Agnes watched his back and then followed him. The rich aroma of roasted sweet potatoes wafted through the air, making her hungry. “Would you like a roasted sweet potato?” The old man, slightly hunched over, asked with a warm smile. “They’re five dollars each, sweet and sticky. You can try one; if you don’t like it, it’s free.” As he spoke, the old man took a long roasted sweet potato from the stove, broke it in half, and handed it to him.
Tom Fritz felt a bit embarrassed but didn’t refuse. With a polite smile, he said, “No need to try. Please pack five for me.”
“You can take this one first; it’s on the house,” the old man said gratefully. “I always give the first customer of the day a free sweet potato. I’ll pack the other five for you.”
At this moment, Agnes arrived behind Tom. “Here you go, young lady. Have a taste,” the old man said kindly as he handed her a piece of the fragrant sweet potato.
“Thank you, Grandpa,” she said with a sweet smile, accepting it with both hands.
Tom Fritz, holding a cat in one arm, took the other half from the old man. “Thank you, Grandpa.”
“You’re welcome, young man,” the old man replied with a face full of wrinkles and smiles. “I’ll pack five more for you in a bag. All my roasted sweet potatoes are sweet; no need to pick and choose.”
As he said this, the old man looked at them approvingly and couldn’t help but add, “Are you two having an early morning date by the lake? You make such a good match; cherish each other!”
“Grandpa, we’re not a couple,” Agnes said awkwardly, glancing at the man beside her. She explained further, “We’re just friends.”
The old man stroked his beard and shook his head with a smile. “You look well-suited together; cherish it.”
He then handed the bag of sweet potatoes to Tom. “Here are five; that’ll be twenty-five dollars.”
“Thank you,” Tom said as he reached out to take the bag and prepared to pay with his phone. He paused for a moment, realizing he hadn’t brought his phone.
Noticing this detail while eating her sweet potato, Agnes quickly took out her phone and paid. “Thank you, Grandpa.”
The old man looked at them cheerfully. “In any relationship, learning to cherish each other is key. It’s easy to fall in love but hard to stay together. Young people, I have high hopes for you.”
Tom and Agnes didn’t know what else to say. They had already explained they weren’t a couple twice now as the old man pushed his tricycle away.
It was indeed a bit awkward being mistaken for a couple twice when they weren’t one.
“Sorry,” Tom said honestly. “I didn’t bring my phone since I went out for a run this morning.”
“It’s okay; breakfast is on me,” Agnes smiled. “Do you eat roasted sweet potatoes often?” She pointed to a nearby bench. “Shall we sit over there?”
“Sure,” he replied in his deep magnetic voice. “It’s not that I rarely eat them; I’ve never had one before.”
“Really?” Agnes found it surprising. “Then it’s perfect for you to try.”
They sat down on the bench, and Agnes asked him again, “Can Bubu eat sweet potatoes?”
“It should be fine; let’s see if she likes it,” Tom said as he sat down and placed Bubu on his lap while peeling the sweet potato.
Agnes’s gaze fell on his hands; his fingers were beautiful-long, fair, and well-defined.
“Meow~”
The little cat actually ate the sweet potato too.
“The sweet potato is quite tasty,” Agnes said as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “It can provide some emotional comfort. I eat this more often in winter and usually have it for breakfast.”
Tom turned to look at her and saw that she was gazing at the shimmering lake while eating her roasted sweet potato, gradually losing herself in thought.
At that moment, he felt an illusion brought by her presence. “Agnes, do you use email often?”