What Life Stole From Me

Chapter Twenty

For the first time since I'd known Mr. Alcaraz,he was on the wheel.
I stole glances of him from the corner of my eye every now and then. Everything about him pronounced an exaggerated power.
He handled the wheel so delicately,he was so gentle.

The ride to only-God-knows-where was so uncomfortable,I didnt know what to talk about,I didnt know where he was taking me.

After a fifteen minutes drive,Mr. Alcaraz pulled up at an underground parking lot of a building I'd never seen before,my New York explore never got me there.

I moved to open the door and He stopped me. "Uh-uh."
He stepped out and walked around to my side and opened the door,he offered his hand,shocked, I took it and he led us into the beautiful building.

Who would have thought that the arrogant rich boy could be such a gentleman?

We walked into the huge lobby,and my boss was greeted in a respectful manner by almost everyone we saw.

He led me to a huge room,red room, I stood in awe of the beautiful decoration. There were tables all around the huge room but it was empty.

"Welcome,sir." A young man dressed in a chef-like uniform greeted,and I immediately detected his heavy Italian accent.

"Boruc." Mr. Alcaraz nodded.

Boruc leaded us to a table situated in the middle of the room. Mr. Alcaraz pulled a chair out and let me sit.

"Thank you sir." I said.
He said nothing as he took the other seat adjacent to me.

I looked around nervously,inspecting and admiring the adorned room. There were huge flowers in all four corners of the angles. The white fluorescent lights were cozily dimmed.

"Nervous? Don't worry,Its just you and I for tonight." He said. Observant as always.

"Don't people patronize the restaurant?" I asked.

"They do. But not when I order them not to let anyone in." He answered.
Oh Dear.

"You own this place sir?" I prompted,a little surprised.
Actually,I didn't know why I was surprised.

He nodded casually.
"Call me Estaban. We are on a date." He said,gracing me with another smile.
I felt my tummy turn in excitement and anxiety.
A date? Like,a real real date? With arrogant rich boy? My boss? Mystery God?

"Whats on your mind?" He cut me out of my pool of thoughts.

"I'm just.... Nervous." I said.

"So tell me,have you ever thought of going back home?" He asked. The sudden change of topic caught me askew. I shot my eyes at him and shook my head.

"Okay." He said. At the moment when Boruc returned with menu.

"Sir." He bowed a little. "Ma'am." And dropped the menu.

"What will you have? I have a suggestion. Boruc makes perfect 'Bruschetta' with garlic,olive oil and green peppers. Yum." Mr. Alcaraz said.

"I'll have that then." I smiled.

"Alright Boruc,Bruschetta,with my usual toppings,and red wine." He ordered. And Boruc went away.

"So,How old are you?" I blurted unexpectedly.

"How old do I look?" He said,giving me a side look. "Guess,go on."

I smiled and rolled my eyes in thought. "Thirty one?" I asked.

"Ouch." He said,playfully holding his chest indicating pain. I laughed at the sight. That was a rare sight,a different side of him I had never seen.