>I left a voice mail on Husband’s work phone. “Honey, how would you feel about going out to eat tonight? I have a coupon for Chicago pizza.” he called me back later, asked for directions, and met us (me and La Petite) there. He was waiting in the bar when we arrived.
It seems my phone call left at least one person, his co-worker, confused.
“She wants to go out to eat? Are you in the doghouse? Is she mad?”
“No, she sounded happy, in good spirits.”
“Are the kids driving her crazy? Is something wrong with the kids?”
“No, one is at camp, one is home from college and working a lot.”
“So…why going out? All of a sudden like this?”
It seems the coworker caught on to all the potential for innuendo, all the underlying reasons for a husband-wife dinner out, except one: I just didn’t want to cook. I had a lazy, tired, low energy day. Slept late, spent most of the day lazing on the couch with my laptop on and CNN in the background, and finally got out of the house to run errands just before 4:00. That left me with virtually no time to cook anything decent even if I did have the energy or inspiration to play in the kitchen! So I took my $5 coupon for Uno Chicago Grill and decided we were headed out to let someone else cook.
It was perfect. Appetizer, good meal (rosemary chicken: I highly recommend it), and husband had a beer or two that we don’t have in the fridge. He swiped the Trivial Pursuit box off the bar and we entertained ourselves and each other while we waited for the food. La Petite, now a young adult, joined us in dinner and the Pursuit of Trivial Knowledge.
After eating a meal I didn’t have to cook myself we split up. La Petite went in to work for a while, and Husband and I searched the nearby Goodwill store for a deal. Then we went home, satisfied and relaxed, and watched the Brewers game while a brownies baked themselves in the oven (Okay, I stirred the mix first) and Husband snored on the couch. I woke him with my cheering when Ryan Braun hit a two-run homer in the ninth. Oops!
No one was mad. No one was in trouble.
All was well with the world. We even brought home leftovers.