Participants:
| Scene Title | Taking The Cowboy To Eat French |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | It might be appropriate that on Black Friday, Len is taken to eat French food at a real French bistro. |
| Date | November 27, 2009 |
Tartine
Not brave enough (nor that into shopping) to brave the lines in retail stores on Black Friday, Tamsine and Len are instead braving the line for a holiday weekend brunch at Tartine, a casual and cool little French bistro in Greenwich Village. Maybe it's that Tamsine is a familiar face or that Len strikes an imposing figure, or perhaps simply just because they are a small group of two and easy to cram in a corner whereas most of the others waiting in line wait in bunches of fours and fives, the pair is seated fairly quickly. They find themselves in a cozy corner inside, next to the window where they can peer out at the passersby on the street. The place is crowded and it's likely it would fail any fire inspection on any given day.
"Don't be scared if you don't like French food, it's not fancy snails and stuff," Tamsine says, as they look at the menu — indeed, it's mostly eggs and potatoes served in a variety of manner — eggs benedict, eggs florentine, croque monseur, omelettes. "So thanks for coming yesterday… I think it helped my parents, you know, since… well." It would have been the first Thanksgiving without their only grandchild.
"Well, there's Apple Pancakes. That has to be a safe bet for someone from Texas." Len smirks as he lays his napkin over his lap as he browses the menu. He's fluent in Mandarin, not so much for French. He is dressed fairly nice for a chance, even to the point of ditching the hat. "After yesterday, I am certain that I can handle just about anything," he winks at her as he teases. Even more serious after Tamsine's serious comment, he nods. "I'm glad I could be there. Seriously." All in all it was a good meal. Her parents were nice to him, even if seemed to be wary of him working for Homeland Security. "I liked them." He did. By the end of the day, they were all laughing and having good conversation. When they left, Tamsine's father shook his hand and there was a sincere warmth involved and Len was grateful for that.
"You need protein. You're a growing boy," she teases, but she smiles and reaches for his hand, squeezing it. "I'm glad. They're really good people. Their biggest flaw is being too nice at times, I think. But that works to your benefit, probably. They're willing to forgive the whole 'working for the man' thing, as long as you're polite and open the door for me." She picks up the glass of water that was left by the bus boy, sipping a bit. The waitress comes by, ready to take their order. "Coffee, and the French toast for me, thanks," she says, handing the menu to the girl who looks out of place with a pierced lip and nose in the quaint bistro.
"Well, the man has been good to me, so I've no problem working for him." At least for the time being. He orders the apple pancakes that are on the menu and asks for some coffee too before their goth waitress leaves. He turns back to Tamsine witha smile. "Well, it helps that my mama would tan my hide at nearly 40 years old if I didn't treat you well." The first time Len's mother heard about Tamsine was yesterday during a call to home to say hello to everyone for the holiday. Seems all the family was there. Everyone except Len, which wasn't all that unusual of an occurance. Of course, his mother did happen to mention that she'd seen his ex-wife around town, perhaps still hoping that a reconciliation may occur. "My mother did mention she'd like to meet you, so maybe when we have some time we can fly down."
"Sure. I'd like to meet her, too," Tamsine says, her cheeks pinking a bit at the fact that he apparently had talked to his mother about her. "Did she miss you terribly, not having you there for the holiday, or is that the norm, with your job and all?" The waitress comes by with their coffee, then heads quickly to the next table to take an order there.
Len shakes his head. "They don't often expect me around the holidays, though I do try to make it home when I can. Maybe for Christmas." He reaches across the table and gently brushes his fingers across her own. "If you're up for it, I could take you down. But I don't want to take you away from your family on the holidays." Plus, there'll be children aplenty down in Texas, since his brothers and sisters seem to breed like rabbits down there. He reaches for his coffee and takes a swallow before setting the cup back down."
"It'd be nice to see where you grew up," Tamsine says with a smile. "Christmas itself, yeah, I should probably stay here for my parents. They… I've never not spent Christmas with them, and it will be hard enough this year." It's not said too sadly, just a matter-of-fact statement. "But … I don't know. Maybe for New Years or something. It'd be nice to get out of the city for once on New Year's come to think of it."
Len's not even certain he could get away for the holidays, but it's a nice thought. His job, just doesn't allow for him to run off. Perhaps someday soon, he'll have to remedy that. He should be due for pension at some point. It's funny how priorities can change without any warning whatsoever. As brunch arrives, Len tables the rest of the conversation for the time being as he enjoys the meal. A little light on the size, but the flavor is good. "Not a bad little place you brought me to, darling," he grins as he drinks some coffee.
"You can't come to Greenwich without going to Tartine at some point," Tamsine says with a smile, clinking her coffee cup against his. "Darling — I like the sound of that," she adds, cheeks pinking as they are wont to do whenever he flatters her. "So are you off for the rest of the day, or do you have to run back to Fort Knox?"
Len pretends to be all shifty eyed as he lifts his finger in front of his lips and shhhhs her. "You can't go around telling everyone I work at Fort Knox." After he winks at her, he does answer her. "I've nothing planned for the rest of the weekend. Doesn't mean something won't come up, but for now I'm all yours for as long as you want me around."
"That long, huh?" Tamsine teases, cutting her french toast, adding a bite of bacon to the fork and bringing it to her mouth. "Well, we'll have to find something fun to do. Ever been ice skating at Rockefeller Center?" Her eyes sparkle with mirth at the thought of the giant cowboy wobbling around the ice rink.
"That long, huh?" Tamsine teases, cutting her french toast, adding a bite of bacon to the fork and bringing it to her mouth. "Well, we'll have to find something fun to do that doesn't include shopping with insane people," she says with a grin, bringing her cup of coffee up to take a long swallow.
Len laughs. He hasn't told her exactly what he does, but he has hinted now and again that what he does is dangerous. "If you do need to do some shopping, I can carry my stun gun." He pushes his plate to the side as he finishes his meal and leans back in his chair. Something he did yesterday after Thanksgiving meal as well. "Is there anything special you'd like to do?"
She shakes her head, red hair swinging around her cheeks. "Nope. Nothing special. Just spending the day with you is special enough," she says, setting down her fork as well. She reaches into her purse to pull out some bills. "My treat, don't protest," she says with a smirk. The good thing about a prix fixe menu is you know how much you owe without needing the bill. She sets out the money, plus some for tax and tip.
"My mother will tan my hide if she finds out you paid, but I won't protest." He pushes himself away from the table and stands and offers his hand to her. "If it's crowds you want to avoid today, I know a great bar a few blocks down. Let me ask you this, do you play pool?"
"Pool?" she echoes, the look on her face giving the answer away. At the age most young people might be learning to play pool in a bar, she was home with a baby. "I suppose there's always a first time for everything."