For nearly an hour, Darwin wandered around the mall looking for something. He went from the trinket shops to the high-end branded stores. He was really trying hard to find something that would be just right for him to buy and give as a gift.
Now, what Darwin was doing wasn’t without reason or cause. It all started from a playful curiosity and a serious case of being ‘nosy squared’, which ended up making him curious all by himself.
Two days ago, Darwin was having a meeting with a client at a Japanese restaurant. He intentionally bought sushi for Veronica to have as her lunch.
Somehow, after handing over the food to Veronica directly in her room, he found himself tempted to eavesdrop on the conversation between his wife and Deasy, who happened to be visiting the Infinix Group building.
Since the executive offices were on a dedicated floor at the far end, it was certain that no employees would be passing through there. This gave Darwin the freedom to do whatever he pleased.
That’s why, instead of immediately leaving after giving her the food, Darwin ended up eavesdropping. From behind the door, he could clearly hear how Deasy bombarded Veronica with many questions.
From the snippets of conversation he overheard, Darwin learned that Veronica still had feelings for Sean, her ex-boyfriend. He also found out that Veronica’s birthday was coming up soon. He even heard Deasy inviting Veronica to a dinner with both her and Sean.
“You’re going to have dinner with your ex, with your friend’s help? Seriously? I won’t let you be sneaky about it.”
Knowing Veronica’s upcoming birthday, Darwin couldn’t deny that a sudden urge or desire to give his wife a birthday gift had popped into his mind. He argued that the gift could become a memory he gave when he was still Veronica’s husband. Because next year, he might not be able to give her a gift. Especially if they were no longer together.
Because of this, in the past few days, Darwin couldn’t stop thinking about what kind of gift to give. Besides not really knowing Veronica’s personality, he also had no connections or anyone he could ask for information about what Veronica liked or disliked.
Asking Deasy? Sean? Seemed impossible. Where would his dignity be if he did that? Moreover, Darwin felt too proud to ask these two important people in his wife’s life.
As a result, today Darwin decided to go to a big mall during lunchtime. He roamed around, trying to figure out what might be good and fitting to give to his wife.
However, it felt futile. He still couldn’t find something that resonated with him. Until the last option came to mind. Whether he liked it or not, Darwin had to call on his two cousins for help.
“So, what did you call us here for?” Kennedy asked as she and Randy approached Darwin at a restaurant.
Earlier, after a meeting, Darwin suddenly called them. From his voice, he seemed like a person in distress. He even asked them urgently to join him.
Worried that something bad had happened to Darwin, Kennedy hurried over. Upon arriving at the mall, she and Randy were directed to a restaurant and found Darwin looking rather lost.
“Watch out, it better be important. I’m behind on my work deadline because Kennedy insisted on dragging me here,” complained Randy, adding to Kennedy’s previous statement.
Darwin let out a long sigh from his seat. Looking up, he gazed alternately at his cousins. He was actually hesitant to tell them what he was experiencing.
“Win? You okay, right?” Kennedy asked again. Seeing Darwin still not answering, she became even more concerned.
“I’m actually fine, Ken,” Darwin finally answered. “I’m just confused right now.”
Kennedy’s eyebrows furrowed. She was getting more curious about what was happening to her cousin.
“Why confused? If you’re going to tell us, just get to the point. Don’t beat around the bush, Win.”
“Yeah, spill it. Like some melodramatic teenager fresh out of a breakup. Overreacting,” Randy teased, regardless of the situation.
Darwin took another deep breath. Searching for the right words, he gathered his courage to tell his two cousins. Darwin was sure that once Kennedy and Randy knew what was going on, he’d definitely become the subject of their jokes.
“I’m actually struggling to find a gift for Veronica. Her birthday is tomorrow.”
Laughter immediately erupted from Randy’s lips. Darwin’s suspicion was spot on. His two cousins were definitely laughing at what he was sharing.
“So, you’ve got that crumpled face, all folded up like you’re trying to solve a puzzle, just because you’re struggling to figure out what gift to buy for Veronica?” Randy asked to make sure, and Darwin nodded in response. “Oh my goodness, Darwin. It’s that bad, huh? Don’t tell me you’re starting to like Veronica. I mean, seriously, it’s just about a birthday gift.”
Darwin looked up, exhaled audibly, and muttered. He wasn’t about to let Randy accuse him like that.
“Come on, it’s not like that! There’s no connection to liking her. Let me explain. Earlier, I accidentally overheard Veronica talking to her friend Deasy. They’re planning to celebrate her birthday with a dinner.”
“So, what’s wrong about dinner?” Randy inquired. “What’s the big deal if she wants to have a birthday dinner with her friend?”
“Listen to the whole story first before interrupting,” Darwin protested with a hint of annoyance. Randy had a habit of cutting people off before they finished speaking.
“Alright, sorry. Go ahead.”
“Okay, so Deasy suggested to Veronica that she should celebrate her birthday with a dinner. I don’t mind if they both want to have dinner, have ‘me time,’ go to a salon, or go shopping together. The problem is that Deasy is inviting Sean, Veronica’s ex-boyfriend. She’s kind of orchestrating this meeting so Veronica can celebrate her birthday with her ex.”
Randy nodded and then burst into laughter. After hearing Darwin’s explanation, she understood his concern.
“Are you jealous that Veronica is having dinner with Sean?”
“Come on, like I’d be jealous!”
“Then what?”
“Veronica herself made an agreement not to have any contact with her ex. Why is it okay for her to meet up with Vivian, but she’s having dinner with a guy who’s clearly her ex-boyfriend? I also just found out that Veronica still has feelings for this Sean guy.”
“There’s a clear difference between your situation and Veronica’s, Win,” Randy said. “Veronica is having dinner with her friend, which doesn’t necessarily mean being alone together doing who-knows-what. It’s very different from your situation where meeting up with Vivian tends to get intimate.”
Kennedy laughed. She found Randy’s lengthy explanation spot-on.
“I don’t get you two. You’re my cousins, but there’s absolutely no sympathy or support from you in this matter,” Darwin complained with an annoyed expression.
“We’ve said it multiple times, Win. Randy and I are just supporting what’s right,” Kennedy replied diplomatically. “If Veronica turns out to be wrong later on, we won’t condone her actions.”
Randy nodded in agreement. Annoyed, Darwin rambled on.
“Besides, what’s so hard about admitting jealousy? Your actions and expressions clearly show that you’re jealous, Win. Don’t let your pride get the best of you. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with being jealous of your own wife.”
Darwin sighed irritably. He really didn’t want to drag this issue on. Especially because Randy’s arguments were usually quite sharp.
“Alright, enough about jealousy and the like. Let’s get back to the original topic. I called you both here to help give advice on what gift would be suitable for me to give to Veronica.”
Randy restrained her laughter. She had been ready to tease, but since Kennedy signaled her to hold back, she had to switch to a serious tone.
“Do you have any idea about Veronica’s preferences at all?”
Darwin shook his head immediately.
“No clue, Ran. Do you think I’ve been concerned about what she likes or enjoys?”
“And you’re thinking about giving her a gift without having a basic understanding of her likes? Trying to look impressive?”
“Not like that at all. You know perfectly well that Veronica and I have only been married for six months. That means next year, I might not be able to give her a gift. So, as long as we’re still married and she’s my wife, just consider this gift as a keepsake.”
“Well, if you want to give her gifts next year, make sure you maintain your marriage. Such a strange cousin you are!” Randy retorted as usual.
“Alright, let’s not get sidetracked,” Darwin sighed again. “Please, I really need your advice.”
Randy nodded. The man rotated his eyes for a moment. He was thinking about what kind of gift would be suitable to give to Veronica.
“Just give her a bouquet of flowers, Win. It’s romantic. Women usually like flowers. Randy knows a lot of recommendations for florist shops. Just ask her to buy it for you.”
Kennedy chimed in with a suggestion. It actually made sense. But for some reason, Darwin felt like it wasn’t quite right.
“Yass, flowers are too ordinary. Nothing special. They’ll just be thrown away after they wilt. Besides, I don’t want to ask Randy to do the ordering. She might end up buying a funeral bouquet instead. That’s dangerous.”
Kennedy laughed. Meanwhile, Randy was ready to offer a counterargument.
“I’m not that mean, Win. But instead of giving a gift, why don’t you invite her to stay at a hotel?”
“Invite Veronica to stay at a hotel? For what, Ran?”
“Don’t ask like that again. Well, just for some fun. And hey, it might be better to give a gift of making love. She’s never experienced that, right?”
Darwin widened his eyes. It was never a good idea to seek advice from Randy. He always came up with strange answers. “Just think about it. Giving money or luxury items seems pretty common. Plus, Veronica is wealthier than you, Win. She doesn’t need your money. Better go with what I said earlier. Inviting her to make love, she’ll never forget it her whole life. Who knows, she might even get addicted.”
“I agree.” Kennedy chimed in, adding fuel to the fire.
Darwin sighed deeply. It felt like a waste to have these two cousins over. After they finished the lunch they had ordered, he hadn’t received a single idea or gift recommendation to give to his wife.
***
The birthday had arrived. Luckily, Darwin had already obtained a gift he could give to Veronica. However, until this moment, he hadn’t figured out how to prevent Veronica from going out to dinner with Deasy and Sean later that night.
Darwin couldn’t forbid her without a reason. Nor could he suddenly say he didn’t want Veronica to go out, especially not with Sean. She might become jealous. Or worse, she might suspect that he had eavesdropped on Veronica’s conversation the other day.
That’s why he had been pondering since morning, trying to find a reasonable way or excuse to keep Veronica from going out. But it felt like his mind was stuck.
“You look really neat,” Darwin commented as he crossed paths with Veronica, who had just come out of the room. From her appearance alone, his wife looked tidy and elegant. Darwin couldn’t deny it; Veronica looked stunning tonight.
“Yeah, I’m going out for a bit,” she replied, then went back into the room.
Darwin just nodded. He decided to go down to the first floor and sat in the TV room. For a moment, he kept thinking, wondering if he should give the gift he had prepared to Veronica now.
“If I give her the gift now, how should I explain it? Veronica will definitely ask how I knew it was her birthday. She hasn’t mentioned anything about her birthday these past few days.”
Muttering to himself, Darwin massaged his temples. Lost in thought, he didn’t realize Veronica had come down from the second floor and was now standing in front of him.
“Win, I’m going out for a while.”
Darwin snapped out of his reverie. Looking up, he gazed at Veronica’s beautiful face, dressed in a mocha-colored midi dress paired with matching heels.
“Where are you going?” Darwin pretended not to know.
“I’m going out to have dinner with Deasy,” she replied before heading back into the room.
Darwin nodded. He waited to see if Veronica would honestly mention that she was also going out to dinner with Sean.
“Just with Deasy?”
Veronica nodded confidently.
“Yeah, just with Deasy. We’re going out for dinner.”
“Are you sure? Not with anyone else?”
Veronica arched an eyebrow. A moment later, she nodded repeatedly.
“Yes, just with Deasy. Why? Do you want to come along?”
Darwin shook his head, then added, “No, just asking. Who knows, you might be going with others too. In that case, be careful on the road. Don’t come back too late.”
Veronica nodded in response and then left. Leaving Darwin still sitting on the TV room sofa, feeling somewhat disappointed. He hadn’t expected that Veronica wasn’t being honest about her dinner plans with Sean.
Taking a deep breath, Darwin retrieved his phone from his pants pocket. He looked for someone’s contact and dialed their number.
“Where are you? Can we meet up in an hour? I want to take you somewhere fun.”
After the call ended, Darwin headed to the bedroom, changed his clothes, and then left for who knows where.