Wordsley, Stourbridge, England: 12 degrees, cold, slightly sunny, overcast with showers.
Our lunch appointment is at 2:15 at the old Wharf Inn pub, in the old Wharf, very close to Lower High Street, Stourbridge.
Julie was getting her things together in the morning, and I was doing the same. I exercised in the back garden and enjoyed some gardening, which was quite pleasant, to say the least. The lavender we had bought for Julie’s mother and mine—coincidentally, I potted my mother’s lavender at home, and Julie’s father did the same on the same day, more or less at the same time.
I also potted some other plants under my mother’s guidance and repotted some that needed fresh soil. I also swept the path and did some hoeing, and as always, the back garden looked very nice. I filled the bird feeders so there was food for the birds and squirrels. The back garden has become a small playground for the local wildlife. There are three bird feeders, two for seeds and one for fat balls.
I’m not so sure about fat balls; I didn’t know about them until I came to England. I had never seen them in Brazil, but they don’t seem as popular as seeds. Small birds visit all the time, especially early mornings and evenings. These squirrels come every day in the morning, and sometimes they’re already there when I open the patio blinds to look at the garden first thing.
Giving is very good!
The rest of the morning was spent doing some small things for my mother, tidying and organising my things, cutting my hair and trimming my beard.
Julie picked me up around 1:00 p.m. The plan was to take Austin for a walk along the canal to calm him down before lunch. For me, Austin isn’t a bother, but Julie sometimes gets quite self-conscious when he starts to bark as we arrive or leave somewhere. It’s as if he gets very excited at those moments. Austin was as happy as ever to see me. He wanted to sit on my lap with the window open and stick his head out. For me, everything’s fine.
Austin, a Cockapoo, isn’t exactly a breed that would interest me if I wanted a dog. Cocker – a Cocker Spaniel – is a breed that is very childlike, and Poo – a Poodle – besides being extremely intelligent, is also quite feminine.
I appreciate medium to large dogs, especially working, hunting, or guard dogs, but Austin has been more than a pleasant surprise for me. He is quite independent when he is off the lead and obedient; if we call him, he comes to us immediately, which is great, and he has literally tonnes and tonnes of personality.
I don’t think I have ever met another dog with so much personality!
So we arrived at the car park by the old Wharf and went for a short walk along the canal. The day is lovely; the birds, ducks, and geese are out in force. It’s really quite sublime to be out in the beautiful English countryside.
And who do we meet?
The fisherman from yesterday. It was pretty funny because at first we wondered if it was really him from yesterday. If it was, that would be quite amusing. After all, we initially thought it might not be him, but it was, and he recognised us too. Then we started imagining if he had stayed the whole night here, which he hadn’t. It was pretty funny and gave us a good laugh.
We spoke with him and his fellow fishermen for about 10 to 15 minutes before continuing our conversation. As it was nearing our reservation time, we headed back; we didn’t even stop at the car, going straight to the pub. It was already crowded, so Julie told the barman that we had a reservation, and within two minutes, we were seated at our table. It was a table for four on the left side of the lounge, opposite to where we usually sit when we come to have a drink.
There was a kind of old church pew bench against the wall facing a table for four. Julie sat with Austin on the pew, and I sat opposite her, but then she asked me to sit next to her because of Austin. Austin was very well behaved, always curious but never inconvenient; he really is the man.
Julie ordered a half lager and lime, and I a glass of Malbec. We considered having a starter or sharing one, but upon seeing the size of the portions, we decided just to order the main course. Julie chose a traditional English steak and kidney ale pie with mashed potatoes and carrots. I ordered a finely beaten chicken breast steak served with broccoli in a lemon-infused oil sauce. Both dishes were impressive in terms of presentation and portion size, and were delicious in taste.
We tried each other’s vegetables; we swapped them around. I’ve never tasted broccoli so delicious, and Julie echoed the same about her carrots. Truly sublime foods in a cosy and welcoming atmosphere, with perfectly attentive service that is neither too evasive nor too absent.
For dessert, I opted for a cheese board, which was quite nice but really just too much for me and a little over the top. Julie, on the other hand, ordered something with ice cream. Both were very good, but probably Julie’s was better. With the movement of people, waiters, food, plates, etc, the pub was humming, a true upper-class hub of movement and delights. Eventually, I had to settle the bill, which was not cheap for me, as I receive in Brazilian Reais and pay in English Sterling, £65 for two.
Julie is always nervous when leaving a place with Austin, as he becomes anxious and excited, and he also knows when it is time to go. He noticed that we were getting ready to leave, and although he was anxious and agitated, he was well-behaved. He did not bark at all, which surprised Julie and, in some ways, made her feel happy and more comfortable taking Austin out to public places.
I don’t really care; he’s a fantastic dog, and dogs bark, and he’s never inconvenient.
We went back to the car and then home. Julie dropped me off with the understanding that we would speak later. This is where the end of the day became a little disappointing for me, to say the least.
Julie’s ex sister-in-law, with whom she is close friends, had invited Julie and me to a small, friendly gathering at her house with Julie’s bosses, the owners of the café where she works. Jim and Jo would also be there. Jim had also spoken to Julie during the week at work about the dinner gathering, mentioning that it would be nice to see us at this small, informal get-together.
It was clear to me that Julie did not want to go, or more specifically, was afraid or even embarrassed to go; she had been avoiding the subject all week, so when night came, nothing happened. After returning home from lunch and a brief conversation with my mother, I went upstairs to rest a little. I couldn’t, I was unsettled, so I watched the film.
The dinner party was scheduled for 7:30, but Julie only called me after 8, which made it impossible for us to go anymore. I felt disappointed because she clearly didn’t want to go. Was it insecurity, self-sabotage towards herself, me, or us as a couple? Or perhaps she wasn’t ready yet for us to be in such a situation together.
She could hear the disappointment in my voice. I said I didn’t want to talk about it, but her insistence led to a lot of discussion. After an hour and a half, almost two hours of talking about it, I understood her insecurity, and she realised we should have gone out for a good night with friends who genuinely care about us and our well-being.
She apologised and said that there would be other occasions.
We said goodnight, and that was it!
Thank you.
Thanks for reading this blog post. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Richard
