This one life

Dinner

Sometimes I picture
My home against yours
'Til they meet up
And my home becomes yours
'Cause I'd like to always be with you

"Dinner", Kacy Hill

I half expected Maite to come way too early out of curiosity, but she is merely 10 minutes too early, and we only have time for a quick introduction and some small talk before the doorbell rings again.

Half an hour later, we are all seated around the table, Maite on my right and Jasmin on my left, and despite the fact that I haven't restarted the fire in the chimney, I am feeling rather hot. The salmon is excellent and everybody assures me that everything else is fine, too. We are drinking white wine and water and enjoying the food. I have introduced Jasmin to everybody and she seems to feel at ease now although she has been a bit nervous at first. I was under the expression that she especially dreaded Maite's judgment, but so far, the two woman are getting along just fine, talking about their teenage daughters, talented and less-talented school teachers and the difficulty of finding the right hobbies.

„Und kommst du dann überhaupt noch dazu, auch was für dich zu tun?", Jasmin asks my little sister and puts a spoonful of salmon into her mouth.

I enjoy watching her while she eats, maybe even more so because my own appetite is somewhat limited tonight. I need to be careful with the wine, too, for I already feel a bit tipsy. Maite starts talking about what she does in her free time, while Elena and Sabine are quietly discussing some other topic at the far end of the table.

„Und was machst du so in deiner wenigen Freizeit?", Maite now asks and I curiosly turn towards Jasmin, because she has never mentioned any hobbies of her own. She smiles weakly since she is still chewing, and swallows a second later.

„Ich lese ganz gerne, und Backen und Kochen könnte man wohl auch als Hobby bezeichnen, denn ich mache es wirklich gerne, vor allem wenn ich Zeit habe... was natürlich quasi nie der Fall ist."

She rolls her eyes and takes a sip of water.

„Einmal die Woche gehe ich zum Reiten und einmal ins Fitnessstudio, um meinen krummen Rücken in Schach zu halten", she smiles wryly and picks up her fork again.

„Du reitest?", I exclaim.

Maite looks at me in surprise; it seems that she expected me to know. We exchange a quick look.

„Dann muss Paddy dir unbedingt Nött und Skinfaxi zeigen!", Maite says in Jasmin's direction, and I only nod.

Now Jasmin is the one to look astonished.

„Isländer?", she asks. „Hier in der Nähe?"

She seems to be genuinely surprised. So am I, to be honest. She does not look like the typical rider to me, and the fact that she guessed the ponies' breed correctly by their names shows that she is somewhat of a horse freak.