"You're so cool." Reply: "Useless."
"I'm glad to see you." Reply: "So irritating."
"I bet all the girls wanna kiss you." Reply: "Annoying."
It was almost 14 days in of the 30-day challenge and still the rude guy hadn't replied with anything friendly. But Can was an optimistic guy; the smallest sign of the other person softening was taken as a sign of progress. And Can felt positive some break through was coming. When the taller student approached on the sidewalk there was no longer a break in eye contact and he even had a bit of a smile playing at the outer corner of his lips.
Can: Ram I have to find out if the guy is IC
Can: take me to the IC cantina for lunch
Ram: Why?
Can: cause if he's IC you can find out his name n tell me
Ram: tomorrow 11 am
The IC cantina was different than other faculty cafeterias on the University campus. It served a wide variety of cuisines to serve the tastes of its' international students and the food quality was superior. To eat in the IC cantina, you had to either be a current IC faculty student or some other type of University VIP such as a professor or student government leader. Eligible diners were issued scannable electronic photo ID badges and the costs of their meals had to deducted from a prepaid account or paid in cash. Guests could eat in the cantina as long as they were accompanied by someone authorized. Rich students like perks others don't have and the University had no problem indulging them when doing so increased enrollment and brought in more tuition money.
Ram had treated Can to meals at the IC cantina a handful of times since the school year started. While the purpose of this visit was to look for the sidewalk guy Can couldn't help but drool at the variety of dishes available.
"Can I have a serving of the mushroom and cheese ravioli? Also, a grilled pork chop. Oh, what kind of bread is that? Moussaka is Greek food, right? I think I had a coconut cookie last time; I want one this time too." Can was like an excitable puppy let loose in the middle of the pet food aisle at a grocery store after all the bags were torn open. Ram patiently answered each question and glared at the whispering diners in line behind them who were irritated at the time it was taking Can to choose which dishes he wanted to eat. He also made a mental note to ask his mom to transfer money to his meal account. His card balance would soon be zero if he needs to buy Can more meals to confirm the mysterious students' identity.
Ram chose a table by the cantina entrance so Can could keep an eye on those coming and going. Can's eyes never left the entrance as he ate his food. He was surprisingly quiet so in between bites, Ram took out his language notebook and reviewed the list of German vocabulary words he had to know by next week. Already fluent in 4 languages, he hoped German would be his fifth. But the German curriculum wasn't in depth enough for Rams liking so his parents hired a native-born speaker who recently relocated to their city to teach him privately.
"Ok, he's not here and all my food is gone" Can sighed as he pushed away his tray and wiped his mouth. "Let's come back tomorrow but not until noon. Maybe he eats later in the lunch period."
The disappointment was evident on Can's face but Ram tried to cheer him up anyway. "Tomorrow is seafood day. You eat as much as you want, I'll pay."
Can's smile brightened. "Do you ever get tired of paying for me? You're always doing so much for me from buying me food, helping me with homework, giving me rides to school. I can never pay you back."
