Dad and Daughter Dining

The assignment last week at my creative writing course was to write about a dining experience from the point of view of the opposite gender. (I was surprised how difficult this was for several people, mainly the women). I decided to make it a little harder on myself and make my woman a young woman and a vegeterian. If that wasn’t enough, I decided to experiment with a new style (for me, at least), free verse. I was inspired to do this after reading Sharon Creech’s book entitled Heartbeat.

Here’s what I came up with…

Why does it always have to be a steak place?
Restaurants filled with business men?
Always the only one my age?

Ugh! Another one of these lunches
with dad
Just father and daughter
Just the two of us
Just like a date

Thank you
My dad tells the waiter
Accepting the menus
We won’t need the wine list

Just what I thought
Nothing to eat but meat
Red meat

Queue de Cheval is known for their prime rib
Dad informs me
That’s my choice
And you?

No ready to respond I think to myself
Ahh! good old prime rib
The bloodiest meat that exists
Good…a page with salads
House caesar salad
Fajita salad
Special chef’s salad
Fresh green salad

I think I’ll take
The green salad?
I say sheepishly

Sure you don’t want the
Prime rib?

I knew he would try

You need some meat on those bones

Why does he always say that to me?
What if I don’t want
meat on my bones
I’m a ballet dancer
Doesn’t he know anything?

Yes waiter
He says
We’ll take
Two prime ribs?

No dad
Please
Just the salad

Fine
One prime rib with fries
One green salad

Oh and
Two diet cokes
He says
Looking at me
As if he had found
Something important
We agree upon

Now come the questions
How’s school?
How are my grades?
What subject do I like the most?\
How are the dance classes?
Have I decided on a CEGEP yet?
Any boyfriends?

The waiter returns
The salad is too big
The steak is too bloody

My stomach is queasy
I look down at my salad
Why do they put bacon in it?
I stab some lettuce

Its green
It’s crisp
It’s fresh
It’s raw

I can feel it
Bringing life to my body
Through my tongue
How does that happen?

Oh man
My dad exclaims
With his mouth full
With blood on his mustache
This steak is fabulous
You don’t know what you’re missing

Yes I do
I say to myself
As the queasiness returns
Push aside a bacon bit
Stab a chunk of tomato

The trick is
To focus on other things
The salad
The décor
The couple to my right
The four men on my left
Not them
They’re all eating steaks

Now the inevitable
Between bloody bites
Dad recounts his latest
Business exploits

The salad has capers
Weird taste

So I got a promotion…

I don’t think that couple is married

…the biggest perk is the new office…

The man
Has a ring on
But the woman
Is way too flirty

…I now have a secretarial team…

The décor in this place is
Too brown
Too boring
Too fake
Too masculine

…and because of the bullish stock market…

I really miss
Summertime tomatos
They do have a special taste
Don’t they?
Don’t look at his plate
Oh yuck
He’s mopping up the blood

Don’t look at it
Don’t look
Don’t

My stomach

Dad, I’ll be right back
I’m not feeling well

Was it something I did?
Something I said?

No dad

Not something
Everything