by Omonike Odi

“I am having the fried rice with the Scallop Gorden Blue”. She finally told him after looking at the menu for more than five minutes. “Great,” he quipped with enthusiasm. “That’s what you should have”. She laughed enjoying his amusement at her indecision. She lifted each foot out of her flat-soled heels and hung them on the sill of the window that framed the table. She leaned her head back into the seat and smiled again.

“What’s that silent smile about?” he asked.

This time she giggled.

“I know which of your smiles you have on”. She imagined a thinking cap perched on his head.

“This is that one that starts from the apple of your lips and spreads to the cherry of your cheeks.”

She started to laugh softly at first, then a little harder when she realised how much she was enjoying this small talk that was now a huge part of her everyday life.

The waiter returned with the food bearing a quizzical look on his face.

“You shouldn’t make me laugh this hard you know. People are looking at me funny.”

“Don’t worry, they just wish they were me,” he said. “Do you like your food?”

She lifted a laden spoon to her mouth and crushed the soft rice noiselessly before answering the question.

“It’s good!”

“I knew you would like it.”

Saying little else, she made progress, advancing from one side of the plate till she conquered with fork and knife, the sumptuous meal.

“This was really, really good”, she said into his ear.

“We would definitely do this again,” he returned. “Yes,” she said as she took the ear piece out from under her hair and set her phone on the table before ending the call.