Unresolved

Every year on this day she makes her pilgrimage.

She rises early, showers and puts on the same outfit: a red dress and heels.  It’s been so long that the shoes are scuffed and one of the heels is getting wobbly but they aren’t unwearable yet.  If the weather is cool, she'll bring a light cardigan.  You never know what the weather might be like in April, even from one hour to the next.

She gets in her car and drives across town.  It’s a different car now.  The car she had then was big and pretty.  The car she drives now is small and practical.  It’s harder to get out of the new car looking elegant, especially with heels on, since it’s so low to the ground.  But as long as she can be somewhat graceful about it, it’s not too bad.  At least she always wears panties, so she doesn't have to worry about unintentionally flashing her bits to unsuspecting passersby.

She arrives punctually and takes a minute to compose herself, checking her hair and her makeup in the rear-view mirror.  It’s not like it could have gotten messed up during the half-hour drive but she checks anyways.

She deftly gets out of the car and crosses the parking lot.  The sun is shining today and there’s a nice breeze.  If there was a patio, she’d probably sit outside but there isn’t one so she’ll be inside amongst the aromas and the not-quite-loud-enough music that ends up being nothing more than a tinny rattle piped through the speakers, providing a different ambience than intended.

As she approaches the door, she takes a deep breath and arranges what she hopes is a pleasant smile on her face.  She is greeted by a similar smile.

“Table for one?”

This was written for Mostly Fiction Monday. What's that, you ask? It's a little something Stranger and Me cooked up. You can find the story here. Today's post was inspired by the prompt Unresolved.