The sombre lunch with Erica
After basketball I messaged Erica asking if she wanted to meet up. She said yes, 5pm at the Korean restaurant near her. Later on she said to make it 2pm as she had to meet other people.
I left the basketball stadium at about 12:30pm, so that was making it a bit thin. I messaged her later asking if we could meet at 2:30pm, and she never replied.
Anyway, I went home, had a shower and then headed back out. I probably could've made 2pm but I decided to get her a big plush toy to try to lighten the mood, despite the fact that I'd already ordered one on ebay, but it'll bloody arrive in another 1-2 weeks.
I went to the store near Capitol and ended up buying a medium sized Doraemon for $48. This was much better than the original back up plan of that $90 Totoro. I carried it through the city with people giving me strange looks but I didn't care. I called up Erica and said I'd be there in five minutes, and she said to meet at the restaurant, sounding not too enthusiastic, and didn't even say bye when she hung up.
As I approached the restaurant, I saw her making her way slowly towards the entrance on her crutches. I caught up to her and wiggled the Doraemon next to her, which startled her a bit until she realised it was me. She didn't seem happy at all. I asked the waiter for a table for two, and she asked him for a lighter and started smoking outside while I went to sit in by myself.
Not a good start.
When she came in, she didn't even touch or look at the Doraemon. She got out her phone and basically typed a message saying thanks for the present but she didn't want to be cheered up in this situation.
Not a good start.
There was a lot of silence and the mood was sombre. I felt like anything and everything I did was wrong. The thought of breaking up right there and then and leaving her in the restaurant did occur to me, but I figured I'd sit this one out and message her tomorrow saying I wanted to break up.
After a while I decided to make a bit of an effort to change the mood. I told her my basketball team made the Grand Finals and asked if she wanted to come watch. She said her mother has one year to live, and asked if I could play basketball if it was my mother.
Not a good start.
We ate in silence with the exception of saying thanks everytime she gave me some food, and just basic chit chat about whether we liked the food or not. I was pretty confused. Was she stressed or were these signs that she just didn't like me, and only liked my money? I observed how she spoke to the waiters and thought up an argument that she treated them better than she treated me.
The lunch went on, and I felt like the tables on both sides of us were just watching us and could feel the tension between us. Conversation picked up just a little bit as the meal went on. I decided to take advantage of the sombre mood to launch the test: I took out my phone and translated to her "I lost my job". I looked for any obvious sign that she was going to dump me straight away.
I didn't see any. She just nodded. Then she asked why, and I translated "company reduce costs". She nodded again. I kept wondering if the gears were in motion in her mind to dump me.
Later on, she started playing with the Doraemon and made a phone call. I thought by looking at her eyes that she was going to cry. "Nah" I told myself. Sure enough, she turned around to face the wall, one hand toying with the Doraemon, the other holding the phone, and she started sobbing and talking in Korean. I wondered if she was telling her friend I lost my job and now had no short term solution for the money.
I asked the waiter for some more serviettes for her tears. I thought the table next to us must've thought I was a cold, uncaring bastard. After she finished the call, she wiped away most of her tears and stopped crying. I moved next to her and rubbed her shoulders, and soon she said to get the bill and go. It was bloody $96 for two people! Goddamn!
We stood outside the restaurant for a bit as she smoked, then she said she was calling for a friend/courier to pick her up. I offered to get my car but she said no. We went to the grocery store next door and she looked at some chips. She asked if I could buy it for her, and I joked that she had to pay, and then acquiesced. I thought she was only going to get a pack of chips or two, but she started doing what looked like her weekly grocery shopping.
I was holding the Doraemon and barely managed to hold onto everything she got. At least it got a giggle out of her as she watched me struggle. I went to pay for it and wondered if I even had enough in my account, as I had used the money in the bank to pay for the Doraemon. Luckily there was.
We waited outside for a while before I got her a taxi. She called Ash and was apparently going to meet up with him.
And then home I went.
I left the basketball stadium at about 12:30pm, so that was making it a bit thin. I messaged her later asking if we could meet at 2:30pm, and she never replied.
Anyway, I went home, had a shower and then headed back out. I probably could've made 2pm but I decided to get her a big plush toy to try to lighten the mood, despite the fact that I'd already ordered one on ebay, but it'll bloody arrive in another 1-2 weeks.
I went to the store near Capitol and ended up buying a medium sized Doraemon for $48. This was much better than the original back up plan of that $90 Totoro. I carried it through the city with people giving me strange looks but I didn't care. I called up Erica and said I'd be there in five minutes, and she said to meet at the restaurant, sounding not too enthusiastic, and didn't even say bye when she hung up.
As I approached the restaurant, I saw her making her way slowly towards the entrance on her crutches. I caught up to her and wiggled the Doraemon next to her, which startled her a bit until she realised it was me. She didn't seem happy at all. I asked the waiter for a table for two, and she asked him for a lighter and started smoking outside while I went to sit in by myself.
Not a good start.
When she came in, she didn't even touch or look at the Doraemon. She got out her phone and basically typed a message saying thanks for the present but she didn't want to be cheered up in this situation.
Not a good start.
There was a lot of silence and the mood was sombre. I felt like anything and everything I did was wrong. The thought of breaking up right there and then and leaving her in the restaurant did occur to me, but I figured I'd sit this one out and message her tomorrow saying I wanted to break up.
After a while I decided to make a bit of an effort to change the mood. I told her my basketball team made the Grand Finals and asked if she wanted to come watch. She said her mother has one year to live, and asked if I could play basketball if it was my mother.
Not a good start.
We ate in silence with the exception of saying thanks everytime she gave me some food, and just basic chit chat about whether we liked the food or not. I was pretty confused. Was she stressed or were these signs that she just didn't like me, and only liked my money? I observed how she spoke to the waiters and thought up an argument that she treated them better than she treated me.
The lunch went on, and I felt like the tables on both sides of us were just watching us and could feel the tension between us. Conversation picked up just a little bit as the meal went on. I decided to take advantage of the sombre mood to launch the test: I took out my phone and translated to her "I lost my job". I looked for any obvious sign that she was going to dump me straight away.
I didn't see any. She just nodded. Then she asked why, and I translated "company reduce costs". She nodded again. I kept wondering if the gears were in motion in her mind to dump me.
Later on, she started playing with the Doraemon and made a phone call. I thought by looking at her eyes that she was going to cry. "Nah" I told myself. Sure enough, she turned around to face the wall, one hand toying with the Doraemon, the other holding the phone, and she started sobbing and talking in Korean. I wondered if she was telling her friend I lost my job and now had no short term solution for the money.
I asked the waiter for some more serviettes for her tears. I thought the table next to us must've thought I was a cold, uncaring bastard. After she finished the call, she wiped away most of her tears and stopped crying. I moved next to her and rubbed her shoulders, and soon she said to get the bill and go. It was bloody $96 for two people! Goddamn!
We stood outside the restaurant for a bit as she smoked, then she said she was calling for a friend/courier to pick her up. I offered to get my car but she said no. We went to the grocery store next door and she looked at some chips. She asked if I could buy it for her, and I joked that she had to pay, and then acquiesced. I thought she was only going to get a pack of chips or two, but she started doing what looked like her weekly grocery shopping.
I was holding the Doraemon and barely managed to hold onto everything she got. At least it got a giggle out of her as she watched me struggle. I went to pay for it and wondered if I even had enough in my account, as I had used the money in the bank to pay for the Doraemon. Luckily there was.
We waited outside for a while before I got her a taxi. She called Ash and was apparently going to meet up with him.
And then home I went.
posted by toey | 20:01
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