Chapitre 23: Pleasant Dinner
Andrea's face flushed slightly from the wine he drank. Ludwina became aware that this young man did not have high alcohol tolerance. She could drink up to one bottle of wine and would still be fine, but apparently, two glasses was Andrea's limit.
"Maybe you should stop drinking," said Ludwina, lowering Andrea's glass. The man shook his head while looking at her closely.
"My limit is two glasses. After this, I will not drink anymore," he said with a smile.
"Oh, good. You know your limit." Ludwina poured herself wine and clinked her glass into Andrea's glass before she sipped her wine. "I can still drink a few more glasses."
"Cheers!" said Andrea, "for ...?"
"For our first date. Real date without me needing to make up stupid excuses," Ludwina answered with a chuckle. "Thank you for asking me out. I'm embarrassed that I gave so many silly excuses just so I could meet you in the past."
"Thank you for accepting my invitation to dinner," Andrea replied. "I'm glad to see you again. You're a pleasant person to be around."
Ludwina looked at Andrea with glowing eyes. She nodded with a big smile.
"So, you almost got married 4 years ago ... How interesting. What happened?" she asked him.
"It's a long story," Andrea said. His eyes looked sad for a moment. He went silent for a while, as if trying to decide where to start.
"If it makes you sad, you don't have to tell me," said Ludwina quickly. "I'm just curious. It doesn't really matter. You are a nice guy, and I want to know everything about you ... but I don't want to see you sad."
"I fell in love with my best friend in school. We were classmates throughout high school, and then we both studied the same university, different programs. She was the most beautiful and kindest girl I have ever known. Unfortunately, we are of different faiths, and her family is wealthy. They couldn't accept me," Andrea smiled and touched Ludwina's cheek softly. "Not all parents are as open-minded and warm as your parents."
"Thanks..." Ludwina smiled when she heard him complimenting her parents. Her mom and dad were indeed awesome.
Andrea sipped his wine and continued his story with a hoarse voice. "Four years ago, we decided to elope to Singapore."
Ludwina held her breath.
"Then...?"
"A week before we left for Singapore to get married, Adeline moved to London. Her mother had cancer, and she couldn't bear to hurt her parents' feelings after what happened to her mother. They moved to England to treat her mother's illness, and I never see them again."
"You don't want to find out about her now? You're a security expert, you can easily track her down. Maybe her mother has recovered ... and who knows, maybe Adeline is still waiting for you," Ludwina asked in a slightly trembling voice. This was very surprising information for her. She never expected, in Andrea's heart, there was once a girl whom he loved. They even decided to get married!
"Adeline has found someone else a year after moving to London, and I respect her decision. I never stalked her, I'm not that kind of person. I also never stalked you, even though I can do it, didn't I?"
"Do you still love Adeline?" Ludwina asked again.
Andrea shook his head softly, "She was my best friend, but we haven't seen each other in almost 4 years, and it seems we have both moved on with our lives."
Ludwina held Andrea's hand and patted him softly, "I am sorry to hear that, surely when she left, you felt very sad."
Andrea smiled at Ludwina, "Life happens. How about you? Have you had any serious relationship in the past?"
Ludwina covered her mouth in the act of pretending to be shocked, "How do you know?! I was almost married in drive-thru chapel in Las Vegas during a party with my college friends, and we were very drunk ..."
Andrea's brows furrowed when he heard those words. He did not know whether Ludwina was joking or not.
"Uhmm ... and then?"
"I'm just pulling your leg... hahaha." Ludwina pinched Andrea's nose and laughed heartily. "I've never had a serious boyfriend. I'm too busy traveling. Besides, I'm not worried about finding a husband... I think women must do a lot of great things in life before they settle down and get married. I have 10 more years before I do make that decision. I also actually never thought about getting married, let alone having children. It's too big of a responsibility... "
Andrea nodded, "I understand."
At that time, Ludwina actually already regretted her words. Why was she so honest on their first date? Andrea clearly indicated that he was a family man who wanted to get married and have children.
He did not even hesitate to marry Adeline 4 years ago when he was only 23 years old. While Ludwina, who was still childish and spoiled, could not imagine herself stop traveling to stay somewhere for a long time and get married, let alone have children.
She was so fond of Andrea but was a bit dejected when knowing he didn't share her view on marriage and kids. Why did the man have to be so conservative and wanted to get married? Wasn't he too young to think about such stuff?
Why wasn't he like other young men his age who were still seeking thrills and wanted to travel and see the world? Ludwina imagined that traveling with Andrea must be very pleasant.
"You are a wonderful person," Ludwina said. "I hope you will find the happiness you deserve".
"Thank you, Wina."
Ludwina finished the wine in her glass, refilled it, and gulped it down. She really liked Andrea.
Why didn't she pretend to be like a normal girl who wanted to settle down and get married and have kids? At least they wouldn't need to stop seeing each other after this first date ... They would still find an excuse to meet again.
Maybe later, over time, Andrea would change his mind. If he met many divorced couples and or unhappy married couples who lived in misery, maybe he could see for himself that marriage was not as beautiful as many people thought it would be.
"Are you guys both okay?" asked Kevin, who appeared suddenly.
Andrea and Ludwina answered in unison, "Yes, we are fine."
"We are fine, thank you..."
"The food is very good."
"And everything is perfect."
Both of them looked at each other and smiled. It almost felt like they were finishing each other's sentences.
"Want me to call you a taxi?"
"I stayed at the Raffles Hotel. It's not too far from here. I can just walk and digest my food. I think I want to enjoy the fresh air before going to bed," said Ludwina.
"I'll walk you there. I also feel like getting some fresh air," Andrea added.
"You do?" Ludwina smiled broadly and rose from her seat. She embraced Kevin and said goodbye, then gave a signal for Andrea to follow her. "Bye, Kevin. I'll come back again. Andrea, let's go home."
Andrea also said goodbye to Kevin and followed Ludwina. They walked side by side out of Moccasin Restaurant and along the clean Singaporean sidewalks to the West.
"Where do you live?" Ludwina asked as she walked.
"On Beach Road," Andrea answered.
"Oh ..." Ludwina remembered that her family had a house in the area. "Do you like living in Singapore?"
"I do. There are many people from various nationalities live together here. It's very international The city is well-organized and clean. Everything is reliable. What do you think after taking a long break from traveling to this city? Are you going to come to Singapore again or is this going to be the last?"
"Hmm ... maybe I'll come again."
"I'm happy to hear that."
They said nothing more and enjoyed walking in silence. Ludwina actually wished they could walk so much slower and never arrived at the Raffles Hotel.
Finally, they arrived in front of the Raffles Hotel, and Ludwina had to say goodbye.
"Where are you going tomorrow?" Andrea asked her before leaving.
"Hmmm ... maybe I'll be looking for inspiration to write in Chijmes, or in the park somewhere ..."
"Tomorrow I can work from outside the office. Do you want me to keep you company while looking for inspiration? You can type your novel or read a book, I can do some application testing with my laptop."
Ludwina did not believe in her own hearing. She looked at Andrea with a beaming face.
"Really? I would love that!"
"All right. See you tomorrow then." Andrea grinned and walked towards his apartment on Beach Road. He turned and waved when he saw Ludwina still standing where she was, waiting for him to walk away until he was completely out of her sight.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone