Fall {Saladin and Rose}

The gentle buzz of quiet conversation filled the air and came back into Carl's focus, accompanied by the muffled clatter of pots and pans emitting from the kitchen of Luzzino's Ristorante, as he closed the Motorola V3 with resignation. A sigh escaped his lips, sending with the exhaled breath an obvious irritation marred by disappointment. "That was Lucy, apparently Bethan-Jade is being a pain in the arse again."

Reopening the phone, Carl pressed the red button long enough to turn off the mobile phone, only to then close it again and slip it into his pocket. Picking up the glass of wine in front of him, he took a deep swallow of the cold drink then placed it back on the table. He looked across the table at the woman sat opposite him, and his irritation fell, forming into a wide, contented smile. Rose and he had been together for eleven years to the day, which is why they were sat here - every year they had come to this restaurant to celebrate their relationship.

Luzzino's wasn't the greatest of restaurants; of course, the tables were nicely varnished into uniformity, and the carpet was clean. The staff were friendly, and the food was good. They hadn't a lot of money, Carl and Rose, and for them this was a luxury. Readjusting his tie, Carl glanced around the restaurant for a moment, noticing that one family with three kids, noisily tucking into a pair of massive pizzas, the young couple so obviously blinded by love, staring into each other's eyes for so long Carl was sure their food had gone cold, and the single man in his early thirties eating alone and reading the national financial newspaper. It made Carl smile, and as he focused his vision once more on Rose, he grinned at her. "She'll be fine, Mathias is asleep at last."

He reached a hand across the table, intending to take hold of Rose's, and stared into her eyes for a moment, a seriousness painted across his visage as he feigned a wry, slightly sad, half-smile. "I wonder when the food will get here."

To the chagrin and curious bemusement of several customers and staff members, Carl threw his head back and unleashed a roar of laughter, smacking his hand on the table a couple of times. Settling down into a chuckle, he spoke quietly to Rose, his voice soft, but genuine and full of conviction. "I love you, darling."

Sipping on the water in front of her, Rose's dark blue eyes scanned the dining area, watching the moving waiters and waitresses as they danced from table to table. They seemed, to her, as if they had rehearsed this dance before. Mumbled words and laughter floated around her as she sat there. Carl was turning off his phone after speaking briefly with Lucy, their babysitter. At least this time, he remembered to shut it off… she thought to herself. Eleven years to the day, he and I have been together. Time does seem to fly.

“I’m glad Lucy got Mathias to sleep. Leaving him always makes me worry,” she said softly as she set down the glass of water. When he had reached for her hand, she took his and offered him a loving smile. “She’s always been a lively spirit though, darling. Do you think Lucy can handle her?”

Her eyes drifted slowly over Carl’s face, taking in each detail, as he spoke the words, “I love you, darling.” Every time he spoke those words to her, everything seemed to be okay again, nothing was going to happen. It made her heart skip and a genuine smile grace her lips. “I love you too,” she whispered back to him.

Her smile is so amazing, I'd happily lose myself staring at her smile. With the kids, who were a total handful, Carl only occasionally had the chance to see Rose smile with true genuineness. As such, when Rose smiled, it made him smile broadly. They'd met her just before high school ended, and spent two years as friends before they both admitted liking one another and made the decision to get together. Even during that first meeting, Carl was blown away by her looks, knew he wouldn't ever meet anyone as beautiful.

"Lucy will be fine, she always is. And Bethan-Jade likes her, so they'll be okay." Lucy was reliable, that much was for sure, and both kids enjoyed it when she came to visit. Over the years, Lucy had grown to be almost like a member of the family and at sixteen years of age had proved herself to be a very mature young woman. She coped with the children very well, even Mathias in his worst moods. Truth be told, she was quite the blessing to the couple.

Squeezing Rose's hand gently, Carl smiled, just as a young, spotty rake of a waiter appeared besides their table. A reasonably well dressed lad around the age of seventeen, his white shirt was nicely pressed, and the navy tie under the teenager's collar was knotted in a 'double Windsor'; something Carl approved of silently, the knot being the same he used. None of the waiting staff here were uniformed as such, but wore semi-formal attire: White shirt or blouse, trousers for the men, skirt or trousers of the women, and smart shoes. That only added to the pleasant informal feel of the restaurant, something Carl had always enjoyed about Luzzino's. Nodding a thank you to the young waiter as both meals were placed on the table, Carl let go of Rose's hand, looking back at her. "Tuck in."

The lasagne on the plate in front of him was a large portion, another reason he liked this place, and steamed nicely, allowing the smell to drift into his nostrils. The chips, thick-cut and golden brown filled the outside of the circular plate, and with good presentation and a mouth-watering pleasant aroma about the meal, Carl was reminded of just how hungry he was.

Rubbing his hands together eagerly, he picked up the knife and fork, stabbing into a chip to take a bite. Mmm. Not too hot, as often chips can be, nor were they cool enough to suggest being kept in a bain marie between being cooked and served. Chewing on the chip, it was just crispy enough for his liking. "Mathias worries me at too, Rose. The poor mite struggles on, but it's not easy for him." He stuffed the rest of the chip in his mouth, "How's your salad, honey?"

Once her salad arrived, she realized just how hungry she really was and picked up her fork. She speared an unlucky piece of lettuce, dabbed it in the dressing that was lightly sprinkled over the plate, and took a bite. Oh this is delicious... she thought to herself, smiling softly as she watched Carl taste his plate. When asked about her salad, she spoke her mind and moved her bangs out of her eyes as they tumbled down her forehead.

Rose, then, let her eyes wander about the room, taking in what others were eating and watched the staff move around the room. She continued to nibble on her salad as she patiently waited for the rest of her meal to arrive. The luscious taste of the lettuce leaf, carrots, crutons, and Ranch dressing was fantastically delicious.

"I'm thankful for Lucy. She's rather remarkable with the children," she spoke softly as her eyes returned to those of Carl, "and I'm very happy that they seem taken with her. I don't know what I'd do without her sometimes."

"She's a blessing to our family." Carl takes his second mouthful of the lasagne, keeping his eyes in quiet admiration for his long-term partner and the love of his life. No other food, in his opinion, could beat the taste of home-made lasagne and he savoured every slightly spicy, soft bite of the meal. A few more mouthfuls were had, occasionally also stabbing a chip into his fork with the lasagne. "And you're a blessing to me."

He watched as three families were seated at tables near to Rose and himself; observing as the kids sat down, looking through the menus, making swift decisions on what they would be eating tonight - probably another group of regulars to this well-known restaurant. Unfolding napkins to place on laps, they seemed epitomes of the 'perfect' family. Sighing softly, Carl ran a hand through his short brown hair after placing down his knife and fork, "Sometimes I wish that was us, Rose. Then I realise that if it was, we wouldn't be as blessed as we now are."

He smiled at Rose through the wine glass as he took another gulp. Mathias was in bed asleep, and Lucy would be playing with Bethan-Jade, who too would soon be in bed: there wasn't anything to worry about. True, both kids were a handful, but they were beautiful and Carl loved them just as much as Rose - completely - and would not change them for anyone or anything else in the world.

Often strange looks were given in their direction when Mathias had one of his tantrums, people had a tendency to look down upon that which they did not understand, and the stares were sometimes a little upsetting. However, both had made a decision and knew what life would be like after that decision. Indeed it was quite the challenge at times, but each day of the past eight years had only served to make Carl a stronger, better person. He doubted very much he would be the man he was today if things hadn't panned out the same in his life. "We're lucky."

"We are very lucky, my dear," Rose smiled at him softly. Her eyes drifted over to the 'normal' family that was close-by and she gave one of the kids a gentle smile as they made eye contact with her. "I do too, Carl, but I'm happy with our family."

Taking another bite from her salad, she let her eyes drop to the glass of water in front of her; studying the amount of water she had left in it. She swallowed the salad and lifted the glass to her lips, giving Carl a soft smile before the cool water touched her thin lips. The water was refreshing as always and it helped ease her worry over Mathias and Bethan-Jade.

A mother's mind is never at rest even when she gets time to relax, Rose thought to herself as she leaned against the back of the chair. She set down her fork and watched Carl a bit, remembering everything about him, and how she fell in love with the man. Her thoughts then turned to her first child with him and her smile turned brighter as her hand lifted to the glass once more.

Carl continued to eat his meal as he watched Rose intently. Hiding his concern, Carl smiled reassuringly; so often Rose was prone to needless worry. Then again, he too was acutely aware of the difficulties both children had, and he wished, sometimes, that he could be a better dad than he imagined himself. Difficulty was always found in maintaining the required balance between their son and daughter. With Bethan-Jade, a beautiful angel entered the lives of them both and they relished in the joy of their first-born.

With the birth of Mathias, named after Carl's grandfather - taking the man's middle name - the utopian family environment shifted in course considerably. From the moment he was born, five years ago, nineteen months after Bethan-Jade, it was plainly evident he was not a 'normal' child. So it was, for the past five years, Mathias had to take precedence, needing more care and attention, requiring more of Carl and Rose's time. At times, it felt like Bethan-Jade was almost left to the sidelines. Not that a conscious effort wasn't made to ensure this wasn't the case, of course; for both tried to even out the time spent with both kids.

Allowing Bethan-Jade to stay up later than one might think was reasonable for a seven year old child was one of those ways. Generally all three enjoyed those two or three hours after Mathias had gone to bed. Not because he wasn't there, but because of the peaceful tranquillity of spending time with the older of the two children, giving her their undivided attention. Whether it was playing board games, helping her with homework, or simply cuddling up while watching a movie, an enjoyable time was had by all. They managed, despite the difficulties, to harbour a great family environment and Carl believed they did a good job despite sometimes worrying.

With another sip of his red wine, Carl raised his hand to get the attention of one of the waitresses walking past their table. As she came to see what was wanted, he offered her a friendly smile, winking at Rose. "Can we have the desert menu, please?"

The waitress gave her affirmation, letting them both know she would give it to them in a minute or so. Carl chuckled, smiling broadly at Rose. "Our family is perfect, darling. And so are you." He winked at her again, rubbing his hands together in excited anticipation, chuckling slightly. "As will be my rhubarb crumble."

Letting her eyes look over the dessert menu, Rose ran a slender hand through her hair, playing with it. A habit she formed when she was a small girl when she was worried. "Ooo I think I'll have the Strawberry Cheesecake," she mused softly out loud. "What do you think, dear?"

She lifted her eyes to Carl, offering him a loving smile as she placed the menu back on the table. Rose lifted her napkin to her lips and dabbed at them some, hiding the gentle cough that erupted from her chest. The air of the restaurant was a bit chilly, but that was a great offset to the heat of a summer's night. This summer has been brutal with its unforgiving heat, Rose thought to herself as she glanced over to one of the nearby windows.

The lights of the automobiles flashed by the windows as cars raced home, to work, or to other activities of their lives. Distant rumbles of vehicle engines gently add to the monotonous tones of the surrounding world, creating the low bass for the conversations of the families surrounding them. The soft clicking of the shoes, belonging to the people walking just outside, adds to the gentle music of life, starting out the soft drum. A gentle breeze caught against an opening of a door gives a soft whistle, producing the harmony to which the melody of life is the beating of a heart.

Rose slowly pulled her attention away from her study of the surroundings and stopped listening to the music of the world as it danced around her. A soft smile graced her thin lips once more as she looked over the table at Carl. "I love you, dearest," she said softly and placed her hand on the table, inviting him to take her hand.