Chapter 39: Dine With Calvin

Calvin saw the girl by the roadside, who looked back. A surprised look filled his deep eyes. He stubbed out his cigarette with his foot and walked over quickly. He lifted an eyebrow in surprise, grabbed Myrna’s left wrist, and asked, “What are you doing here?”

Calvin was tall and cast a shadow over Myrna. She felt some pressure from his grip on her wrist and felt uncomfortable, containing her urge to break free. She said slowly, “I heard there is a good cafe nearby. I came to buy a milkshake.”

“Buying a milkshake?”

“Yeah.”

Calvin frowned. He didn’t know if there were cafes on this street, but there were certainly a lot of bars.

Just now, when Calvin was smoking in the corner, he saw many men looking over and heard them talking about someone’s beautiful legs. Calvin took a look. Then, he saw Myrna, standing by the roadside, seemingly unaware of what was happening.

Calvin rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying not to appear anxious. He asked in a low voice, “Did you buy it?”

Myrna opened her hands and answered casually, “Yeah, but it was just normal. So, I drank some and then threw it in the trash can.”

Calvin didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t been in touch with many people Myrna’s age. He didn’t think he was so wild when he was eighteen. Myrna was like a tameless wolf; her eyes were filled with disobedience and wildness.

“Shouldn’t you be at school now?”

Myrna was so calm, as if she hadn’t been caught. She lied with a serious face, “It’s the first day. We don’t have to stay. So, I went to buy a milkshake after school.”

Calvin’s eyes were deep. He let go of Myrna’s wrist and his expression softened. He said, “Have you eaten yet? Let’s go. Dinner is on me.”

Myrna looked at Calvin surprisedly. “Really?”

Calvin was amused. His musical voice rang in Myrna’s ear. “Of course. Or, do you want to buy me dinner?”

“Let’s go. I’ll buy you dinner. You can have anything you want.”

Myrna gazed at Calvin with bright eyes, questioning him, “Can I have anything?”

Calvin didn’t expect Myrna to buy him dinner. Myrna’s long, thick eyelashes were slightly cocked; it looked like she didn’t believe him. Calvin smiled, finding it interesting. “Yes, you can have anything. Just tell me what you want to eat.”

The look on Myrna’s face became casual again. She smiled, “Okay. Remember what you said.”

Twenty minutes later, Calvin from Nemmington stood in front of an outdoor stall and didn’t walk away.

“Here we are.”

Myrna greeted the owner of the stall, seeming to be a regular customer. “Monica, how is business today?”

There was a tricycle on the side of the road with a few simple wooden planks on it, covered with a clean, tidy floral tablecloth. Above it, more than 20 plastic baskets were neatly placed, containing various vegetables and meat. A pot in the innermost part of the tricycle steamed and smelled hot. A woman in her early 40s worked busily in front of it.

Seeing Myrna, Monica Lopez was obviously happy. Though busy, she raised a big smile and greeted Myrna, “Mya, you came.”

“Yeah. The class finished early today, so I came over to take a look.” It seemed that Myrna knew Monica very well. She spoke in a light tone.

It was the first time Calvin had seen Myrna so relaxed. His eyebrows weren’t furrowed so tightly anymore. It was Calvin’s first time visiting a roadside stall. He was picky about his environment, but still, he hadn’t expected Myrna to take him to such a place.

It happened to be on the corner of the intersection. The sidewalk was particularly spacious. Around the tricycle, about 30 tables were placed and didn’t look crowded. It wasn’t seven o’clock in the evening yet, while the tables were almost full.

Most of the customers were young people. Some wore school uniforms, looking like students from nearby who had just finished their classes.