The waiter clarified, “Our manager instructed me to convey this message. He mentioned that during your previous visits here with your girlfriend, she disapproved of your drinking habits, and it led to disagreements.”
Cristofer simply nodded without offering any further comments.
As the waiter walked away, Mr. Brown inquired, “Mr. Hans, does your girlfriend also tend to control you?”
“Control?” Cristofer was confused by his words.
“I mean, does she try to restrict your actions, like not allowing you to smoke or drink? My girlfriend is quite strict about these things, which can be annoying,” Mr. Brown explained.
Cristofer swirls the wine in his glass gently and softly replied, “Smoking isn’t beneficial for your health, and secondhand smoke is harmful too. It’s best for both your well-being and your girlfriend’s if you quit smoking.”
“I understand that. But do you think it’s necessary to give up drinking? Doesn’t it bother you when your girlfriend imposes such restrictions on you?” Mr. Brown inquired.
Cristofer set his glass down with a smile and explained, “She didn’t discourage me from drinking out of control. It was due to my stomach issues. Her concern was motivated by care, not control.”
****
They didn’t drink a lot of wine. When dinner was over, Mr. Brown looked at the red wine eagerly.
Cristofer smiled and said, “Mr. Brown, you can take this bottle of wine with you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hans,” Mr. Brown happily replied.
As they left the restaurant, Mr. Brown asked, “Mr. Hans, are you waiting for your secretary to pick you up?”
“No, I’ll just take a taxi home,” Cristofer replied.
Mr. Brown offered, “I’d be happy to give you a ride,” pointing to his golden Porsche parked at the restaurant’s gate. “Or would you prefer to ride in your previous car?”
Cristofer declined, saying, “No, thanks. And please keep our conversation today between us.”
Patting his chest, Mr. Brown assured, “Don’t worry. I won’t share our conversation with anyone. Mr. Hans, I’m heading off now.”
“Alright, take care,” Cristofer responded with a nod.
“Goodbye,” Mr. Brown bid farewell, then got into his golden Porsche and drove away.
Cristofer took out his phone, dialed a number, and quickly connected to the call.
“Hello, Uncle Nelson, it’s Cristofer,” he greeted.
“Cristofer? You’re actually calling me first today. That’s unusual,” Nelson remarked from the other end of the line.
Hearing this, Cristofer smiled and said, “Uncle Nelson, you must have caught many fish today. Every time we talked on the phone, you would either ask me to focus on work or tell me to stay away from women. But this time, you didn’t do that and are even in the mood to joke with me.”
Nelson laughed and said, “Yes, I’ve caught a lot of fish today, and one of them is a rare pilot fish. Do you want to come here and have a taste?”
“Okay, I’ll be right there,” Cristofer said.
Nelson was a little surprised. “Are you really coming here?”
“Yes. What’s wrong, Uncle Nelson? You don’t want me to go to your place?”
“How is that possible? You know I’ve always treated you as my own son. Nothing is happier than seeing you. What do you want to eat for dinner, steamed fish or sashimi?”
“Hold on, Uncle Nelson,” Cristofer hailed a taxi and told the driver the address of Nelson’s villa. Then he said on the phone, “I’d like to eat sashimi. Deep-sea fish made into sashimi will be more delicious.”
“Okay, I’ll ask the cook to prepare sashimi for you. When you get here, it will be just the right time to eat it,” Nelson said.
“Okay.”
After ending the call, Cristofer gazed out of the window. The road, lined with kapok trees on both sides, hadn’t changed a bit over the years.
Many years ago, when Cristofer and Estelle were still students, he had carefully chosen to confess his feelings to her at the Atlantis Seafood Restaurant, a popular and expensive seafood restaurant in Hadale.
As he rode his bike to bring Estelle here, she tugged at his sleeve with a concerned expression. “Dining here is going to be expensive. Let’s find another restaurant.”
With a warm smile, Cristofer replied, “Don’t worry. It’s my treat. You can order whatever you like here.”
But Estelle continued to decline, saying, “I’m happy that you treat me to dinner, but we can’t afford the prices in such an expensive restaurant. I know you have the money, but it’s all from your parents. I don’t want you to use their money to treat me. Let’s go to the snack street instead. The food there is both delicious and affordable. I especially love the spicy roasted squids from the stall near the intersection!”
Since Estelle had said so, Cristofer had to give up the thought of having dinner at the restaurant and then took her to the snack street.
When Cristofer was in high school, his parents gave him a lot of pocket money. At that time, Estelle was in middle school. Although her father spoiled her, he hoped that she could develop good habits of diligence and frugality, so he never gave her too much pocket money.
Cristofer still remembered that Estelle had told him that she was good at saving money and that she would manage all their properties well after they got married in the future.
Later, he did a part-time job for three months to treat Estelle to dinner with his own money. Three months later, he took Estelle to Atlantis Seafood Restaurant again. And this time, Estelle didn’t refuse him.
Cristofer confessed his love to Estelle at the restaurant as he had carefully planned. Many guests in the establishment gathered around, watching them with smiles. Witnessing the crowd, Estelle blushed shyly and buried her face in his arms.
Reminiscing about those days, Cristofer couldn’t help but smile. “Those were wonderful times! We didn’t have much money back then, but our lives were filled with sweetness.”
“Sir, you seem really happy. Did you remember something pleasant?” the taxi driver asked, smiling.
Cristofer nodded and shared, “Yes, I was reminiscing about how I confessed my love to my first love at Atlantis Seafood Restaurant many years ago. Even after all these years, I still remember that day vividly.”
The driver responded, “What a beautiful memory.”
Cristofer agreed, “Indeed, it’s a wonderful memory.”
Curious, the driver asked, “So, did you and your first love get married?”
“Yes.”
“Your love story is so romantic, just like those in TV dramas!”
Hearing this, Cristofer smiled and said nothing.
‘Unfortunately, the story became a painful tragedy later,’ he thought.
“By the way, many flowers have bloomed recently. You can take your wife to watch the flowers,” the driver said.
“It’s just January and still a little cold now. What kind of flowers would bloom in this season?” Cristofer asked in confusion.