Sharing a Meal Together

They walked together towards the far end of the city. Away from the scenic spots and famous museums and from the noisy tourists. As they were walking, he told him his name was Takumi. He was from Japan and was visiting Paris for the first time. (Of course, these are all the information that the show told him to say)

While she shared that she’s from the Philippines and came to France to study. She enrolled for a 2-month cake and pastry lessons. She also said that she owned a small cake and pastry shop.

Since she was staying in France for 2 months, she rented a tiny apartment rather than stay in a hotel.

They reached her apartment building. It was a five-storey building. It’s quite old. The paint was already peeling, but somehow it added to its appeal. Its tiny balconies had flower planters, with colorful flowers spilling over them.

Her unit was on the 4th floor but since the building was old, it did not have an elevator. Together, they climbed the flights of stairs in silence. Her apartment was tiny. It did not have a living room. It only had a tiny bed, a small dining area, and a quaint kitchen. He saw a tiny door close to the kitchen, which he assumed was the bathroom.

“Sorry it’s quite cramped, but please make yourself comfortable.” She headed her way to the kitchen and made a quick egg salad sandwich and juice for him.

Ryo wondered where would he sit. There was no couch, and she did not tell him as well. He hesitated to sit on her bed. She might find it rude. So he walked to the small dining table and pulled out a chair to sit on. Once he resolved where to sit, she emerged from the kitchen holding a plate of sandwich in one hand and a glass of juice in another.

“Eat this first. I’ll prepare our meal.” She disappeared into the kitchen again. Forgetting his manners, he wolfed the sandwich and drank the juice. It was simple, and yet he felt like it was more delicious than a Michelin-starred restaurant meal.

“Better?” she asked as she walked towards him, wiping her hands on a white towel.

“Yes, thank you very much.” He answered her with sincerity. The gratitude he felt for the meal she provided does not need any acting. He only had a light breakfast before the start of the show, and it was almost dinnertime. She smiled, then walked away and busied herself again.

After a while, she came back with two sets of paper bags. “I don’t know which size would fit you. I bought these for my brothers, but you can change to anything in there that fits you.” Again, she smiled at him, then added, “Don’t worry, they are new. You can use the washroom first.”

He did as he was told. He washed his body, but skipped his face. Afraid that he might damage the prosthetics and reveal his identity. The two paper bags contained the same items of clothes, but of different sizes. It had shirts, pants, and even underwear. He felt comfortable after changing into a clean set of clothes.

The delicious smell of curry hugged his nose as soon as he stepped out of the washroom. She surveyed him. “So you are the same size as Claude, my youngest brother.”

“Are you still full from the sandwich or do you want to join me for a meal?” Without a word, he sat on one of the two chairs at the small dining table. As if on cue, she walked towards the kitchen to get some food.

“I made tonkatsu and curry. It’s far from authentic, but I feel you might want something that will remind you of home.” The food looked very appetizing. The pork cutlet looked very crispy and the brown curry contrasted with the white rice. Indeed, it warmed not only his stomach but somehow gave the familiar feeling of home warming his heart. They both ate in silence. From time to time she would look at him, but said nothing.

“Thank you very much for the meal.”

“No problem. You must be exhausted. You can sleep in the bed. I already changed the sheets for you. Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to your embassy.” As usual, she plastered a sweet smile on her face, revealing two tiny dimples in each corner of her mouth.

He looked at the tiny bed close to the dining area they were in. Then he looked at her. As if reading his mind, she said, “Don’t worry, I have an inflatable mattress somewhere. I’ll use that.”

He did not stand on ceremony and walked towards the bed. He underestimated the task they assigned him to do. He’s beyond exhausted.

He lied on the soft bed. Her pillows and blanket were soft and smelled of flowers. He closed his eyes to sleep, but he could not fall asleep immediately. Although she did not make any noise and quietly treaded on the floor, he could feel her movement across the room.

With squinted eyes, he watched her tiptoe around the house. She washed the plates, then got into the bathroom with all her clothes on hand.

After a while, she emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head. Her scent filled the room. She took her laptop, plugged in her headset, and watched her favorite movie on the dining table.

Ryo felt that his mouth was dry, so he got up to get a glass of water in the kitchen. As he found his way to the kitchen, she saw her watching a movie. She seemed into it. She focused on the screen. She would sometimes break out into a smile. What is she watching? His curiosity got him. With the glass of water in hand, he approached her and peeked at her laptop.

Soon as he did that, a surge of anger enveloped him. He looked at her incredulously. But she’s glued to the screen and did not give him any attention.