CHAPTER 2
We suddenly felt hands on our shoulders, guiding us to our individual seats. Pulling the chair carefully away from the table, we fumbled around, trying to find our
bearings. I felt confused and lost, my sense of touch, smell and taste heightened at the loss of my vision, and I suddenly noticed Morgan’s Jasmine perfume, and the smell of raspberry emanating from Megan’s lip-gloss.
“Wow,” I whispered, feeling overwhelmed with the sounds and smells around me. “This is insane.”
The girls giggled softly, and I felt their hands reaching for me. “I’m on your right and Morgan’s on your left,” Megan replied, holding my hand tightly.
“Got it,” I replied, still trying to find my sense of direction. I heard voices whispering around me; the air filled with a sense of peaceful ambience. My imagination soared as I envisioned the patron’s around us, using their whispers to determine the layout of the room.
The familiar sound of our waiter caught my attention.
“Good evening,” he replied in a voice barely above a whisper. “Is this your first time visiting In The Dark?”
We nodded, before breaking out in laughter as we remembered that he couldn’t see our response.
“Yes, it’s our first time,” Megan replied, her voice filled with excitement. “Very good,” our waiter replied. “For your first time, may I recommend you start with one of our world famous cocktails?” “Yes,” Morgan replied quietly. “That would be perfect.”
“Very good,” he replied, his voice trailing as he left our table.
The girls started talking about their modeling jobs and how they were given the opportunity to model in Italy for a famous clothing designer. They chatted about the many different pros and cons to being in the fashion industry and how the designers were always comparing the two girls, despite the fact that they are twins.
“They can find differences between us that we can’t see,” Morgan said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Do you see a lot of difference between us?” she asked, leaning closer to me. I felt her hot breath splashing my neck, as she came closer than she intended.
“Oh, sorry,” she giggled, touching my arm.
Apart from my sight, all other senses were incredibly sharp, and I reveled in the heat I felt at Morgan’s touch.
“You are both very different girls, despite being twins.” I replied. “Perhaps the designers see the differences in your personalities, and that highlights your visual differences as well.”
Megan hummed in agreement. “Hmm, maybe so,” she replied. “We’ve changed a lot as we’ve gotten older. When we were kids, no one could tell us apart. We used to get away quite a bit back then.”
Morgan giggled. “We got away with everything,” she agreed. I couldn’t help but wonder what “everything” entailed, though I was consumed by my wild imagination. I knew that the girl were popular with the boys, that was a given, but I wondered just how far they had taken their unique opportunity to switch roles.
As if reading my mind, Megan revealed how one time she had gone on a date only to discover that her and her date had nothing in common. Sensing that her sister would find him more interesting, she called her from the ladies washroom and asked her to come by. Morgan checked him out as she entered the restaurant and finding him attractive, she simply switched with her sister.
They laughed at how the guy hadn’t even noticed the different clothing they wore, and instead, only mentioned how Morga seemed “a little different” at the end of the night, from when he first met her.
“That was so funny,” Morgan gushed, as Megan giggled furiously. “Although he ended up being way too interested in football than in girls.”
I chuckled, thinking about what a fool he was. Megan and Morgan were incredibly sexy, and any guy would be lucky to have them.
“And another time,” Megan began, her voice growing quiet, “we really shocked a guy.” “How so?” I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.
“Well,” Morgan interjected, taking over the conversation. “Megan wanted to experiment, so she brought a guy back to our apartment, and we switched spots throughout the night. It started out with just kissing and making out, but later…”
The waiter returned to our table, cutting Megan off mid sentence. I groaned quietly, annoyed at his timing.
“Your cocktails,” he announced, placing the drinks before us. I reached out carefully, fumbling to find the stem of the glass. “Thank you,” Morgan replied, her voice suddenly breathless.
“Enjoy,” the waiter replied, before leaving our table.
I couldn’t wait for Morgan to return to the conversation, but instead, she only sipped her drink. I heard their quiet gulps, as they tasted the martini’s sweetness.
“I taste caramel liqueur,” Megan whispered, clinking her glass on the table.
“Mmm, I taste pineapple, and maybe vermouth?” Morgan replied. “It’s rather good,” I agreed, wishing I could guide her back to her story. I was anxious to find out what happened beyond the making out.
We finished our drinks quickly, and they were replaced with fresh ones. This time, they tasted stronger alcohol, black vodka, mixed with grenadine and soda. Everything tasted delicious, and I savored every drop as it swirled in my mouth.
“Isn’t it funny how our sense of taste is enhanced without our sense of sight?” Morgan asked, her voice filled with delight. “It’s amazing,” Megan replied. “Not to mention my sense of smell. It’s as if all of my senses just woke up.”
I was truly enjoying my time with the girls, and when dinner arrived, I absorbed myself in the taste and smell of the platter before me. The meal consisted mainly of finger foods although the waiter also brought us double bowls of soup that were rich with herbs and spices. Everything tasted amazing, and when we finished, we sat comfortably in our chairs, reveling in the unique experience of having eaten in the dark.
“The food was absolutely incredible,” Megan remarked, pushing her plate to the middle of the table.
“Yeah, that’s for sure. Everything was so good,” I replied.
I heard the sound of Megan’s hands sliding over the table when suddenly; I felt her hand squeezing my leg.
My body grew very tense as I sat there, my stepdaughter’s hand steadily squeezing and releasing my leg. Perhaps in the light, it wouldn’t have seemed so sexual, but in the darkness, her grip felt intense, as she kneaded the skin on my leg between her fingers.
Finally, she slid her hand away and I exhaled, my breath gushing out all at once.
“This has been so much fun,” Megan whispered. “I’m so glad we came here.”
“Thank you for inviting me,” I replied, my voice struggling to remain steady. My heart pounded in my chest as I recovered from what had just happened. Sure, Megan probably didn’t mean for it to feel so seductive, but in the pitch black of the room, every touch, smell and taste was delightfully intensified.
I felt the girls lift up from the table, as the waiter returned to usher us back to the lit entrance.
“Hold onto me,” Morgan instructed, our human chain guiding the way. I held onto her waist, my big hands tucked against her side, and I felt her hips sway back and forth as she led me out of the dark room.
The fresh, raw light blinded us as we entered the main lobby of the restaurant, and we struggled not to squint, our hands forming a block against the light.
Blinking furiously, our eyes struggled to adjust to the light, and we laughed at one another, as we finally began to recover our sense of sight.
“Wow!” Megan giggled, rubbing her fingers over her eyes as if to sooth them from the piercing light.
“That was insane,” Morgan replied, laughing heartedly.
We stood in a circle, watching one another recover, before making our way up to the front of the entrance to collect the check.
“I’ve got it,” I replied, handing the bill to the front cashier. I handed over my credit card before either of the girls could object. “Okay,” Megan gave in, seeing that I wasn’t backing down. “But seeing as you paid for dinner, we’ll cover dessert.” Her eyes lit up with a twinkle, as she glanced over at her sister.
Megan nodded, looking straight at me, her lips forming into a small smile.
“Let’s have a nightcap at our place,” she said.
I expected that the night would have ended at the restaurant and that I would then make the drive back home alone, so the idea of spending even more time with the girls was an offer that I couldn’t refuse. Besides, I wasn’t looking forward to goin home to a quiet, empty house.
I quickly nodded my head in acceptance, and walked out of the restaurant with the twins on each side of me.
“Get your car and follow us,” Morgan replied, as we separated. I walked behind the restaurant and got into my car, driving around the corner up to the main road. Morgan and Megan sat i their car, idling at the corner. I drove up behind them, and followed them as they raced down the street, towards the highway.
It only took about 15 minutes before I made the familiar turn that led to their condo. We parked our cars in the parking lot and headed towards the entrance.
“Have a good evening,” the doorman greeted us, glancing at me with a peculiar look on his face. I hadn’t been to the girls’ condo more than once or twice before, and so the sight of an older man accompanying the young girls up to their apartment must have provoked his curiosity. I grinned back at him, allowing his imagination to run wild.
Up in the apartment, the girls quickly served up drinks.
“We have vodka, rum and whiskey,” Morgan offered, opening the oak doors to the liquor cabinet. “What do you feel like?”
“Whiskey’s fine,” I replied, settling in on the sofa. Megan helped whip up drinks, before both girls settled onto the sofa next time. “So, did you have a good time?” Megan asked, sipping her drink. I watched as she carefully brought the glass up to her lips, her mouth opening to accept the liquid that burned down her throat. Her face flushed with heat, as the drink warmed her body.
“I had a very good time,” I replied. “I really appreciate you girls inviting me out for dinner. It’s been quite some time since I had so much fun.” Morgan’s eyelids fluttered, as she finished her drink.
“Good,” she replied, her face filled with warmth. “We had a great time with you, too, and well, it’s been way too long since we spent any time with you.”
I nodded, unsure as to what to say. I knew the girls led very busy lives, and I didn’t expect to see them often, but I was thrilled whenever I did.
“We’ve all just been really busy,” I replied, lifting the glass up to my mouth. The whiskey was hot in my mouth, and I felt the sudden effects of the alcohol as it filled my belly.
“There’s never a good enough reason not to make time for family,” Megan whispered, pouring another round of drinks. “It’s not as if we have a very big family.”
“Yeah, I know,” I replied, suddenly reminded of my loss. I hadn’t gone a single night, until now, without the memory of my wife consuming my every thought. If I were honest with myself, I would have to admit, it felt good to have allowed myself the freedom to enjoy myself, without dwelling on all that I had lost.
As if sensing the change in my mood, the girls snuggled against me; their drinks perched in their hands, and wide smiles on their faces. Morgan leaned over, her blue eyes piercing into my soul.
“It’s okay to move on,” she whispered. “Mom would want you to be happy.”
I lowered my head, my eyes shifting to the floor beneath my feet. I felt guilty for having had such a good time, but Morga was right. My wife wouldn’t want me clinging onto the life we had if it meant that I would suffer this much. She would want me to be happy and to go on with my life.
I nodded, my eyes suddenly welling with tears. Before I knew it, my body became to tremble and my shoulders shook as let it all out, relief washing over my body that I was finally giving myself permission to live my life.
Megan moved swiftly to my side, and tightly wrapped her arms around my neck.