Chapter Twelve

Morgan had been excited all weekend about his date with a one in a million woman. In his free time away from the conference and his colleagues, he scoured the internet for good conversation starters and also sought advice from his best friend Jackson. Morgan had not always been the best judge of character, especially when it came to women, but he was absolutely certain about his assessment this time.

It was now D-Day and all the excitement was slowly being replaced by fear and anxiety. When this happened, it was only a matter of time until his mind would go into overdrive and generate questions he was not sure he wanted the answers to:

Should he have insisted on this date? What should he wear? Was he interesting enough? Could he really entertain her? Hell, would she even show up?

He shook his head. “None of that matters now,” he said to himself in an attempt to calm the storm raging in his mind. As he stared into the body length mirror in his hotel room, he was pleased with what he saw. The slim-fit crisp white shirt, dark grey smart pants, brown belt and matching brown leather shoes really came together. The brush cut and fade hairstyle was as immaculate as the day he cut it, including his pencil thin moustache. Looking good gave him confidence that everything would somehow work itself out in the end. He was never fully confident to begin with but his mood, coupled with the events over the past few months, had dropped it to an almost nonexistent state.

A few minutes later, he was strolling down the hallway of his floor, heading towards the elevator. He checked his watch and saw that it was twenty five minutes before seven in the evening. At his current pace, it would take him another five minutes before he would reach the restaurant. He was not early because he needed to reserve a table. That was done the night before. He was early because that was how his parents raised him, more so because first impressions mattered and he was determined to knock this one out of the park.

He arrived at the restaurant on the 45th floor of The Rita Zora and was immediately spellbound by the high-end decor. A waiter at the front desk dressed in a white shirt, black bow-tie, black pants and a black waistcoat greeted him with a warm smile. After confirming his reservation, he was ushered to his table which was located close to the centre of the room with an adequate view of the entrance.

Morgan was reading the latest sports news on his android Smartphone while occasionally glancing at the entrance to see if Maddison would actually show up. Five minutes before seven he glanced up once more and this time, he froze for what seemed like an eternity when he saw who was at the front desk.

Maddison was conversing with the waiter before she was directed to their table. As she followed the waiter into the room, she walked with an air of confidence that he found awe-inspiring. When their eyes finally met, she flashed him a warm smile that sent his pulse racing. Finally, he stood up to welcome her after he thanked the waiter.

“Uh... Wow... You look really beautiful,” he said to her while trying his best to keep his composure.

Maddison wore a short, strapless, black dress with a pair of black lace-up high heels, silver drop earrings and very little makeup.

“You look rather dashing yourself,” she responded with a smile.

He pulled out her chair for her, took his seat and they both made their orders. Morgan did all this while trying not to blush from the compliment he had received.

“So, what brings you all the way to San Valentino?” Morgan asked as he placed his hands on his stomach.

“It was a spur-of-the-moment decision that was aided by the fact that I have family here. Plus, it’s San Valentino, who wouldn’t want to be here at this time of year?”

Maddison decided to go on the offensive. It was not only a way of bypassing small talk, which she disliked but also a mini character assessment of sorts.

“Where do you see yourself in the next five years?” asked Maddison, her facial features taking a serious turn.

Morgan was taken aback by the sudden direction of the conversation but quickly regained his composure.

“Two years left to finish my residency, add another two years of practice here and I’ll probably move back to my hometown to work.”

Just as I thought, he’s a doctor. A second thought quickly crossed her mind.

“You didn’t mention anything about starting a family or perhaps, you have one already?” Pure disgust crossed her mind as she uttered the latter part of that sentence.

“I don’t have the best luck with women so that’s a part of life I have sorta given up on.”

“I honestly think you might be exaggerating. It’s better to have loved and lost than to never love at all. That is a famous quote from Alfred Lord Tennyson, if I remember correctly.”

“If loss is the only thing you’ve known, there comes a time when you have to cut those losses. No pun intended.” Morgan replied defensively.

“I’m guessing you’re coming off of a bad breakup?” She asked in a more sincere tone.

“It’s that obvious, huh?” He said with a slight look of frustration while he dug into the appetizers.

“I’ve been there before, a while back. It sucks and no words can completely describe the hollow feeling that you get but you have to let yourself grieve. When you let it all out, pick yourself up and move on at your own pace.”

Morgan smiled as he took in her words. “What is your five year plan?”

“I am hoping to rise up the ranks at work, maybe reach the level of assistant accounts manager in about three years time and possibly settle down to start a family.”

“It’s quite surprising that you haven’t settled down already. A woman of your nature could virtually have any man she wants.”

“Apart from the high standards that I have set for myself, not many men are comfortable with dating a woman who earns more than they do or one who enjoys a certain level of independence.”

A minute later, their meals were brought to the table. They both thanked the waiter as he left to serve another table. As they began to eat, Maddison mentally took note of his continuously polite behaviour towards the waiter.

“Do you have an issue with the woman you’re dating or married to earning more money than you, Morgan?” Maddison asked as she took a bite of her Carbonara.

“Not in the slightest. If she’s a harder worker or does a better job than I, certainly she deserves more. I’m all for gender equality and besides, that way, I won’t have to stress too much about buying her gifts and get to save money too.” A sly smile crept across his face.

She chuckled, “Then you won’t mind me paying for my dinner, will you?”

Morgan began to protest but decided against it. “I’m okay with it. I could actually use that money to buy a ticket to next month’s Moto National Race in Sangela City.”

Maddison’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know you were into cars. It slipped my mind that they were coming to town next month.”

“Hold up, you’re from Sangela City too?” Asked Morgan, with a little too much excitement in his voice than he was comfortable with.

“I am, actually.” She said in between laughs.

They spent the next fifteen minutes talking about their favourite cars, Moto National racers and movies based on cars. The waiter came by with the bill which they split and Morgan tipped the man.

He walked her to her room, which was on the 30th floor.

“This is my stop. I had a great time tonight.”

“It was my pleasure actually. I honestly didn’t expect you to show up but you kept your word.” Morgan kept his hands in his pockets the whole time and made no move towards her. He had no intention of asking her if he could come in. By his standards, the night could have hardly gone any better.

“I’m appalled you’d think I’d do such a thing,” she replied, feigning shock.

Morgan removed his Smartphone. “You wouldn’t mind if I got your number, would you? It would be nice to meet up, chat and make arrangements for the race next month.”

She agreed and entered the number into his phone herself.

“It’s a real number I hope?”

“You’re joking, right?” Maddison was unable to hide her astonishment at the question she received. “If I didn’t want to give you my number, I’d simply say so.”

“Fair enough but you never know.” He said as he began walking to the elevator. “You have a goodnight and pleasant dreams.”

Maddison stood at the door of her hotel room. He never asked to come in or made any motion to.