Room with a View

“We’ve a table booked at the Ocean Room. Dinner at 7, is that ok? Not too early?” (Are you kidding? Dinner at the Ocean Room? I could make it work ANY time…)
“I’ll meet you there, parking’s arranged, they’ve got your licence plate registered at the gate”
“Really? That’s really thoughtful of you, thanks!” (I’m a bit grateful it’s parking… in the carpark that’s always full, down at the Rocks. Lucky me!)
Of course an occasion like this demands best bib and tucker so I had prepared my hair earlier in the morning and gone the full blow dry with style rather than manic wave the hairdryer in the general direction of the head. You’ve got to make an impression on these occasions, don’t you think???
I went home after work and got decked out 100% sharper than the usual ‘jeans and shirt’ garb, and made my way into town.
Bit of a marathon. Traffic.
Snarl.
However, got there in time, was handed a bubbly beverage at the door and mingled a little with the bods at the bar.
Gorgeous venue. Ocean Room is down on the Sydney Waterfront. Directly across the water from this big old white building that looks a lot like the Sydney Opera House… (oh, wait a minute… ).
The chair pulled out for me, the napkin laid gently in my lap, the ambience cool genteel. The company congenial *smile*.
Dinner, chicken breast slivers on a bed of rocket doused in a beautiful vinagrette served with mustard fruits (I still haven’t worked those out).
The main a t-bone on a bed of garlic mash and spinach beautifully cooked steak. Diviiiiine dahling, divine!
Dessert a cornucopia of mint, chocolate, icecream and brownie arranged in what can only be described as an artwwork. I so wish it could have been politic to take photos. The food looked too good to eat.
He stands, raises his glass, and speaks. I’m transfixed, my heart a little fluttery…
“Ladies and Gentlemen, we’ve gathered together today to honour the extraordinary… (the edges of my vision go blurry and his voice fades into the background as some signal a thought is trying to get a foothold in the forefront of my mind…)
Sh*t, there it is…
I get up from the table in a hurry and say…
“Oh crap, I’m supposed to be taking photos of this”

Cameraship has its privileges; it was a thank-you dinner for some of the extraordinarily generous people in our church… there’s no way I’d have been on the list otherwise…