A romantic dinner
Without looking at the menu, Janine asked for couscous with the meat and I asked the same thing. She asked me, "What are you drinking?"
- "Mineral water" Saida ".
- "I mean wine, don't you want a glass with food?"
- "No, I don't drink, but you can drink what you want".
- "I never drink wine and my family supports the fight against alcohol".
This coincidence made me happy. The waiter brought the salad, a big bottle of water and a bottle of Selecto Hamoud ordered by Janine. After the couscous, we had the fruit salad.
Janine enjoyed the food and I enjoyed her company and her conversation. She appreciated the success of the exhibition and the distinction of her paintings. She was delighted with the audience attended, Algerians, French and foreigners. We were ecstatic, even if we did not drink a single drop of wine. As for Janine, the ecstasy of her success mingled with the ecstasy of the evening. As for me, I was in an ecstatic state by her company and by her choice of me to celebrate her success together. It almost made me exclaim and dance with joy. How can I find myself alone with art and beauty? It's something I didn't dare imagine even in the dream, and here it is. My senses all appreciate her presence. I smell her scent, the aroma of her body and the flavour of her mouth. I feast my eyes on her beauty, I enjoyed listening to her voice, and almost my skin feels her soft skin. Even food has a special taste and flavour in her presence, mixed with its good smell and whispers. This is how the waves of ecstasy led us to the heights of the clouds.
We stayed like that throughout the evening, looking at each other with a drugged or enchanted look. Our murmurs become poems and our revelations turned into perfumes. I couldn't figure out how we were holding hands or who held first the other's hand. She said coquettishly, "Did you like dinner?"
I replied in a sincere tone, "I liked the company".
- "Why?"
- "Because I ... because I ... because I ... love you."
I blamed myself for my haste in admitting that I love her. I was afraid she was angry but she said, "So quickly".
- "But from church day".
- "Why didn't you tell me before?"
- "I thought you were related to Jack".
- "That’s why you don't come with me after class?"
- "Yes".
I almost asked her about him, but I changed my mind.
She looked at me and said with a tone of coquetry, "Do you see me beautiful because you love me, or you love me because I am beautiful?"
I replied surprised, "What is the difference?"
- "The difference is that beauty is linked to time".
- "Is beauty limited to the body?"
- "Do you believe in the beauty of the spirit? Do you like the ugly or old woman if she has a beautiful soul?"
I replied honestly, "All I know is that I love you, whether you are beautiful or not".
Janine laughed and I felt that she wanted to say to me, "Me too" but she didn't say it. I drank the coffee alone because she doesn't drink coffee at night. I tried to pay the bill, but she insisted that she invited me. "If you want us to go out together, let me pay this time and you pay another time, and you invite me next time", she said.
I discovered that she was not the kind of woman who strains the budget of the man and pushes him to give the blood of his heart for the pleasure of her good company by choosing the most luxurious restaurants and asking for the most expensive dishes. She was practical. She knows that the relationship does not last between two if one of them alone carries the material burden, and that both are employees with limited wages. We left the restaurant in the direction of her apartment. She said, looking me in the eyes to see the answer before hearing it: "Can you be my guide in Algiers?"
I was happy and my eyes began to say, "When are we going to start?"
- "What do you think of Saturday, but not tomorrow, I have an appointment at the high school".
- "So, our meeting is next Saturday?"
We arrived near her building and she indicated the floor where she lived. I said to her, "You will find me at nine o'clock near the building".
Abdellah Khammar
An extract taken from the novel: Entry bell to class