By the time Callie and Nelson walked out of the shopping mall, it was already evening. The sun had set, and the sky was painted with a beautiful array of purples and reds, casting a gentle golden hue over the city.
Standing against the light, Callie couldn’t clearly see Nelson’s face, but the glow had turned his hair golden. He was efficiently loading the groceries into the car’s trunk. At that moment, Callie’s heart inexplicably started racing, and a strange feeling washed over her.
She had to admit, Nelson was a very rational and mature man, a rare breed. The few that existed stood at the pinnacle of society’s ivory towers. And such a man had become her husband, although only in name.
“Get in the car. What are you daydreaming about?” Nelson reached out and lightly tapped the back of her head.
Callie hesitated, then finally didn’t ask if he had ever been in love or had someone he liked. One reason was that Nelson might not answer, and another was that if his answer differed from what she imagined, she might feel a bit disappointed.
When they returned to Paucaster Villa Complex, Nancy was indeed shocked to see how much they had bought.
Callie got to prepared the dinner swiftly, busying herself as soon as she entered the door. Nelson sat on the living room sofa, using his laptop to handle emails, occasionally glancing toward the kitchen. This was the first time he had seen a woman put on an apron and cook dinner for him.
Before long, the aroma of food wafted from the kitchen. Callie brought out the dishes and called out with a smile, “Nelson, dinner’s ready.”
Nelson thought for a moment, ‘When was the last time someone cooked for me and called me to dinner? Probably fifteen years ago? ‘ He hadn’t realized until now that fifteen years had passed since then.
Callie had prepared Mexican dishes including Beef Tacos, Chili con Carne, Spicy BBQ Wings.
The food looked very spicy. Nancy, worried, said, “Mr. Oconnor usually doesn’t eat such strongly flavored food. I’ll go make a couple of mild dishes.”
Callie, taking off her apron, immediately stopped her. “No way, he asked for this himself, and I’ve already made it. So, Nancy, you don’t need to make more.”
“It’s okay, I can eat it.” Nelson said, rolling up his shirt sleeves to his elbows.
He could handle spicy food, though he hadn’t eaten it in many years.
Callie wasn’t as good at tolerating spicy food as Nelson. After ten minutes, she was already drinking yogurt to ease the burning sensation in her mouth, while Nelson, apart from slightly red lips, showed no reaction.
“Your cooking is pretty good.”
Callie, her face contorted from the spiciness, replied, “Mr. Oconnor, most people in Ylosea don’t eat spicy food. I didn’t expect you could handle it.”
Nelson paused and then said, “I used to have a friend who loved spicy food. Actually, that person couldn’t handle too much spice but always wanted to eat it. After spending a lot of time with this friend, I got used to eating spicy food too.”
“Was your friend a man or a woman?” Callie asked casually.
“A woman.”
Callie’s hand slipped, and her fork fell onto the table, almost causing her to bump her head. She looked at Nelson carefully, unable to believe he had a female friend.
“Where is she now?”
“She’s gone.” In Nelson’s mind, the face of that woman began to overlap with Callie’s.
The atmosphere grew heavy. Callie, with an apologetic expression, said, “Sorry, I didn’t know…”
“She’s not dead, I just can’t find her.” Nelson averted his gaze, his loss palpable.
Can’t find her? Callie realized she had stumbled upon some significant gossip. But she didn’t dare to continue asking because Nelson’s expression made it clear he didn’t want to talk more about it.
In the silence, Nelson put down his fork and suddenly asked, “Why did you cancel your part-time job and lunch with that doctor today?”