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“Definitely. Best dinner I’ve ever had.” And I clinked my glass with his in an unofficial toast.
“Another compliment. Now you’re just sucking up to earn points.”
“Maybe.”
I haven’t felt this light and free of any worries in months. It was like my life was reset tonight.
Sam looked relaxed too. He was tranquil and even more charming than his usual full-blown charmer. Unlikeother men, Sam left the boss side of him at the office at the end of the day. Not that it would have mattered. Sam wasn’t the bossy boss. One of the reasons why I clicked with him since the first day.
“Hey, you’re not in a hurry to leave, right?” Sam asked. “Want to put on a movie?”
Hurry to leave? What for? To the awkward silence from my roommate? No rush to go back to that at all.
“What kind of movie?” I asked. Please don’t say thrillers.
“The more explosions and gunfire, the more I prefer. Or maybe a silly comedy. I can even pretend to enjoy a rom-com if you’re into those.”
Phew. “Comedy, please. We can watch an explosive action next time.”
Excellent way to self-invite yourself for a next time, Lucy.
“Whatever makes you happy, sunshine.” Sam took my hand and escorted us around the bar and to the TV area with our cocktails in hand.
“Is that Iceland?” I pointed at the enormous backdrop behind the TV.
It was the most beautiful scene of a snowy landscape, complete with the extraordinary blend of colours of the aurora. The greens and blues of that natural phenomenon were the only touches of colour in the whole floor space.
Sam stood beside me and for a few seconds, while an unknown oldie ballad played in ambient, we just stared at the wall that somehow felt like it was radiating some kind of serene magic. Sam had a smile on his lips, like seeing it for the first time. But his smile certainly didn’t reflect in his eyes. They seemingly held… sadness.
Sam broke off the clutch on our hand that I hadn’t realized were still joined. Went to sit on the sofa, still starting at the backdrop. “I usually call my parents when I’m sitting right here. Got tired of staring at a blank wall while hearing of their latest adventures, so I got that picture to imagine myself standing right next to them. To imagine myself sharing their same happiness.”
“To make believe you’re not as lonely as you really are.”
“Yea.
I recognized his sadness brought on by the enormous void his parents left behind. I felt it too after my dad died.
Sam gestured a finger to the picture frames on the TV unit. “Those are my parents.”
Gladly accepting more of Sam’s openness, I set my glass on the coffee table and picked up the photo. It showed a younger Sam on his graduation with his parents. Gosh, he resembled the woman a lot. He inherited her beautiful cheekbones and her jet black hair. His height, he must have taken after his father. Both men had legs like a giraffe. Though that was the only mutual physical feature shared between the men. His father was much blonder and sported a chevron moustache. But the most noticeable thing of all was how the whole family had an amazingly straight posture of grandeur yet they seemed like the most humble of people.
“They sure seem proud of you.” Mr and Mrs Webb’s big grins at the camera were proof enough of that. “How long will they be staying in Iceland?”
“Well, the last time I asked that question to them, dad told me‘let your parents enjoy life, Samuel.’So I guess the answer is indefinite.” He downed his melancholy with a sip of his drink. “That other photo is my Mama.” Now the mention of his Mama sure brought a fond smile to his lips. He was almost too excited to show off his mother.
I traded the family photo with the one of a toddler Sam with his mother. Oh, my. Her splendid smile and her beautiful sparkling eyes are just like Sam’s. And look how tight Sam’s arms were latched around her neck. His love for the woman was undeniably infinite. A picture of the ultimate mama’s boy.
As I replaced the photo, I spotted another frame on the other side of the shelf. It was of Sam with two young girls, not older than twelve, one on each side puckering their lips at his cheeks with so much affection. Must be a recent photo – a few years at the most because Sam looked very much like he was in the present. And his smile, it was the widest and brightest I’d ever seen on him. Despite how much it piqued my curiosity, I wished to pick up the frame but didn’t. I didn’t want to impose on Sam’s cordiality.
“Those are Stella and Luna,” Sam answered my unspoken question. He caught me staring, didn’t he? “They’re all that’s left of my marriage.”
Marriage? I almost forgot that Sam was married. And those two girls were his daughters? Where are they now? Why doesn’t he talk about them with the same big smile and happiness from the photo?
From the frown etched on his face and his sigh that was loud enough to be heard over the music playing, I knew he wasn’t into talking about the subject. Suddenly he was distant. Sadder than when he was missing his parents just a moment ago.
He downed the remaining content of his drink in one go. Then scoffed with a hint of disdain. “Marriage. The easiest way to screw your life over. That’s why I focus solely on my work. Because I’m good at making decisions with this.” He tapped a finger at his temple. “Not with this.” He patted his palm over his chest. “Never a wise decision to lead with the heart.”
The music suddenly began to sound too loud. The playful mood that was between us before Sam dug into his past was gone.
