Silence is Bliss?

Tom and I were able to go on a date Monday since Tom’s Mom was visiting.

We decided on lunch and a movie.

Sometimes it’s hard to agree on a movie. Tom likes movies where things blow up and guts go flying across the room. I like movies where a woman and a man try to find one another. Granted, I do like other movies. For instance, I love movies with aliens in them but I think they terrify Tom. I also love movies like Austin Powers and Billy Madison. You know, movies that really don’t make a lot of sense but are hilarious?

The good news is, Tom and I could agree on a movie. We figured we’d go see Couples Retreat.

Before that we went to lunch at this small Italian place. It’s awesome. They have authentic Italian food. I ordered the Vodka Rigatoni and tried not to eat too much of the bread they put out beforehand. But it’s so hard! The bread is warm and delicious and…heck, I ended up eating more than I can remember. The thing is, I realized that Tom and I were barely saying a word to each other. So I suddenly banged my hand down on the table and went,

“No.”

This caught Tom’s attention. Before he had been staring intently at a painted picture of a vine.

“No what?” he asked.

“We can’t already be one of those couples who have nothing to say to each other. So…how is your job going?” I said.

Tom raised an eyebrow. “You know how it’s going. I’ve already told you.”

“Work with me here, Tom.”

“I would if you asked a good question. Why am I going to waste my breath answering a question you already know the answer to?” Tom wondered as he popped another piece of bread into his mouth.

I sighed. “I just don’t want to sit here in silence.”

Tom shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me. I’m enjoying it. We don’t have a kid screeching at us for once. So let’s just sit back and enjoy the quiet.”

I shook my head. “No! The whole point of getting out alone is getting to talk without interruptions. So…tell me something interesting.”

Tom frowned. “Well. This olive oil dip is really good,” he finally said, motioning to the bowl in front of us.

I sighed again. “No! About your life. What’s something that you haven’t told me?” I leaned forward expectantly.

Tom looked perplexed. “Well,” he said slowly. “I need a new pair of pants.”

Good gracious.

Thankfully our food came then. Another silence lapsed but this time it was because we were too busy stuffing our faces. We’re big food people, you see. We don’t like taking a bite, swallowing, talking, and then having to wait forever to take another bite.

My vodka rigatoni was delicious. I was in the middle of moaning because it was so good when the waiter came back to refill our drinks.

“Oh my. Should I leave you alone?” he joked.

I chewed happily. “I’m okay,” I assured him. “This is just so good.”

I really need to learn how to cook better. I mean, I suppose I could but to be honest, I hate cooking and I think being in the kitchen is a waste of my time. I wish I had a passion for it. I have a passion for eating, obviously.

After we ate we headed to the movie theater.

The guy behind the concession counter appeared to be a little bored. When we approached he said in a monotone, “If you buy a large popcorn and drink, you can get a commemorative Twilight glass.”

I made a face. “No thank you.”

This is when he lit up. “Do you not like Twilight?” he practically demanded. I thought he was going to leap over the counter and grab my collar.

“Er…not really,” I admitted and then shuffled a bit behind Tom in case the guy lost it.

But no. Instead he shouted, “Tamara! Get out here! I found one! You owe me five bucks!”

And then another worker walked out from the back with the same bored expression.

“I found one. I told you I’d find one today. She doesn’t like Twilight,” the guy told her, pointing at me frantically.

It was the strangest thing. But the good thing was, I didn’t have to pay for my butter salt. Apparently now they want to charge you $1.50 for it but the guy was all, “Since you earned me five bucks, you can have it for free.”

Yay!

See? It pays to not like Twilight, I tell you.

And guess what? They showed a preview for New Moon and Tom and I both went, “Boooo!” at the same time when it popped up.

Of course then we heard this chick sitting in the back go, “Who said that?” and I motioned for Tom to slide down in his seat with me.

“Twihards can be scary,” I whispered. “It’s best to keep quiet now.”

(I’m not kidding about the scary Twihards either. See, I post over at this clothing forum, right? I went into a Twilight thread because apparently some drama broke out because people bashed Twilight or something and I was just telling them that I meant no harm when I made fun of Twilight since I have this compulsion to have everyone like me. Some ladies were downright mean and told me to go back to my blog and write about my dirty laundry. Some were normal and thanked me for my message but sheesh, there are some nutters, I tell you…I mean, do they realize they’re getting all bent out of shape over TWILIGHT? These are grown ladies I’m talking about. If they were teenagers I’d get it because their brains haven’t formed all the way yet. But adults? I’m still at a loss…)

Anyhow, Tom chuckled softly over my scary Twihards comment.

So yeah, maybe we don’t always have something to say to each other. But we work. Our relationship works.

And that’s all that really matters.