“There’s no need. I’m just crossing the road to do some shopping at the supermarket on the other side. It’s too near for a drive,” I shook my head and replied to him simply.
Lyle was silent for a moment. Then, he said, “Yvonne, you know what I meant was I would like to talk with you.”
I dropped my shoulders wearily and smiled. “Do you want to talk about starting anew? It’s pointless. It will do no one any good if I piss you off with what I say. You should know that there’s no way we can reconcile.”
“I know I did not treat you well before. I can change. I really can. Yvonne, I…” Lyle said all that in a rush but seeing my cold expression, he stopped.
I looked at the time. It was already half-past four and Christopher would be home by five-thirty. I really had to hurry or I would not be able to get dinner ready. So, I told Lyle, “I need to go to the supermarket or I won’t make it.”
I walked off on my own. Lyle did not try to hold me back, but he followed me, instead. The supermarket was rather crowded. I stood in front of the counter, looked for a while, and picked some spare rib. I bought some crabs too. The crabs looked big, so they should be tender and taste great.
“I remember that you don’t like crabs,” Lyle stood nearby, trying to make conversation.
I smiled, answering softly, “Chris likes crabs, so I learned a few ways of cooking them. Though he doesn’t like ribs, he enjoys eating them with me. So, I often cook these two dishes.”
Lyle stopped talking and just followed me around patiently. I browsed around in the supermarket for a while and bought a lot of things. When I held them in my hands, Lyle offered to help me but I declined.
When we returned to the apartment, I did not rush to go up but lingered near the lift entrance. I turned around and told Lyle, “You should get going. If Chris sees us, he won’t be pleased. Even though he will not suspect me, I don’t like displeasing him.”
“Yvonne!” Lyle gazed at me with eyes full of sorrow. Perhaps, I was mistaken but I thought I saw the glint of tears in them.
“Life is like a journey, there are many stretches of scenic beauty. If you missed a parking spot, there is another where one can park and enjoy the scenery. However, there are some spots where one cannot turn back as someone else has taken the spot and enjoying the beauty.”
After saying this, I chided myself again for being overly melancholic. When I entered the elevator and pressed the ‘door close’ button, Lyle wanted to come in; but for some unknown reason, he changed his mind.
From outside the elevator, he yelled to me, “If I had chosen you during the kidnapping, you would not have left me, would you?”
“You would not have chosen me, would you?” I smiled. The elevator door closed and Lyle was shut out.
Christopher opened the door punctually at half-past five. I had just finished cooking dinner. “Good timing. The meal is just ready. Go and change your clothes, and we shall eat together.”
Christopher came over and gave me a long passionate kiss before letting go of me. When he came to the dinner table and saw his favorite dishes, he laughed happily. “Such a lavish meal. Did you win the lottery?”
“Yes, and the grand prize is sitting right in front of me. Let’s dig in.” I held the crab right next to his lips. For me, Christopher was the grand prize. If not for those turbulent times, I really did not know if we would have met.
I did not think it was necessary to tell Christopher about Lyle, but I did tell him about Benjamin visiting me and what happened between us. “This is so extraordinary. Benjamin treasured Crystal and indulged her just because of that incident. When he told me that, I really could not understand why. Don’t you think it’s strange?”
“What’s so strange about that? When someone finds hope and life at the time when they are most desperate, that moment is unforgettable.” Christopher smiled very mysteriously as if he was hiding some secret.
“That’s totally logical. Like when I met you. Don’t I treasure you and indulge you? I winked and praised myself.
