"Jenna & Luke" - Chapter 4

Two weeks after their trip to Venice Beach Luke kept his promise and brought Jenna to his favorite Indian restaurant. He’d booked a table for Friday evening at seven and he offered to pick her up. Jenna was excited. They’d met at Starbuck’s for lunch a few times over the past couple of weeks, but there hadn’t been any dinner dates. Although she’d missed spending more time with Luke Jenna was also very excited.  Sarah’s contacts in the entertainment industry had gotten them a couple of big projects with short deadlines, which had resulted in long days at the office. Luke had been tied up at work as well; his company was doing some sort of audit of the books or something and he’d been working longer hours as well.  Weeknight dates had not been an option and the previous weekend Jenna had flown to Chicago to celebrate her father’s 60^th birthday.

Jenna checked her appearance in the full-length mirror in her hallway one last time; she’d opted for her little black dress, which was always a safe choice. The glittery stilettoes and colorful shawl added a fun twist to the dress and her long blonde hair was pulled into a loose bun. Jenna was satisfied with how she looked.  She grabbed her clutch bag and headed outside to wait for Luke.  A smile spread across her face when she stepped out of her front door; his van was already there and she quickly locked her door and moments later she slid into the front passenger seat. Luke beamed at her and his expression made the effort she'd made to look good worth it.

“Wow,” was all he managed to say before Jenna pressed a kiss to his lips.

“I take it you like the dress?” she said with a grin as she sat back in her seat and secured her seat belt.

“Like it? I love it! You look amazing.”

“You don’t look too shabby yourself,” Jenna said with a smile. Luke was dressed in a pair of black dress slacks and a navy dress shirt. His hair was more styled than usual and he was clean-shaven with no trace of a five o'clock shadow. “Did you have a good day?”

“Yeah. We’re finally finished with the audits, so things will be less hectic next week. How are your projects doing?”

“We sent the first one to print today and if the client gives us the thumbs up the second one will be sent to print early next week. It’s been fun to work with these projects, but the second one has been a bit of a nightmare. Extremely demanding client. I just hope they’re happy and refer more clients to us.”

“I’m sure they are. The little I’ve seen of your work looks great,” Luke said. “That said; I’d love to see more of it.”

“I think that can be arranged,” Jenna replied with a smile.

…

Luke pulled into one of the handicap parking spaces outside Taj Mahal restaurant. Jenna stepped out of the car and waited for him to get out. It took him a few minutes to get the lift on the back of the van set up, roll onto the platform, lower it and then raise the lift again and lock up the van. Jenna smiled as he tucked his car keys into the pouch under the left armrest of his wheelchair where he also kept his wallet and cell phone.

“Ready?” she asked.

“I am,” he said. He offered her his left hand and they made their way to the entrance. Jenna held the door open and Luke rolled past her into the restaurant. The hostess greeted him warmly, a slight Indian accent was evident.

“Luke! Welcome back, we’ve missed you. Who’s the pretty lady?”

“Hi Sarita, this is Jenna.” He wanted to introduce Jenna as his girlfriend, but he felt it was a bit presumptuous. After all they had only been on two ‘proper’ dates, not counting their lunch dates at Starbuck’s.

“Hi Jenna,” she smiled. “Nice to meet you.”

“Hi Sarita, nice to meet you too.”

“We’ve got a table ready for you,” Sarita said with a smile as she grabbed two menus from a shelf behind the hostess stand and gestured for them to follow her.

…

Jenna had been a little underwhelmed with the exterior of Taj Mahal, but as soon as they made it through the door she was blown away. The walls were painted in warm earth tones and it looked exactly like she’d imagined an Indian restaurant would look like. The hostess, Sarita, was a stunningly beautiful Indian woman dressed in a purple sari.

As Jenna followed Luke and Sarita through the restaurant she noticed how people stared at them, just like they had when they had at Venice Beach. He didn’t draw as much attention at the coffee shop, but Jenna guessed it was because he was a regular there and most of the customers were used to him, as were the staff.  She was relieved when Sarita showed them a round table that was tucked away in a niche that gave them some privacy. A chair was already removed to give room for Luke’s wheelchair and he steered his chair into place with practiced ease.  Sarita placed their menus on the table in front of them and asked them what they wanted to drink.

“I’ll have a water and I suggest you have a Kingfisher,” Luke said to Jenna.

“A Kingfisher?”

“Indian beer. It’s really good. You should try it.”

“Okay, a Kingfisher for me then,” Jenna said to Sarita, who nodded and walked away. Jenna turned her attention to Luke. “So, Mr. Indian-foodie…what’s good?”

“Well, since this is your first time eating Indian food I suggest you have Chicken Tika. It’s a classic and it’s really good. You can either order it as a casserole, where the meat is cooked and served in the sauce, or you can get it as a Tandoori dish. If you go for the Tandoori version the meat is served with vegetables, usually onions and peppers, on a steaming hot cast iron platter. The rice and sauce is served separately.”

“What’s your favorite?”

“Tandoori, ‘cause the meat is better quality, it’s marinated and they grill it in a Tandoor oven.”

A waiter, Raj, appeared with their drinks and he took their orders. Jenna ordered the Tandoori Chicken Tika.

“How spicy would you like it?” the waiter asked.

“Uhh…Luke, help me out here,” she looked at him with a quizzical look on her face.

“Judging from the quesadillas you served me for lunch a couple of weeks ago I think you can go with madras.”

“How about we give you a madras sauce and a less spicy sauce, so you can try both?” the waiter offered.

“You can do that? That would be awesome!”

“No problem, miss. What can I get you, Luke?”

“The same, madras. And we’ll have raita and two garlic naan breads. And another round of drinks.”

“Do you want us to plate your food like usual?” Raj asked Luke.

“That would be great. Thanks, Raj.”

…

When Raj left Luke turned his attention back to Jenna.

“I hope you’re enjoying your first visit at an Indian restaurant,” he said.

“I do. I have to say I was a bit puzzled by the exterior, it doesn’t do the inside justice.”

“I know. Unfortunately the owner of the building doesn’t allow them to do much with the front. They’re pretty restrictive about signage.”

“I see. It’s a pity, ‘cause the inside is amazing.”

“I’m glad you like the interior. I hope you like the food too.”

“I’m sure I will, judging from what my nose is telling me.”

“So, since you and your sister were fans of Lucas Stevenson back in the day you probably know a lot about me. Now how ‘bout you tell me about yourself?”

“I guess that’s only fair, huh?” Jenna laughed. “It’s not very exiting though. I grew up in Evanston; it’s a suburban town north of Chicago. It’s right on the coast of Lake Michigan. My family consisted of Mom, Dad, an older brother and a younger sister, a dog and a picket fence. Pretty cliché.”

“Sounds like you come from a stable family.”

“Yeah. Mom and Dad have been married for almost 40 years and they’re still madly in love with each other. I know they’ve had their rough patches, but they’ve worked through it. According to Dad Garrity men prefer working through the rough patches over breaking in a new wife.”

Luke laughed, then he got serious. “I like that way of thinking.”

“Yeah, me too. Too many of my friends parents got divorced. I felt lucky that mine stayed together.”

“Does your family still live in Evanston?”

“My older brother, James, took over our childhood home about 10 years ago. He’s a doctor at Northwestern University Hospital, oncologist. His wife, Andrea, is a florist with her own store. They’ve been married for almost 15 years. Their oldest, Hannah, is 13 and their youngest, Matthew, is 9.”

“And your parents?”

“Moved to a condo in central Chicago. Dad’s a lawyer and he wanted to live closer to his office. He’s a senior partner at one of the big firms in Chicago. Mom’s a teacher, teaches third grade.”

“And your sister?”

“Joanna is three years younger than me. She lives in Houston, just got engaged to her girlfriend, Shannon. They run a popular gay bar together, much to Dad’s dismay. I guess you could say she’s the black sheep of the family. I’m kind of glad she relieved me from that part.”

“You were the black sheep of the family?”

“Yeah…I was a bit of a rebel in high school, artsy, did things my own way… Dad was really peeved when I chose to study art at UCLA. He wanted me to do something more ‘serious’. He wasn’t even pleased when I graduated with honors, Magma Cum Laude. Joanna coming out of the closet took the pressure off me.”

“So, being gay isn’t okay to your Dad?”

“I think it’s more that she graduated from Georgetown Law Summa Cum Laude and instead of accepting a job offer from Dad’s law firm she announced that she’s bisexual and that she was moving to Houston with her girlfriend, the love of her life, and that they were opening a bar together. I doubt he’d have any problems with her sexuality if she’d gone to work for him.”

Luke had been puzzled about why Jenna’s sister had a crush on him back in his glory days if she was lesbian, but when Jenna said she was bisexual it made sense to him.

“I see how that might cause some friction, but the most important thing is that she’s happy, right? Are you close with your sister?”

“Yeah, we’re pretty close, she’s three years younger than me. Don’t see much of each other these days, but we keep in touch via Facebook and emails. James and I are more distant. He’s seven years older than me and has always been a bit of a nerd. Very serious and always did what Dad wanted him to do.”

“A Daddy’s boy?”

“Yeah, you could put it that way. What about you? Are you close with your family?”

“Yeah, we’re pretty tight. They were upset that I didn’t stay in Ann Arbor after I finished graduate school. Mom wanted me to live with her and Dad, or at least get a house somewhere close, but I refused. I had connections in LA, from my UCLA days, and a couple of job offers. I needed to get away, to prove to myself that I was still capable of living pretty much independently. Mom was smothering me and it drove me crazy.”

“Isn’t that a mothers prerogative though?”

“I guess and I can deal with it for a few days at a time when they come here to visit.”

“They visit you often?”

“A few times a year. It’s easier for them to fly out here. I try to avoid air travel, for a quad in a power chair it’s a nightmare.”

Further conversation was interrupted because their food arrived. Luke grinned when Jenna’s eyes grew wide at the sight of her food. When Raj had placed everything on the table Luke explained the side dishes to her and they dug in hungrily.

“You like it?” he asked after a few minutes of eating in silence.

“Like it? Try love it!” she beamed.

Luke smiled and turned his attention back to his food. Success! he thought, giving himself a mental pat on the back.

….

“It’s a bit early to call it a night,” Jenna said as they headed out of the restaurant. It was only 8:30 in the evening. “How about we go see a movie or go to a bar or something?”

“Movie at my place?” Luke suggested. “Wheelchair accessible seats in movie theatres generally suck and as far as I know there are no good bars around here.”

“Sure. Sounds like a plan,” Jenna agreed as she climbed into his van.

It took Luke a few minutes to get settled in and Jenna waited patiently. When he was about to start the car she spoke.

“Umm…do you have a TV in your bedroom?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Well, this is probably silly, but it would be nice to cuddle and that’s kind of hard with you in the wheelchair and me in a recliner or on the couch. And you told me you can’t sit unaided, so I guess sitting on your couch together isn’t an option, right?”

“Right…” Luke seemed puzzled and insecure.

“Well, I was just thinking we could get propped up on pillows and watch TV in bed.”

Luke swallowed and Jenna noticed is eyes got moist. “You just keep blowing me away, you know that?”

“So that’s a yes?”

“Definitely. We can swing by your place if you want to grab something more comfortable to wear and your toothbrush.”

“You inviting me to stay the night?”

“We might fall asleep while watching that movie,” Luke shrugged as he started the car.

“Good thinking, Mr. Hillbrook.”

…

Luke called Kevin while Jenna hurried into her apartment. He was relieved when he answered after the second ring.

“Hey, man. You ok?”

“Never better. Are you at home?”

“Yeah, Susie is here. We’re just chilling, watching TV. Why?”

“Jenna is coming home with me. She wants to watch a movie in bed and I invited her to sleep over. Can you help me get into bed in about half an hour or so? I know it’s ahead of schedule.”

“Not a problem. Just let me know when you’re ready. Another successful date?”

“This woman is seriously amazing!”

“Glad to hear it, Luke. See you both soon, I can’t wait to meet her.” Kevin ended the call without saying goodbye.

A few minutes later Jenna came back to the car. She was still dressed in her date outfit, but she had put on a black leather jacket and she was carrying a small duffle bag. She got back into the van and Luke pulled out from the curb as she fastened her seatbelt.

“I called Kevin. He’s at home and he’s okay with doing my evening routine a bit earlier than normal,” he informed her.

“Awesome.”

“This is one of the times it’s great that he lives in the same house as me. Makes it easier to be impulsive.”

“I have to admit it’s still kind of weird to me that you need someone to help you in the mornings and evenings, but I’ve done some research on spinal cord injuries and I understand more now.”

“So, it doesn’t freak you out?”

“It’s going to take some getting used to, but I have a feeling you’re worth it.”

“I hope you still feel that way tomorrow morning,” Luke said warily. He worried how Jenna would react to his bed bag, the braces he wore at night and the protective pad on the bed. He knew it was a lot to take in and it was why he hadn’t brought a woman into his bedroom since the accident.

To be continued...