Chapter 96 - ugly faces...

And with that her alone time was out the window.

...

They walked towards her with relief on their faces. It wasn't until they sat down that Tale noticed everyone was staring at them, or more correctly they were staring at Su Yan and definitely wondering what he was doing in a place like this, Tale was wondering the same thing.

"How could you bring him here?" Tale frowned.

"Is that any way to welcome us?" Precious joked as they sat down on the bench on the other side of her table.

Tale didn't find it funny. "I'd get to you in a minute, you come!" She stood up and pulled Su Yan up as she guided him outside the tent "You cant be here!" she said once they were outside.

"Why not?"

"Woo Jin isn't here, you aren't safe and everyone is staring at you because you cant be in a place like this. This is a local street side food joint and well you are just foreign, literally." she demonstrated with her hands.

"So?"

"You belong in fancy restaurants like yours for example. You cant even eat anything here," she tried to discourage him further.

"Watch me," Su Yan left her back to where he sat.

She stared at the now empty spot where he stood and shook her head. She should have known better.

"You both just ruined my night with your ugly faces," Tale commented once she sat down again.

"We were worried, or correction, Precious was worried about you."

"How romantic!" she took a full spoon of soup.

Ugo came to serve her palmwine just then. The white drink sat tall in a large beer cup.

"You drink now?" Precious asked, Tale ignored her.

"What's that?" Su Yan asked curiously

"It's called palm wine" Tale explained.

"Yeah, it is made from palm trees and has a raw natural unknown percentage of alcohol in it from God himself," Precious added.

"I want one," he raised his hand to no one in particular. Madam Caro noticed and hurriedly asked Ugo to answer. The poor lady had never had a foreigner come to her little corner and she was excited to have her first.

"I want one of this" Su Yan ordered.

Ugo looked on confused, with Su Yan accent the poor boy who didn't really understand English didn't get what he told him at all.

Tale smiled at the scene.

Precious narrated in broken English. "He talk say make you bring am one cup of palmwine, bring me one join am."(1) Ugo nodded then.

"I also want what she's eating." Su Yan spoke again confusing the boy further. Tale laughed this time around.

"You cant have what I'm eating" Tale explained why.

"Watch me," he challenged her again.

Madam Caro walked to the table then to help with the situation. "Light how far?" she greeted Tale again for the second time that night.

"Madam Caro meet my friend, Su. Su Madam Caro"

"Su Yan stood up to take the woman's hand in a handshake. When he asked how she was doing she simply nodded and replied in broken English that she was great.

"Wetin you go eat?" she asked Su Yan who surprised everyone by replying "Gimme wetin she dey eat." [check authors thought for explanation]

Everyone in the tent stopped what they were doing to look at the foreigner who just spoke.

"What the hell!" tale exclaimed the moment madam Caro went to get Su Yans order ready.

"Yeah, what the hell was that?" Precious added still in shock.

"I've been in this country long enough to pick up a few things," he smiled widely liking the effect he had on them.

"Yes pick up a few things but not broken English," Precious replied.

"It's a language and I like it, although what I said is all I got. Well that and a few short phrases." he said proudly.

"Wow, just when I thought you couldn't get anymore—" Tale stopped herself when she realized what she was about to say.

"Anymore what?"

"Shut up I'm still mad at you, both of you."

"What did I do?" Su Yan asked again

"I just want to be mad at you both."

"I'm sorry." Precious said honestly "I went too far and I am sorry."

"Hmm. I'd forgive you after I'm done eating"

Precious stood to go get a spoon.

"I'm not sharing my food?"

"You will!"

Su Yan's food was served, he had a spoon of the soup and when it burned his tongue he couldn't let Tale win so he asked Precious to share with him and she gladly did. The soup was made mostly with pepper giving it a super hot spicy taste but he loved the catfish.

The wine was soothing and Su Yan loved it so much he ordered another cup.

"Drunk" Tale accused him

"My girlfriend taught me."

"Cheers to that."

They soon joined in the atmosphere of talks and laughter as more drivers told their stories and passed round funny comments.

Tale remembered once more what Madam Caro food joint meant to her. She always forgot about her worries once she was here. It was like being around complete strangers and never once feeling alone and there was a little magic in that. Tale watched as some of that magic rubbed off on Su Yan as he laughed at the jokes he could understand and exchanged greetings with a few men who tried to talk to him trying to form a foreign accent that always sent everyone laughing.

....

A man in a black skinny jeans and red T shirt stood a few meters away from the left side of tent with his phone mid air taking a picture. He waited a few minutes for confirmation from the receiver. It was her, the lecturer who had failed his friend.

He picked the call that came in immediately.

"Follow her," the voice from the other end of the line ordered.

"Done." the man replied