Shattered Marriage (A painful luststory)

Three

The next day, after work, Alfredo entered his house which looked more like a mansion.  His car halted in front of the entrance and Alfredo then got out of the car as Robert followed behind him.

"Good evening sir. Ma'am is here." One of the maids informed Alfredo as soon as he entered inside.

Alfredo heaved a deep sigh and halted in his steps. He then looked at Robert who was already staring at him. Then both of them walked in further.

"Mom" Alfredo called out in a little whining tone to the lady sitting on the grand couch in the middle of a grand living room.

Mrs. Luisa Bustillos was Alfredo's mother. But Alfredo lived in a different house from his parents for many years now, since the time he turned eighteen. So, his mother kept visiting him in between.

"Alfredo! My son! You are back. It's so good to see you after so long." The middle aged lady chirmed in happiness.

"It's not so long mom, we just met last Sunday." Alfredo whined again but this time his mom came to him and gave him a tight hug.

"It's still long for me. Besides, I will be going for a long vacation to Hawaii in a few days. So, I wanted to spend some quality time with my son before that." Luisa Bustillos told her son.

"But I have some urgent work, mom. I will be in my private working area in the house. Please don't disturb me there. I will come out by myself, once I am done." Alfredo spoke as he broke out of his mother's embrace and made his way towards his bedroom.

"Hello Robert! How are you son?" He heard his mother chirm behind him. And he smiled to himself thinking of how his friend was stuck there with his mother now.

After that he got changed and went to his private working area to get some privacy and silence to work. It was after a couple of hours passed that he heard a knock on his door. He knew very well who this person was. But before he could even whisper a 'come in', the door already opened and Luisa walked in.

"Mom! I told you not to disturb me." Alfredo whined like a kid this time.

"It was already more than a couple of hours. You shouldn't work so much at a time. How about we all go out to eat? And then you can continue with your work after coming back." She asked her son as she clasped her hands in excitement.

"Fine. Let's go. But who all are coming?" He replied getting up from his seat.

"You, me and Rob" she replied, turning and leaving the door.

"Get ready quickly" she yelled after exiting the door.

"Mom, you are the one who always takes so much time getting ready, not me." He yelled back playfully and giggled at the end.

After that, Alfredo got ready as he joined Robert in the living room and waited for his mother to take her time to groom herself and get ready. As usual, Mrs. Bustillos took almost an hour getting ready, but she looked good and elegant when she came out. After which they all walked out together.

Alfredo sent the driver away and drove the car himself this time, as his mother sat in the passenger seat and Robert sat in the backseat, leaning forward from the slit between the front seats. This was the usual routine for these three guys. Alfredo loved his mom dearly and so he always spent time with her and Robert enjoyed their company as well. As they headed towards the Italian restaurant they had planned to dine in, the car halted at the traffic signal.

Alfredo looked around waiting for the signal to turn green, and just then his eyes caught a glimpse of someone. Her hair was swaying in the soft breeze that was flowing. She was wearing diamond hanging earrings. Though Alfredo could only see half of her face, he knew she looked beautiful. He had actually seen plenty of pretty ladies in his life, but somehow this random girl caught his eyes.

"It must just be curiosity" he told himself as the signal turned green and he drove away. But before that he tried to take a last glance at the girl who caught his eyes, but she was already gone. He smiled to himself thinking of his stupidity of being so curious about some random girl at the crosswalk.

.Alfredo along with his mom and Robert entered the Italian restaurant. This restaurant wasn't very fancy, but somehow Lucia discovered this restaurant and since then has been a regular customer here because of the taste of the food here.

As they entered the restaurant, one of the waitresses led them to an empty table where they took their seats. Lucia sat opposite Alfredo as Robert sat next to him and went through the menu to order.

It was ten minutes past eight already, but one of the waitresses was still to arrive. She then arrived some moments later.

"Sorry, I am late. There was a little more rush at the supermarket today" Delfina informed her co-worker and friend Adoncia Verde.

"It's fine, it's just ten minutes today. Also, I have looked after the guests at your tables, but you have to take it from here. Some are yet to order and some have already done ordering." Adoncia informed Delfina

"Okay, thank you so much Adona" Delfina replied

"No problem dear" Adona said as she got back to work.

Delfina too quickly changed into her work clothes and got to work.

"The order for table no. 6 is ready'' One of the chefs informed, as he kept a tray of food in the space separating the kitchen from the restaurant.

"Okay" Delfina said as she knew this was her table.

She then picked up the tray and took it to table no. 6. She placed the dishes on the table and smiled at the customer.

"Enjoy your dinner sir" she said to both the men sitting there who smiled back to her politely.

She turned around to take orders from table no. 7 and her eyes locked with the guy sitting there. She then smiled at them and made her way to their table.

"Can I take your order sir?" She asked him politely as she maintained a professional smile on her face.

But the guy in front of her spoke nothing and just kept staring at her.

'How could it be her again? What are the chances that I cross paths with this strange girl, twice in a day? And why am I so curious about her, at the crosswalk too and here too. She is beautiful, but certainly not the most beautiful girl in the town. And I don't know anything about her. Yet, am I already falling for her? Geez! This is so confusing.' Alfredo kept thinking in his mind. That is when Robert nudged him in the arm and broke his chain of thoughts, bringing him back to reality.

"Oh yeah!" He said as he looked at the menu card in front of him and then continued "Tuscan tomato bread soup for all and a sausage and triple cheese lasagna for me." He then looked at his mom and Rob to go ahead with their order.

"A mushroom sausage Ragu for me." Lucia said and smiled at Delfina.

"And an arugula pizza for me," Rob said.

After which Delfina smiled at them and left to pass on the order to the chefs. For the time when their order was being prepared, Delfina looked out for the customers at other tables too and all this while Alfredo's eyes were stuck on her, tracing all of her moments and smiling a little in between. His mother seemed to have noticed that.

"Son, do you perhaps know that lady?" Lucia asked Alfredo to bring him out of his daze. He looked up at his mother and found her pointing at Delfina.

"Ah, no, not really. I don't think I have met her before, but still it feels like I know." He replied.

It wasn't really the reply he had intended to give to his mother, but maybe he was caught off guard when Lucia suddenly asked him about that girl and the truth just came out of his mouth.

Hearing his reply, Lucia smiled a little. She wasn't really used to seeing her son interested in any women, though she desperately wished for him to find a girlfriend. So, she was very overwhelmed to see her son staring at a girl. Also, she wasn't the type of woman who would mind if the girl was a waitress or something, as long as she was good-natured and we'll mannered.

"Delfina, she looks like a good person" Lucia said

Alfredo turned to look at his mother and found her signaling at the waitress who just took there order.

"Do you know her?" He asked his mother in shock.

"How would I know her?" Lucia questioned him back

"How do you know her name then?" Alfredo continued the session of questions.

"Her batch said 'Delfina'." Lucia simply shrugged

And Alfredo realised that he was so lost in staring at her, that he didn't even think of looking at her batch for her name.

"Oh okay" he said as he averted his gaze to the table.

"Here is your Tuscan tomato bread soup, sir" He suddenly heard her sweet voice as a bowl of soup was put in front of him. His head shot up and he kept staring at her face.

She then went on to put another bowl of soup in front of Lucia and then in front of Robert.

"Enjoy your dinner ma'am, sir." She said as she turned around to leave.

She then went on to serve other people as Alfredo smiled looking at her.

"Concentrate on your food son" Lucia said

Alfredo suddenly turned to look at his mother and found her smiling while taking a sip of her soup. He blushed a little and then looked down at the bowl in front of him and started eating.

Just moments later, Delfina again arrived at their table with a tray carrying their remaining order. She placed the dishes in front of them one by one, after which she spoke.

"Do you need anything else, sir?" She asked politely, turning to look at Alfredo who was already staring at her.

"No, that's it for now." Alfredo replied boldly and politely this time.

"Okay, then enjoy your dinner, mam, sir. And call me if you need anything." she said again as she gave them a professional smile and left to attain other customers.

The three of them then went on to have their dinner while sharing a few conversations and laughs. Alfredo kept stealing glances at Delfina who had managed to completely captivate him. Even his mother could see him interested in the waitress girl, he was this obvious at this point.

On the other hand, Delfina too had already noticed him staring at her, but she just shrugged this off because she had experienced this a few times before too and moreover this job was important for her, at least till the time she gets confirmed job at the club Ivette had mentioned. So she didn't want to risk losing her job for petty matters.

After some ten or fifteen minutes and a few talks, the three customers were done having their dinner. They then got up from their seats and Alfredo went towards the counter to pay the bill. After paying for the food he joined his mother and Rob at the entrance and exited the restaurant while taking one last look at Delfina who was busy serving and smiling at other customers. He smiled to himself and made his way to his car.

The three of them then settled in their seats as Alfredo took the driver seat and started driving.

"That waitress who served us earlier, Delfina I guess, she seemed like a nice person." Lucia said, turning back to look at Rob, as if he was the one she was talking to.

Alfredo didn't look at his mother as he knew very well that she was trying to tease him. But an unknown smile crept up his face, which he tried to hold back.

"Yes, mother. Also, not to mention, she looked beautiful" Rob spoke, as both Lucia and Rob were trying not to laugh.

"Yes, she definitely looked like the type of daughter I would have loved to have. Oh how good it must feel like to have a daughter who would go out shopping with you, will sit and gossip with me and so many more things." Lucia said

Lucia really wanted a daughter back in the days, and maybe even now she felt a void for not having a daughter. It's not that she and her husband didn't try, but she couldn't concieve after having Alfredo for some reasons and so she had to give up on her wish.

"Now, the past can't be changed. But you can definitely have a daughter in law like her. You know what I mean mother." Robert said as Alfredo struggled to keep a straight face.

"Son!" Lucia now turned to look at Alfredo who kept his eyes on the road in front of him to avoid his mother's gaze.

"Alfred, can you get me a daughter in law? I feel so lonely. You and your dad are always so busy. I have no one to talk to or to go shopping with. How about you marry that girl we met at the restaurant? Delfina, I mean" Lucia said, looking at her son with hopeful eyes.

"Mom! What the hell are you talking about? I just met her today. Hell! Didn't even met her to be exact. I just saw her today. And you want me to marry her already?" Alfredo retorted finally sparing a glance at his mother.

"Don't lie Alfred. I know that you know her. I could see the look in your eyes. You looked at her with so much adoration. You guys have surely met before and maybe you already like her a lot." Lucia said as she sat back in her seat looking at the road ahead and smiled at the road.

Alfredo knew that there was no meaning in trying to convince his mother that they had indeed seen each other for the first time, because Lucia will only believe what she has to believe. Though Lucia was in her fourties, she still had a heart of child and would act real stubborn something. And her son was well aware of this fact, so he decided to just keep quiet and drive.

But then again, his mother's words kept ringing in his head. He thought of the possibility of getting married, possibility of getting married to Delfina. Though he had just seen her for the first time today and knew almost nothing about her, except for the fact that her name is Delfina and that she words at that Italian restaurant, he had almost immediately fallen for her. It was like a love at first site for him. But then again, the girl didn't seem to notice him that much or showed any interest in him. He mentally told himself to come here again tomorrow, and this time he decided that he would approach her.