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"I'm sorry," he apologized.
"You shouldn't be apologizing," I chuckled softly. "We just need to know how popular hospitals work and we handle the rest. You may be having your doubts about it because it's a new experience, or maybe it's a familiar experience that led to failure. But I assure you that you don't have to think too much about how strange it is. Just start doing what you think is best. Who cares how it'll turn out? Dad was against me leaving but look at me making a difference with you and learning a lot. I don't know if that helped."
"I don't know either," he chuckled, "but I get the idea."
The waitress returned with our meals and offered, "Enjoy."
"Well this looks good," he said as he stared at his sandwich and fries.
"Of course it does, it even tastes better," I said and took a bite. "Now forget your worries and eat."
He picked up the sandwich. He ate and gave a nod of approval, muttering, "This is good."
"Told you that you'd like it," I smirked and continued eating.
Ethan
To be honest, it wasn't that great. I had eaten in several restaurants and knew chefs who could make a sandwich fit for a king or an emperor. But this was a new experience. The new meal was good, simply because Stacy said it'd be. It reminded me of something my elder brother shared with me concerning his late wife.
"Do you know that food can taste better if it's made by someone you love?" he asked as he cut his steak and ate the piece.
"Is there something wrong with the steak?' I asked as I looked at the meal and ate. "Tastes great as usual."
"There's nothing wrong with the steak. But it doesn't have that spice that makes it taste good enough," he explained. "Whenshewas alive. Anything she made tasted better than what these chefs could offer. And if she was the one who ordered the meal, it seemed to just taste better than it should. Food tastes better with her."
It's probably because I haven't eaten in a diner before; that's why I think it's good.
I was stubborn with my new feelings. Why would I have actually been in love with Stacy? She wasn't an international celebrity. It was a cliché the way we met, convenient enough for a cheesy romance.
What if she became like the other girl who made me feel this way? Or, I was definitely overthinking it. She mentioned her hospital was failing right? Maybe she wants the affair so she can ask me to help support her hospital.
Yeah, that must be it. There's no woman who won’t want a favor from someone as powerful as I am.
Stacy
After we finished our meal, I stopped him from buying anything. I guess rich people just naturally feel they need to pull their wallets out for everything. He wasn't used to just looking at items and not paying for them. He felt that buying me anything I indicated an interest in was repaying me for trying to cheer him up.
"You don't have to do anything like that," I sighed. I refused him to buy a bag. "I just want to spend some time with you. And that's enough."
"Oh come on, no need to be modest," he said. "Just take it as a sign of goodwill."
"Ethan, I don't need it," I repeated myself as I placed my hand on his cheek. "I'm in charge of tonight's date. The only one spending is me. Okay?"
"Okay," he gave up and put the bag down. "I don't get you."
"I've heard that before," I said with a smile. "Now let's check out the home appliances."
We remained outside the hospital for a whole two hours, doing nothing but walking around eating snacks, talking about work, or sharing hobbies. I found out he enjoyed traveling a lot and hanging out with his niece. But she was upset with him for dropping her cake for her birthday the previous year.
Kids hold long grudges. He also talked about his brothers.
"Ben is so great. He might be tough, but he has an insanely large, soft, and kind heart. He was Dad's favorite. Not that it affected Ian and me in any way because dad gave us equal attention," he said. "But I look up to him. His success spurred me on. Then there's Ian. Smart, cold, detached most of the time, and extremely successful. Hardly ever makes a mistake. Then there's me…" His shoulders dropped. "Well the only good thing about me is how good I am with my hands. My brothers usually have their hands full trying to help me solve my problems or clean up the messes I've made."
"That's what families are meant to do," I pointed out.
"But I want to be a little more, you know…less clumsy," he sighed. "I'm a grown man. I can't keep making these mistakes. It doesn't even make sense how I'm yet to change."
"That's why I'm here for you," I said as I held his face in my hands.
