Best of Both Worlds

Chapter Ten

I trailed behind Evelyn into the dining area and gaped around the space, my lips parted. The room was warm and brightly lit. Florescent lamps stood on the cabinets that lined the room. In the centre of the room hung yet another elaborate chandelier. The room was a medley of off-white, cream and dark chocolate brown. A large dark brown painting of abstract beings hung at one end of a cream wall and beneath it was a three-seater sofa. On another wall were large silver polished trays lined up on the walls. A lot of reflective objects in this house.

A dark brown glass dining table for eight sat in the middle of the room with cream plushy chairs tucked in. A tall vase of white flowers sat atop the table, in the midst of plates and neat silver dishes enclosed with food. A foreign scent of spices rode the air, I couldn't discern what we'd be having. Evelyn ushered me into a seat and gradually, the dining room filled out.

Nicholas returned with his father. I'd seen a couple of pictures of the two on the web. They shared many similar features. The same dirty blonde hair colour, same facial feature and determined set jaw. They also shared the same height and gait, but where Nick nursed a neat stubble, his father's was clean.

Nicholas had swapped out his initial white button-up shirt for a deep blue one. Now, he left two or three buttons loose and his sleeves were rolled up to half of his forearm. His light khaki trousers and brown suede shoes remained the same. His father had on a black polo and white shorts with black leather sandals.

They took their place at the dining table. Nicholas's father settled down at the head of the table, his wife sat at his right hand and Nicholas on his left. I happened to be sitting right next to Nicholas whilst Evelyn was seated beside her mother.

Nicholas leaned in and whispered. "I'm sorry for taking so long. Are you okay?"

I'm not sure. Between the rich air surrounded by aristocrats and your mother's clear distaste for me, I can't decide which has me more uneased. I nodded and managed a weak smile. "I'm fine"

As the dinner progressed, I found myself eating a little amount of food. The food was indeed foreign to me – Ribollita, an Italian cuisine – but that wasn't the issue. It was actually bread soup made from bread and vegetables. I wasn't a choosy eater and the dish smelled good but I couldn't particularly taste the food. It was like my taste buds had shut off and all I could think of was exiting this place. Maybe under better circumstances, I'd try it again.

"So, how do you like the food?" Evelyn piped up, her voice filling the silence.

"It's very delicious," I moved my spoon through the chunky bits in my bowl. "It's actually my first time having a proper Italian meal, other than spaghetti"

"You can pay your compliments to my mom, Rosa. She made the dish herself" she placed a flat palm on her mother's arm, a big smile on her face.

"It's very tasty, ma'am," I said to her but the only reply I received was the clinking of cutlery against the dish. Okay...

Nicholas's father cleared his throat and gently released his spoon against his bowl. "So, where are you from?" His voice although low held power and so did his piercing eyes.

"Nigeria," I said, then stuffed a spoon of soup into my mouth.

Rosa's eyebrows knitted together and her eyes narrowed at me. "Nigeria? Where's that?"

"In Africa, dear" Nicholas's father placed an affectionate pat on the back of his wife's hand. He returned his gaze to me. "So, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a resident doctor, actually. I work at James Berman memorial hospital"

"Oh, that's nice." He nodded then picked up his spoon and resumed eating in silence.