Under the Shade of an Old Mango Tree

Chapter 11: Enjoying a Beautiful Sunset

"How's it been?" Nico asked Lena as they gazed at the beautiful sunset.

The tables and chairs were empty. Most of the people had gone. The catering staff were already cleaning up. Ate Lea, Anna, Cathy, Bianca, and Maya were chatting as they sat in cushioned rattan chairs under a wide pergola. Softly glowing fairy lights hung from the thick beams. Potted bougainvillea, ixora, ferns, and bamboo adorned the entire length of the wall behind and next to the sitting area. The wind was comfortably cool.

"How's what been?" Lena asked back. She suddenly bit her lip. She didn't mean to sound obtuse.

Nico ran his fingers through his short, dark hair.

"I mean, how are you?"

"Uh, I'm great!" she replied nervously.

Nico looked as if he was waiting for Lena to expound on what she had just said. It took a moment before Lena realized it.

"Oh! Uh . . . well, I'm getting the hang of things here. Lea's living with me, which is great. I now have someone to have meals with, watch movies with, go shopping with . . . Uh, I accompany her when she visits her obstetrician. Amazing hospital, by the way. Un, we go over books on parenting. We talk about her dreams for the baby—which is a girl, by the way."

She paused for a bit and then resumed.

"Honestly, I like taking care of her. It feels like I am really taking care of a sister, you know. And I get to try so many things with her, like sewing, knitting, crocheting, cook—"

She paused again. Nico raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we tried cooking and baking. But we terribly sucked at it. So we decided to just subscribe to a meal service and have baked goodies delivered. We couldn't risk burning the house—after we actually nearly did."

Nico laughed. It was a pleasant laugh.

"Which one?" he finally asked after almost gasping for breath.

"Which one what?"

"Which meal service?"

"Food for Two and More."

"Aah."

"What do you mean? Wait. Do you also own that?"

"Yes, I do," he replied with only a slight hint of pride. "I love food . . ." He tapped his left chest, and then once again ran his fingers through his hair. He looked here and there, everywhere, except at Lena.

Lena realized that she wasn't the only one who was nervous. She felt like whistling, but she didn't know how. Just when the silence approached to becoming unbearable, Nico spoke.

"Well . . . looks like my crew's done. Uh, we need to go."

Lena suddenly felt dizzy. She closed her eyes. Nico noticed.

"Are you all right?"

Lena willed her eyes to open.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I may have eaten too much. I just need to sit down for a while. You can go ahead. Your staff must be waiting for you."

Nico was about to say something but stopped himself. Instead, he bid to a server and whispered something to him. Afterward, he brought Lena to the sitting area and had her sit in an empty chair. A few moments later, the server brought a tray of six cups of peppermint tea. He placed the tray on the coffee table.

"Here's something to help calm your stomach," Nico told the ladies.

"Thanks, Nico," Lea said. "It was supposed to be an afternoon tea party, but it's only now that we're actually having tea."

"Yeah, and I wanted to eat more," Maya said.

"Stop," Bianca told her.

Nico laughed and then bid them all farewell, his gaze lingering for a few moments on Lena.

When Nico was gone, the teasing began.

"I think he really likes you, Lena," Bianca said.

"It's quite obvious," Cathy declared.

"He's a chef and a registered dietician," Lea revealed.

"Don't you like him?" Maya asked.

Lena looked dazed. She couldn't see clearly. Then she closed her eyes.