Postcards From Africa

*8*

The following Monday evening, it was like Tae and Choi hadn't even spent a birthday together. She called him to meet at her rental house and when he showed up, she was in the open plan kitchen, cooking something whose delicious aroma filled the whole house, making Choi's mouth water.

As he passed by the mirror in the small hallway, he quickly fixed his hair, which was still faded on the sides but the middle was dominated by some raven black curly mass that he had decided to grow out. Even his beard was in stubble, looking like a shadow against his sharp jaw.

He took off his coat and hung it on the hooks that were mounted on the wall then went to find Tae, with a head wrap around her head and an apron over the bunny onesie she wore.

It was a cold day out and she definitely looked like she set foot out of the house today.

"I'll be with you in a minute," she quickly said, stirring something steaming vigorously on the stove.

Choi walked over to her and stood beside her, watching with fascination as she used a fork to mash potatoes that had spices and herbs in them. Choi couldn't hold back anymore so he brought his hand forward.

Tae stopped what she was doing and looked at him. "Use your words, Mr. Hyun."

"Can I please taste?" he said.

She grabbed a spoon from the sink, rinsed it and then got a spoonful of mash before giving the spoon over to Choi who blew on it before using his teeth to bite a small part of the mash to avoid burning his mouth or tongue. After a moment of "hashfashhash" because the mash was still hot, he managed to swallow.

Then he suddenly put the whole spoon in his mouth, closing his eyes and savoring the flavors that shot off in his mouth.

Tae smiled to herself, knowing that the mash was as good as she wanted it to be, even if he didn't say it. She turned to the oven, where some thinly sliced pork and T-bone steak were grilling, mixing with a mixture of her own spices and sauces. She turned the oven off and immediately started plating.

Choi helped her with the salads she brought from the fridge. When they were done, he stared at the two full plates on the kitchen counter top.

There was mash, grilled pork and steak, a chicken salad with lots of reds and greens and some vegetables doused in a thousand island dressing. For Choi, this was an unusual meal but because he had tasted the potatoes, he couldn't wait to taste the rest of the food.

"We eat before we work, yes?" he quickly said. Waiting was not an option.

Tae nodded and went to the fridge. "Wine or juice or beer?"

"Whatever you are having. I trust you."

Tae whipped her head around to stare at him. "That's the first compliment you have ever given me."

"Well, from one alcoholic to another," Choi said, taking both plates to the four seat dining table close to the lounge area. He went back to the kitchen to grab some glasses from the counter for the drinks. He sat down.

Tae brought his drink over, placing the beer bottle beside him.

Choi suddenly froze, his heart racing as Tae's arm stretched before him. The scent on the fluffy bunny onesie she wore caught him off guard and not in a way he wanted to be caught.

"You smell nice," he said offhandedly, waiting for Tae to step away from him.

She sat down beside him. "Fabric softener," she said, chewing the crispy vegetable salad loudly.

Choi stared at her in annoyance and a small smile lurked somewhere on her lips. He realised that she was doing it on purpose and his annoyance dissipated. He turned to his own food and the moment they touched his tongue, he almost saw the stars!

"I know you won't say it," Tae interrupted his food bliss. "So I'll say it for you. Tae is a very good cook."

He laughed, opening his eyes. "Tae is a very good cook." He swallowed. "Look, I need to apologise about being the way I was towards you in the last couple of days. I was horrible to you and I am sorry."

"Who finally taught you how to put your big boy pants on?" Tae teased.

Choi didn't even feel offended. He realised that no matter what he said or did, Tae had an "I don't care" attitude but she could be quiet if she was mad. He liked her better when she spoke her mind when she was mad, rather than when she kept quiet. Her quiet self was unnerving because when she looked at you, it was like she had already pictured a thousand ways to kill you.

"You are very scary when you are mad," Choi said.

A giggle left Tae's lips. He stared, dumfounded. He had never, in the short while that he had known her, heard her giggle. It was child-like and almost adorable.

"You flatter me," she sarcastically said.

As usual, Choi missed it. "That was not a compliment."

"And now I realise that you really are an idiot with a dry sense of humor. Its called sarcasm."

"I know what sarcasm is and-"

"Choi, I am not going to argue with you about sarcasm. Eat your food and shut up." She stuffed her mouth full of salad.

He stared at her. She had just called him by his first name. "You said my name," he whispered.

"So?"

She looked up from her food and found him gazing at her in awe. "You're making me uncomfortable," she said, frowning at him.

Choi smiled. "I haven't heard someone call me by my first name in a while. It sounds nice coming from you. You should do it often. I like it."

Tae shook her head. "And just like that, we are back to Mr. Hyun. Anyway, finish up so that we can get started on the proposal."

"Can't we just drink?" Choi groaned.

"From one alcoholic to another, no, we cannot drink. We are on the job. And anyway, I am going back home at the end of this week. We need to push and get this over and done with."

Choi nodded.

"And no more fights between us, right?"

"Not intentional ones."

"I can live with that. No more being embarrassed of me...actually, I still don't care if you're embarrassed of me but you will refrain from saying anything condescending to or about me. I might be your boss by the end of the month so we have to start exercising restraint and respect and not be racist, yes?"

"I promise," Choi said, being truthful and meaning it.

"Alright. Enough chit chat."

They cleaned up after eating and then got started on the work for the day.