Date night plans

Context: Jon is on a business trip to the UK, but before he left he scored a babysitter. Here’s the conversation at dinner tonight (sans Jon) about what Mom and Dad should do during date night.

Mommie: We have a babysitter! The problem is, when should she come over? Spanish restaurants don’t open for dinner until 8. And if you eat at 8, that’s considered the equivalent of eating at 4:30 in the U.S.

Nora: Maybe she could come over during the day, and then we could play games for awhile and go down to the pool while Mommie and Daddy go somewhere for lunch. Well, the pool won’t be open. Maybe Clara could go down to the pool area and play hide and seek.

Mommie: What should Mommie and Daddy do on date night?

Nathan: How about you can do a little bit of everything, like you can teach the Spaniards how to play hearts. You should go out at 9:30, in the middle of the day. (N. B.: This is pre-dawn for many Spaniards).

Seth: If the cranes are working, you could see them working. If they are night-night, you could watch a backhoe. Or a jackhammer. Or a shovel backhoe. Or dump trucks.

Mommie: Should Mommie and Daddy leave home at 9 PM?

Nora: Um, you could go out at 7 PM and then take the metro somewhere and then you could walk around for like an hour, and then you could eat dinner, and then you could walk back to the apartment and be home by 9:30 (this is pretty much what happens in Arlington).

Nora: Second suggestion (holding up finger). So you could leave the house at 6, and then take the metro somewhere and find a restaurant and take the metro home. But try to eat quickly because you’ll be spending two hours on the metro, and then your walk will take an hour. If you don’t eat quickly, you won’t be home until after 9:30.

Nathan: More milk please.

Mommie: What would be fun to do on a date night?

Nathan: Baseball, soccer, find a café and eat some cake. Hug for an hour or two. Kiss.

Nora: You’re gross.

Nathan: That’s it. That’s what you should do.

Seth: And I want to go too.