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“Dinner, Bert?”
Ernie gave his partner a look of suspicion as Bert pitched his idea for date night.
“What’s wrong with dinner for our date night?” Bert asked, tilting his head.
“Well, we eat dinner together every night, Bert,” Ernie said with a snicker.
Bert rolled his eyes, smirking at his boyfriend. The sun had started to set behind them as they walked, coating the sky in orange and purple. “Yes, but this is a special dinner. I actually booked reservations for us to go a year ago. Elmo’s birthday party was announced at the same time, though. I had to cancel.”
Ernie raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Really? What place?”
Bert shook his head. “I’m not telling you. It’s a surprise.”
A groan left Ernie’s mouth, but he complied. Only minutes later did Bert stop in front of ‘The Tiger’s Fine Dining’. A sophisticated appearing tiger sat with a napkin tucked in his suit. Ernie was stunned looking at the place, already bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement. “We’re eating in a tiger-themed restaurant?”
Bert nodded and held the door open for Ernie. “Reservations for Bert,” he told the waiter at the front.
The waiter guided them to their seats, placed menus in front of them, and listed off their special for today: Delicata squash soup served with Garlic mashed potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts. He asked if they wanted anything to drink, both of them saying water for the meantime. They reached for each other’s hand instinctively to hold.
“Honestly, the special for today sounds nice,” Bert said after the waiter left to grab their waters. He still glanced over the menu to confirm with himself it was, in fact, what he wanted. “I might get that.”
Ernie made a face of pure disgust. “A squash soup? No thanks.”
Bert looked over his menu at Ernie at the opposite side of the table. He raised his unibrow, curious. “Alright, well what are you going to get?”
“Umm…” Ernie hesitated. He glanced through the menu, but his eyes kept going back to one specific spot. “Well, gee, Bert. I don’t know what to get.”
Bert looked through the menu. He came across the ribeye steak, usually Ernie’s go to dish when at a restaurant. One of the reasons why he chose this location (besides the theme) was due to its great reviews on the steak specifically. “You know, they have ribeye steak, right?”
“Oh, uh… yeah.” Ernie hesitated for a moment. Then, almost as if he was asking for permission, asked “Do you think I should get it?”.
Bert looked back at the menu, realizing pricing was the issue his partner was concerned about. Fair enough. They’ve never paid $50 for steak before. “Ernie, I’ve been holding money in an extra savings account for dates. You can definitely get the steak.”
“You sure?”
“I chose this place knowing that’d be what you would order,” Bert admitted, nudging Ernie’s foot under the table. He gave him a soft smile to show his sincerity.
Ernie’s face lit up, leaning his own leg against Bert’s. Before either one could respond, the waiter came back with water and asked if they were ready to order. The couple gave their orders, both also ordering red wine, which the waiter brought back and poured faster than either one was expecting.
“Gee, Bert,” Ernie started, looking up at the decor. A small, elegant chandelier hung above them. Custom tiger wall mounts lined the walls, each clearly having been designed and hand-crafted by the same company. Though, none of the wall mounts had the same tiger pose as another. “This place is awesome.”
Bert nodded, looking at the fancy tiger figurine on their table. “I’m impressed with how elegant this place is with the theme being tigers.”
“Aren’t tigers elegant?” Ernie asked as if it would justify why it works. “I mean, they are giant cats, so they always land on their feet. That’s pretty elegant.”
“I mean, they probably are,” Bert shrugged. “I just think if a fine dining restaurant would have an animal theme, it would pick a more elegant animal.”
Ernie tilted his head. “Like what?”
Bert thought for a minute. “How about a swan?”
Ernie thought for a minute before nodding in agreement. “I guess. I think tigers are pretty classy though. Plus, they look really cool. The vibes would be way different if the theme was swans.”
Bert agreed, already imagining it in his head. There would be a sense of grace and elegance, but would lack the playfulness and confidence the tigers give off. The two continued their admiration for the decor and theme as they waited for their food, continuing their admiration when the food came. They both took a bite of their entree, melting into the flavors.
“This is the BEST steak I’ve ever had!” Ernie started. He cut off a few more pieces and ate them with excitement. “How’s your soup?”
“Amazing, Ern!”
Both of them took in the atmosphere even more as they ate their meals and sipped their wine. Someone in the back of the room played soft, romantic style melodies on the piano. Bert found that the soft lighting from above shone perfectly onto Ernie. He was unaware that Ernie was thinking the same thing when he looked at Bert.
As they paid for their meal and started to leave, a thought occurred to Ernie. “Wait, how mad do you think people on Sesame Street would be if they knew we had alcohol?”
“They would be very mad,” Bert answered, both of them already knowing the answer. Sesame Street had strict rules residents and employees needed to follow to maintain ‘kid-friendly’, one of which being no alcohol consumption from anyone who lives on Sesame Street. “That’s why I got us a hotel for the night. It’s just a few streets over.”
Ernie gasped. “Do they have room service?”
“I double-checked to make sure they did.”
“Bert! You really thought of everything!” The shorter man grabbed Bert’s hand and locked fingers with him. He leaned in and whispered to his partner. “You’re amazing.”
“Anything for you, Ern,” Bert said automatically as they walked to the hotel.