Up in flames

"So Helen! Tell me all the gossip!  How did it go?"  Shelley's bright blue eyes lit up as she leaned across the table and pestered Helen for the details of the date the night before. Both women always did a post date analysis with each other and this was no different.

Helen flicked her long dark hair back over one shoulder and narrowed catlike green eyes for a moment.  She played with the straw in her drink and frowned.  

"Well he was really prompt and picked me up at 7pm for pre-dinner drinks.  He was gorgeous, glowing and intense.  So fiery and passionate.  I thought Wow, he's something else!  So we got in the car and drove for drinks..."  She paused.

Shelley leaned back in her chair.  "But,.. there's a but I can hear it."  She paused melodramatically for a moment and then leaned forward again.  "Oh com'on spit it out!"

Helen sighed.  "Well it got embarrassing!  We had just been seated in the Nightshade Bar two minutes, it was so busy and then boom, he burst in to flames, then ashes and then I had to sit with an egg for an hour until he hatched and grew.   I was mortified and he promised he wouldn't do it again but then an hour later at dinner?  Wham, the same thing.  I left him there as a egg.  Couldn't do the melodrama!"

Both women looked at each other knowingly.   Shelley sighed heavily.  

"Well, that's a Phoenix for you..."