Our date night together was fairly uneventful.

A quick Google search for “Boston Cuban restaurant” presented only one result- El Oriental De Cuba.  I’ve been craving Cuban food for weeks.  More like years.  Okay, perhaps since I moved out of Miami.  Anyway, I had Googled the restaurant before, but never ventured to go with Babisodes.  The reviews online mention “a few tables” in a “small restaurant setting.”  And only having street parking in a congested part of town.  These things never mix well with toddlers.   So we finally ceased the opportunity to go for our date night.

At 8pm, with a GPS itinerary set, we backed out of the driveway, completely child-free.

The drive alone was a bit surreal. It was nighttime.  When I would normally be winding down the day indoors, I was actually not home. The familiar streets and storefronts emerged differently.  As if my everyday world became blanketed in black velvet.  Cars and buses driving alongside lit up the road. I had forgotten this world.  Forgotten that it still existed, a world at night, beyond the hours of bedtime.  Crowds of people opening menus and ordering drinks as my daughter fell deep into slumber.  I used to be part of this world.  I used to be one of them.  How did I forget?

All of the restaurant reviews were true. Parking was a bitch. Maybe 8 or 9 tables already seating patrons, not 1 kid in the joint.  But the aroma of black beans and rice oozing from the tiny corner establishment, kept us going in our never-ending quest for street parking.

After the gluttony of shredded beef and ham croquettes, we decided that sitting through a 2-hour long movie would not be a wise decision.  Instead, we tucked ourselves into the dark velvet sidewalks of Harvard Square. Street musicians filled creased alleyways and corners with an assortment of horns, strings, and vocals.  Each audience lost in a tune.   A cool breeze rustled the leaves above in the tall maples.  I grabbed Dadisodes’ arm and pulled him close.  We walked, and walked.  Just holding hands.

Like I said. It was uneventful. Merely a simple night out. Nothing fancy.  But for us, one child-free night just walking (and not having to share even 1 sweet, precious fried plantain) was priceless.