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“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. As proof, I guess.”
“Proof of what?”
“The first time I was able to decide for myself.”
“Was your father irritated?”
“No, I think he just mourned his little girl as she had already turned on the road to womanhood without his permission.”
I finish brushing her hair and put down the brush. “And a splendid woman she has become.” We make eye contact in the mirror. I put my hands on her bare shoulders, “We should go to dinner.”
“We don’t…”
“Yes,” I force myself to say because there’s nothing more I’d like than to stay here. “What kind of man am I if I don’t ensure you eat a proper dinner?”
“A loving one…” she smiles.
I return her smile. “Come on. Due to the volcanic soil, I hear this island is famous for white aubergines.”
“You mean eggplant?”
“Yes,” I reply, wondering what word I memorized if not the English one. Then, I check it with my internal translator. It’s another English-American difference. I mentally turn off my translator and focus on the situation. I look over Ivy’s dress again with a critical eye, “Do you think you’ll be warm enough?”
“Yes,” she replies. “I’m ready. Let’s go. You said this restaurant is difficult to find?”
“Well, it says on the website, ‘If you get lost, ask a local.’”
“But you were still able to make a reservation online?”
“Yes, ironic, isn’t it? It makes me curious about this island and the people who live on it,” I admit honestly.
* * *
I try to remember everything Caroline told me I should be doing. If we walk along a road, I make sure I walk next to the road. When there is a door, I should hold it open for Ivy and let her enter first, and when we arrive at our table, I should pull out her chair.
Thankfully, we find the restaurant after only a few wrong turns. I think we both viewed it as a game, as all the buildings and stone pathways look very similar. We walk in, and I give the maître d' my name. He finds my name on a piece of paper and crosses it off with his pen. I try to hold back my shock that he just casually crossed my name out in front of me. He’s human. It doesn’t mean the same thing it does in the Empire. But still, I feel somewhat cursed now and will be on edge for the rest of the evening, reliving that scene in my mind.
The maître d' leads us to our table and is surprised when I step in front of him to help Ivy into her chair. But I trust Caroline to know what’s right for Ivy. They come from the same area of the world, so I ignore the maître d' ‘s glare.
And for my trouble, Ivy looks up and says, “Thank you, Sem.” Then, all the crossing out of my name and everything seems worth it to have this moment with her.
I sit across from her, and we’re informed of the daily specials. I don’t care what I eat. It’s all going to be too much flavor for me. After the maître d' assures us our waiter will be with us momentarily, I say exactly what Caroline told me. “Please order whatever you’d like.”
“I’m so hungry, I think I’d like it all,” she says.
I get a flashback of the first time I found her on the Dulu ship. She looked too thin. “You should order whatever you want. I have no shame to ask for a bigger table for all of your food.”
“That’s so sweet,” she replies. And I know now she was only joking about ordering everything.
“Do you know what you’re having then?” I ask, scanning my own menu now.
Ivy tells me what she’s having, and I purposely order something different. Caroline instructed me that under no circumstance should I order the same dish.
“And should we have a bottle of wine too?” I ask. As we’ve only been getting to know each other through RVM and messages, I don’t know much of the day-to-day about Ivy, which is odd because I know all of her family, friends, and colleagues’ names.
