I was so excited for the evening that I strapped on my 5 inch heels. It’s been awhile since mama put on those bad boys.

   It was Parents Night Out at my daycare, where they stay open 2 hours later. You can bring other kids who aren’t students at La Petite Academy and they’ll look after them too. It’s cheaper than a babysitter and along with all the kiddie fun, they feed your munchkin.

   We were set to drop off Logan and Ethan at 6 p.m., and since Hubby and I only had a couple hours for dinner, I scouted restaurants near the school. I chose a chophouse on the grounds of a golf course based on the positive reviews of the food and description of its atmosphere. Even the prices were reasonable. (That should have been my first sign.)

   We drove past the gates and onto the lush grounds. The parking lot had the kinds of cars you’d expect at the golf course, an A8L (Audi), Mercedes and a 5 series. We parked our SUV next to a gleaming Escalade.

   Giddily holding hands, we walked inside. And then the year changed, it was 1979. We were greeted by a leathery man dressed like a cruise director on The Love Boat. I looked around at the brightly lit room with Pepto-Bismol pastel chairs that really popped against the wood paneling. Ack.

   Happy Date Night.

   We followed the cruise director, through the sea of Blue Hairs, past the man with his dentures on the table and just after the toddler who used mashed potatoes to turn the table into a Jackson Pollock piece.

   Hubby and I exchanged glances. He half-smiled as if to say, it’s not so bad. I was embarrassed because I was the one who inadvertently chose to have our romantic dinner in the retirement community.

   Once seated, the food on the menu looked spectacular and we were hungry. I ordered the pan-seared Halibut, he got the ribeye and we started to talk. We talked about exciting things happening at his work, what else needs to be done to kick off my new life as a freelance journalist and we talked about the kids. It felt so good just to talk. To be able to complete articulating an entire thought without a: “MAAAAMMMAAA!” Or a “DADDY!!!” Or my personal favorite:

“WWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!”

   I love Date Night and I love that Hubby and I are best friends. I swear we could spend Date Night in a padded room and still have fun. After all, we did have a blast in that retirement home.