7

“Gift for you.” George stood again at the entrance to her house that night. Shows the mysterious paper bag in his hand.

Valerie smiled broadly, they had met so often in the past few weeks. It could even be said that George drove her home almost every other day or visited her house and brought her dinner to eat together.

“What other dishes did you bring this time?”

George winked. “Come on into the kitchen.”

The man entered Valerie's residence casually as if he were in his own house. They went straight to the kitchen and Valerie prepared the dishes. George took out the boxes of food from the paper bags and poured them carefully onto the plate.

Valerie's eyes widened at the food George had poured onto the plate. A fish; a fat, fleshy fish covered in a mouthwatering reddish sauce.

“What fish is this?”

“We call it yellow tail fish, with a special sauce from the maker.”

“Wow!” Valerie brought herself closer and immediately smelled a tantalizing aroma there, a spicy aroma mixed with very seductive herbs and spices. “The fish are huge.”

“This type of fish is thick and soft. When fried, the outside will be crunchy and the inside will melt in your mouth.”

George took a fork, cut the meat of the fish. He stabbed it with a fork, rubbed the meat of the fish into the abundant marinade, then shoved the fork at Valerie. “Here, have a taste.”

For a moment Valerie froze. She had never been fed before as she remembered and George's current behavior did convey an intimate feeling of its own. Valerie opened her mouth shyly and George put the fish in her mouth.

When she felt the pleasure of this dish that seemed to explode in her mouth, Valerie immediately forgot her embarrassment and awkwardness. She chewed, speechless and looked up at George in a smile.

“Woah, how delicious!” she finally muttered. “Gosh, this is delicious!”

George chuckled. “I'll take you to the seller's place directly later. You have rice, right? Let's eat with that.”

Valerie fetched George some rice and then they ate intimately at the dining table in her kitchen. This was a new kind of intimacy, an intimacy that she dared to do with other people just this time. George seemed to be a cure for all trauma and vague fear. Valerie, along with George, felt like a normal person who was free from fear and terror that seemed to always target her deep in the darkness.

“Thanks, George.” Valerie rested on her chin and smiled, staring at George who was sipping his water.

George put down his glass and smiled, raising his eyebrows. “What for?”

Valerie's cheeks flushed sheepishly. “For being so kind to me.”

George chuckled. “I love doing it.” Then the man's gaze turned serious. “Valerie, I—”

Suddenly the man's phone rang, breaking the silence. George's expression suddenly turned hard. He looked at the phone then looked at Valerie apologetically.

“Sorry, I have to pick up.”

The man got up from where he was sitting and then hurriedly walked away, leaving Valerie staring in confusion.

Why did not George pick up the phone in front of her? Is that a secret phone? Valerie took a deep breath. Maybe it was an important business matter.

As he left, she took the dirty dishes to the sink and washed them. After she finished washing she waited, but George did not come back. Valerie stepped carefully toward her slightly open door and saw George having a serious conversation on the phone pacing. His expression looked grim.

“I can handle everything, everything is under my control.” George's voice was different, cold and stern. The interlocutor seemed to shout there, making George's forehead furrow even more. “No! I will not stay away. This is the best way to get closer to her. So when the danger came I was the closest.” George seemed silent. “What's the file about? Did we miss it? Why did not we know this important thing beforehand?”

Valerie frowned, standing behind the door and confused. What did George say? Is there anything to do with her? But Valerie couldn't find any common thread.

Suddenly George walked toward the door, still conversing with the other person. Valerie jumped up and immediately scuttled towards the kitchen, afraid that he would find out that she had overheard his conversation.

When George stepped into the kitchen again, Valerie pretended to wipe the tile around the sink. She turned to George and smiled nervously.

“Are you done calling? Is there any problem?”

George took a deep breath. “It's just a family matter. There is my brother who is sick.”

“Oh my, how then?” Valerie observed his usual expression, it seemed that the man did not notice that she had overheard his conversation.

“I have to be out of town for a while, Val, and take time off work.”

“Oh.” Valerie looked at George with concern, his brother must be seriously ill. “How long?”

“I do not know, Val, until... until all is well.” The man's gaze intensely stared at Valerie who was standing in front of him. “I will really miss you when away from you.”

Valerie's cheeks flushed at George's words, she could only nod her head. “Me too.”

George smiled, then unexpectedly the man grabbed Valerie over and kissed her cheek gently.

***

Jose did it on purpose. Showed off his several appearances prominently outside the city to lure George away from Valerie. George apparently took the bait and chased him there. They are all stupid. Jose sneered. That is why they never caught him.

The man stared deep into the window and pondered, is it time for him to approach Valerie?