Chapter 287

She forced a smile on her lips and welcomed him inside. He asked, "Is it a good time? Are you ok? I don't want to intrude. I made some Chinese, so thought of sharing some with you." She welcomed him in and said; "I could really use some company right now. I don't want to be alone. Please so come in and thank you very much for Chinese. I love Chinese food." She took the food from him and walked towards the kitchen asking him to have a seat on the couch. There was hardly any furniture. It was a single bedroom apartment with just one small room and a tiny kitchen and a decent size living room. She had a couch and a couple of chairs and a small coffee table. The eat-in kitchen had a couple of bar stools. A nineteen-inch TV stood opposite to the chairs in the living room. Those were the furniture’s in the room. He took a seat on the couch and turned towards the kitchen to look at her. She didn't show up for a couple of minutes and when she did she had freshened up and looked much better. She took a seat next to him and said, "Thanks for the food. I was in no mood to cook or eat today. But I guess I have to eat now." and smiled. He looked at her and said, "Well I am not such a bad cook. You don't force yourself to eat it but I think you will enjoy it if you have an appetite. I hope you re not allergic to shrimps." She broke into tears and he didn't know what to do and wasn't sure if it was something he said. He moved closer and hugged her hoping to make her feel better and secretly enjoyed the closeness with her in his arms. She felt comfort in his arms and apologized again and said, "I am sorry you have to see me like this. It is just that today is my wedding anniversary and it has been seven months since we have been separated. When you said shrimp it remained me of the time he proposed to me and I almost choked on the piece of shrimp I was eating and it was exactly the same food you have prepared, "Chinese shrimp noodles".

He sat there as she walked away not knowing what to say to comfort her. When she came back she had a bottle of wine in her hand and a couple of glasses. She asked him, "Would you care for a drink?" He nodded and she poured some in a glass and handed it over to him. "You know something, enough is enough? I am not going to spend this day thinking about my past. Past is in my past and it is time for me to look forward for my future and I am sorry for all this. If I haven't scared you so far, would you like to join me for dinner, we can eat the dish you prepared together." She raised the glass and said, “To the future". He joined her and by the time they were ready to have dinner, they had finished a couple of bottles of wine and were cuddled on the couch watching some stand-up comedy and laughing out loud. He knew she was vulnerable and being used to quiet a few rounds of alcohol he was still in his senses and tried to stay away from her, as he didn't trust himself and knew he would feel guilty if he took advantage of her even though every neuron in his brain cell told him to kiss her. He excused himself and went to the restroom and applied some cold water on his face and tried not to picture her naked especially when he saw her bikini hanging in there. He took a deep breath and walked out not knowing what he was going to do when he looks at her; she was at the dining table tasting his food. He stood there frozen and he could feel something was happening inside him. She sipped some wine and walked towards him and said, "I hope you are as delicious as the shrimp" and grabbed him and kissed him. He realized that the tiny neurons have taken over his senses and there was not much he could do anymore and gave in completely, discovering the wilderness of his adulthood with someone more experienced than him guiding him and walking him through the clouds with fireworks sparkling showing the way to heaven and little that he knew nor he cared that he was being used.