Quickly I showered, dried off, and pulled on the dress his assistant had selected. This wasn’t just a dress, this was a gown. A long, flowing, black gown. I have to say, his assistant had good taste. It’s not what I would have chosen, but it was classy, and elegant, and even more surprising, it fit me to a T. I had forgotten that it was Langston’s nature to know every nuance of the woman he was dating. I remember on our first date he made me fill out a questionnaire. My shoe size, dress size, mother’s maiden name, favorite color, social security number, and the like. He said it was part of a routine security clearance, but as I can tell, the information came in handy for purposes other than security. Fortunately, my measurements had remained the same.

The restaurant was located inside one of the most lavish hotels in Georgetown. As we arrived, tall white men wearing thick wool coats and thick-laced hats opened our doors.

“Good evening, Councilman Battle.”

Exiting the car in my long flowing gown, I was turning heads and making a statement. Langston pulled me gently by the arm and whispered into my ear, “Follow my lead.”

We entered the hotel. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling alone looked like it cost a million dollars. Rich burgundy wood lined the room. Thick golden curtains cascaded from the windows. This was opulent and exclusive. Very exclusive, upper-six-figure-salary exclusive.

When we arrived at the table, we were greeted by an older white man who had a striking resemblance to Colonel Sanders. Very white, and obviously very rich. Any minute I was expecting him to offer me a three-piece meal. His wife looked barely alive. Very pale, very lifeless. She brightened up briefly when we were introduced, and then drifted back into her state of lifelessness.

“As always, Langston, you are right on time.” Colonel Sanders eyed his watch and smiled. “And with two minutes to spare.” Giving Langston a pat on the back, he turned directly my way. “And, who might this beautiful young lady be? She’s much too pretty to be your date.” He laughed in obvious self-amusement. What a flatterer. Maybe he didn’t look so much like Colonel Sanders after all.

“This is Montana Moore. Montana, this is Howard Donaldson, owner and founder of Donaldson Steel, the largest contractor in the Washington Metropolitan area.”

“My pleasure.” I greeted him again with a bright smile.

“The pleasure is all mine, young lady,” he replied.

“She’s much more than a date,” Langston offered. “Montana is my very significant other who was gracious enough to fly into town to have dinner with us tonight.”

“Well, I’m impressed, Langston. And you say significant? Exactly how significant?” he asked.

I was asking myself the same question. Significant? I hadn’t seen or spoken to him in almost a year.

“Very significant.”