Her Arms, His Sanctuary

Chapter 7

A table for two was beautifully set. The table cloth was white with a red runner, napkin and place mats. Lovely colour combination and very romantic colours indeed.

Everything was placed accordingly, from the tableware to the wine glasses.

What caught her eye the most was the centre piece. It was a crystal bowl half filled with water and inside, lighted candles floated. There were red rose petals scattered around it.

The veranda lights were switched off and only the lights from inside lit the area. There were two vanilla scented pillar candles which stood on either side of the table. They were lit, giving a softening effect. A bottle of merlot wine completed the look.

This was indeed a candlelight dinner. He never ceased to amaze.

She was at a loss for words.

They went into the kitchen and the menu was equally good. It was all vegetarian dishes. She discovered that he was a vegetarian. He wanted her to experience this side of him and realize that it was not actually a bad choice of lifestyle.

There was a lot of food; the choice of soup was lentil or creamy mushroom. There was the chargrilled corn salad and spinach rolls. For the main course there was vegetable lasagne, spiced potato bake, butter beans in vegetables, cauliflower cheese and fried rice. The food was meant for her to try out different dishes. For dessert it was a simple cheese cake and chocolate cake.

As they ate, the conversation flowed smoothly.

“What made you show interest in my profile? I had no pictures uploaded” she probed him.

He smiled for a moment and said, “That was exactly that. I knew there was more to it and you. Unlike other profiles with provocative pictures of beautiful girls, some half-dressed, such profiles for me, they scream scammer! Or slay queens.” He concluded.

She beamed at his words.

“Besides, your catch phrase caught my attention, ‘a needle in a hay stack’ that was something else. I was instantly drawn to it.”

She laughed at the mention of it.

What he told her was nothing but the truth. However he had always used the site to pick girls and he knew most were in there for the money. It worked for him. He had his pickup lines. His profile picture was a flashy car. A very smart choice for the intended purpose and most gold diggers assumed was his. Not that he could not afford it. He just preferred his life simple, nothing fancy.

“And you, why did you respond to my message?” He asked her.

“You mean the ‘finders keepers’?”

They both burst into laughter.

“I guess with me, your one lined message was loaded. It was in reference to the tag line. That showed you did read my profile and you were contacting me because you liked what you read”

“Fair enough. I now say losers weepers. Let the losers keep searching, I found the needle”

With a solemn expression he said “It was amazing how instantly we connected” as he said that he leaned forward and stroked her cheek.

That caught her off guard, she smiled and lowered her eyes trying to concentrate on the food before her.

“Do you know that I would not have bothered if you wrote something like ‘you are beautiful’ or ‘I like your profile’ even worse, ‘where is your picture’. I hate cliché.” she confessed.

“In the end, the best man won and I won big”, he grinned as he winked at her.

After dinner he suggested that they continue their chat in a more comfortable position. They went to sit on the reclining chairs in the garden, taking their glasses of wine with them.

“What is a woman of your calibre doing on a dating site, don’t tell me you lack male suitors?” he inquired.

Inhaling deeply she started, “I was broken and beaten down after my divorce. It was the biggest decision of my life and I’m glad I took it.”

Looking at him, she continued “When I got back into the country, I had no job and only a degree certificate to my name. Fortunately my parents welcomed me with open arms” she paused as she allowed it all to sink in.

“Instead of being home doing nothing, I enrolled for Masters in Economics. It was an online programme. In the midst of it I got a job in the Finance Ministry and still continued with the online course.”

He was shocked to learn of her suffering. He felt his chest heave at the thought of her being helpless.

“I threw myself into my work and buried my head in books. Relationships were the last thing on my mind, I saw them as a source of distraction.”

She smiled and said to him, “let’s just say I worked my way up the corporate ladder.”

He learnt that after completing her Master’s programme she was offered a job which was way better in remuneration.

“Now to answer your question on dating, unfortunately I travelled a lot outside the country then. So, a relationship was not sustainable. Now I’m at a point where my life is stable, so why not” she concluded.

“What about your ex-husband” he asked.

With a solemn expression she responded, “That should be a topic for another day. All I can say is that I had to go through what he did to me just so that I could come out refined. In a way the trials and tribulations made me the woman I am today.”

“She could not have said it any better” he thought to himself as he nodded his head in agreement.

He could sense her pain as she narrated her life. It was more of a dejection and rejection. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and tell her it was okay. He felt a lump forming in his throat. The uncomfortable feeling getting worse when he swallowed. He got up, excused himself and went into the house.