation. The waitress looked me and up and down as though seeing me for the first time. The O of her mouth hung suspended as words arranged themselves, glass origami.

There is…an unspoken dress code, she said finally.