Chapter 4:
A l m o s t . . .
The past few weeks I have been trying to master the art of karate with Helga coaching me. We've grown closer and closer together each day and it seems that Helga was beginning to like me more and more each day. My fear for my feelings for her has faded away gradually-I was no longer afraid...
The next day, Helga asked me to dine with her at a brilliant French restaurant. My only question was why.
Before the "date", I took a long warm shower. How refreshing it felt to have the waters dripping down my shoulders and caressing my back. Tonight, I wanted to be rinsed of my worries and fears so maybe I could tell Helga how I felt...
I put on a lovely white gown and a magnificent silver necklace my father gave me. The necklace belonged to my great-grandmother, then my grandmother, and then my father. She should've given it to a girl if she had a daughter but she passed it on to my father so that he could pass it on to me. I looked at the necklace and closed my eyes. I loved my father so much...but we haven't seen each other in quite a while...
Helga took me to the restaurant and as we walked in, a couple of children ran across our paths.
"Ugh," she sighed, disgusted. "Children. Why can't they just grow up??"
We sat down at a table, guided by one of the waiters. A menu was given to each of us. "Oh, don't force children to grow up so quickly. Childhood, unlike adulthood, is limited. Personally, I think children should be able to play because they have to spend the times they still have. I wish to have children sometime in my life; I adore children."
Helga, still scanning through the menu, glanced at me and then replied, "I'll never have children. To me, they are the frustration of society. Besides, would you really want to go through the 'joy of childbirth'?"
I rested my chin on my hands with my elbows on the table and gazed at her dreamily and said, "We could always adopt one."
She raised an eyebrow at me. "We?"
"Oh! Oh, I meant, 'I could always adopt one.'! My mistake." I smiled, looking embarrassed. Dear Lord, I was already ruining it.
The waiter walked by, and took our order. After the slight interruption, Helga and I drifted back into conversation.
"So, why did you take me out here, anyways?" I asked, curiously. I knew the answer I wanted but it was not likely for her to say so.
"Your progress in karate has been increasing rapidly," she answered.
I pulled back a lock of my hair behind my ear. Blushing, I said, "Well, I do have a wonderful teacher."
She grinned. "It's surprising to see a girl who can even hurt a fly learn karate so quickly."
"It's surprising to see someone who despises kids and amateurs to teach someone something like karate..." Again, I gaped at her.
A waitress brought our meals to us. The two of us had a salad nicoise with a small bowl of cheese soufflé on the side. For desert, there was a plate of crepes in the center and two glasses of the finest wine they had.
"You have been working for me for about 2 years now," Helga commented, eating her salad. "So I was thinking of giving you a day off."
"A day off?"
"Yes, to visit your sister. Tulip."
"It's...Rose," I corrected, holding back a laugh.
"Rose, Tulip, what's the difference?"
"So...I can have the day off?
Helga nodded, eating her salad.
I smiled, sipping some wine. "Thank you. I haven't visit her in a long time."
After a while of eating and talking about miscellaneous things, I decided to tell her. I looked at her and tried to find the right words...
This was difficult...no matter what I tried; my words seemed moronic and utterly embarrassing. However, I thought that if I just said it, the words would come out eventually. Biting my lower lip, I began to quietly say,"Ms. Sinclair?"
She looked up at me and responded. "Yes?"
Oh dear...I felt myself blushing yet again and my hands trembling. "I...have been thinking..."
As I looked into her eyes, I felt mine drenching with tears of fear. Suddenly, a thought popped into my head: if she found out I liked her, our friendship could be ruined. "Erm...are you going to eat that?" I pointed to her crepe.
Helga shoved the plate towards me as she wiped off something from her lip.
Once again, I acted like my cowardly self...
A l m o s t . . .
The past few weeks I have been trying to master the art of karate with Helga coaching me. We've grown closer and closer together each day and it seems that Helga was beginning to like me more and more each day. My fear for my feelings for her has faded away gradually-I was no longer afraid...
The next day, Helga asked me to dine with her at a brilliant French restaurant. My only question was why.
Before the "date", I took a long warm shower. How refreshing it felt to have the waters dripping down my shoulders and caressing my back. Tonight, I wanted to be rinsed of my worries and fears so maybe I could tell Helga how I felt...
I put on a lovely white gown and a magnificent silver necklace my father gave me. The necklace belonged to my great-grandmother, then my grandmother, and then my father. She should've given it to a girl if she had a daughter but she passed it on to my father so that he could pass it on to me. I looked at the necklace and closed my eyes. I loved my father so much...but we haven't seen each other in quite a while...
Helga took me to the restaurant and as we walked in, a couple of children ran across our paths.
"Ugh," she sighed, disgusted. "Children. Why can't they just grow up??"
We sat down at a table, guided by one of the waiters. A menu was given to each of us. "Oh, don't force children to grow up so quickly. Childhood, unlike adulthood, is limited. Personally, I think children should be able to play because they have to spend the times they still have. I wish to have children sometime in my life; I adore children."
Helga, still scanning through the menu, glanced at me and then replied, "I'll never have children. To me, they are the frustration of society. Besides, would you really want to go through the 'joy of childbirth'?"
I rested my chin on my hands with my elbows on the table and gazed at her dreamily and said, "We could always adopt one."
She raised an eyebrow at me. "We?"
"Oh! Oh, I meant, 'I could always adopt one.'! My mistake." I smiled, looking embarrassed. Dear Lord, I was already ruining it.
The waiter walked by, and took our order. After the slight interruption, Helga and I drifted back into conversation.
"So, why did you take me out here, anyways?" I asked, curiously. I knew the answer I wanted but it was not likely for her to say so.
"Your progress in karate has been increasing rapidly," she answered.
I pulled back a lock of my hair behind my ear. Blushing, I said, "Well, I do have a wonderful teacher."
She grinned. "It's surprising to see a girl who can even hurt a fly learn karate so quickly."
"It's surprising to see someone who despises kids and amateurs to teach someone something like karate..." Again, I gaped at her.
A waitress brought our meals to us. The two of us had a salad nicoise with a small bowl of cheese soufflé on the side. For desert, there was a plate of crepes in the center and two glasses of the finest wine they had.
"You have been working for me for about 2 years now," Helga commented, eating her salad. "So I was thinking of giving you a day off."
"A day off?"
"Yes, to visit your sister. Tulip."
"It's...Rose," I corrected, holding back a laugh.
"Rose, Tulip, what's the difference?"
"So...I can have the day off?
Helga nodded, eating her salad.
I smiled, sipping some wine. "Thank you. I haven't visit her in a long time."
After a while of eating and talking about miscellaneous things, I decided to tell her. I looked at her and tried to find the right words...
This was difficult...no matter what I tried; my words seemed moronic and utterly embarrassing. However, I thought that if I just said it, the words would come out eventually. Biting my lower lip, I began to quietly say,"Ms. Sinclair?"
She looked up at me and responded. "Yes?"
Oh dear...I felt myself blushing yet again and my hands trembling. "I...have been thinking..."
As I looked into her eyes, I felt mine drenching with tears of fear. Suddenly, a thought popped into my head: if she found out I liked her, our friendship could be ruined. "Erm...are you going to eat that?" I pointed to her crepe.
Helga shoved the plate towards me as she wiped off something from her lip.
Once again, I acted like my cowardly self...