'The wine. Do you like it?'
'Delightful.'
'Where were you just then?'
'Coolangatta? The name of that winery sounds familiar. If I'm from the North Coast I'm a long way from home.'
'Yes but this winery is actually on the South Coast only 2 hours away. It's half way between Nowra and a little seaside town of Kiama, which is about 30 minutes south of-'
'Wollongong.'
'You know the area.'
'I…er…think so. Do you think that's where I'm from?'
'Well I don't think a native from the border 1,000 km north would know of those towns. Let's not force it…mmm? It seems when you're not trying is when you actually recall things.'
Beckoning a hovering waiter Ethan placed his order and entreated Felicity to order whatever she liked-lobster, oysters. Felicity wrinkled her nose at the thought of oysters her opinion mirrored by Chloe's 'Yuk!'
Ethan settled on oysters for his entrée much to the disgust of the two ladies present who agreed garlic prawns would teach him. After mains of chicken snitzel kid's size, Surf 'n' Turf and grilled Barramundi only one diner felt there was room for desert. The other two settled for coffee and mints.
In a lull in conversation Felicity looked around her and felt not for the first time that she was being watched and that at any moment someone would materialize and say "Hey don't I know you? You're…." She'd felt this sense of unease during lunch with Darlene and when out in the car. But now just as then as soon as she felt it, it was gone. Like fairy floss on the tongue. There was no one looking at her, no one seeming to recognize her. Is paranoia a side effect of amnesia? She wondered. Deciding to not worry about it until her next checkup Felicity sipped appreciatively on her coffee and focused back on her dining companions.
After failing to scrape the ice-cream bowl clean enough to her satisfaction Chloe lifted the bowl to her face intending to lick it bare.
"Chloe!" chorused Ethan and Felicity.
With bowl half was suspended to her mouth the little girl shifted her gaze between the two adults who were not sympathetic to her plight. She slowly returned her bowl to the table with a disappointed sigh and a longing look at the "gallons" of ice-cream left on its surface.
Ethan and Felicity caught each others eyes and could only laugh.
Chloe had had enough. Felicity's heart swelled as she saw how gently Ethan carried the sleeping child into the house, dressed her in her nightie and tucked her into bed, pleasant dreams undisturbed. The scene she was playing a supporting role in brought a lump to her throat. Father and child were creeping ever so stealthily into her heart to steal it away.