She recalled what Ben had warmly remarked to her earlier that morning. That white dress really suits you.
The compliment had left Lisa stunned and she could only look at Ben.
“Well, the weather is beautiful, is it not?” Alexander asked.
“Yes, it is,” Lisa agreed.
“It is very nice here. The river, the sun...” he commented.
“Yes, you are right.”
They lied on the grass and enjoyed the weather for a few hours.
“All right, it’s time for lunch. Let’s go and sit somewhere in the city,” he suggested.
Together they rode in the direction to the city. The wind slightly ruffled his shirt. Riding through the woods and the streets, they soon approached the shopping center.
“Let’s go inside,” he said.
They went inside, where music played by Robbie Williams, and the escalator brought them to the third floor.
Lisa often walked around the mall in her spare time, looking at the shop windows with fashionable clothes, inhaling the perfume wafting from boutiques, and sighing heavily, remembering her modest salary as a nanny.
The cafe on the top floor had always attracted her. With beautiful glass tables and white leather chairs, pondering in green palms, this place creates an atmosphere of relaxation, distracting people from their work and endless stress. Businesspeople in formal clothes sipped coffee with a newspaper in hand. Lisa wanted to come here with her little white laptop and sit back and feel, just for a moment, that she too was one of them.
They went into the cafe and sat at one of the tables.
Now Lisa was sitting in front of this beautiful man in this lovely cafe under palm trees. They started a nice conversation and sipped on some mineral water. The theme of their conversation primarily surrounded them: people.
“Look,” he said, “these women look so unnatural. You see, they often behave like men. Just look at the next table.”
As Lisa turned her head, she saw two women with short hair in business suits and glasses sitting at the next table.
“You know, many office women think only about career and money. They do not think about family and children,” he said.
“Yeah, that’s true. I recently graduated from a university and many of my classmates already have families. It is so untypical for a big city.”
“What is your salary?” Alexander asked.
“It’s just pocket money,” Lisa answered.
“Ok, but your host family provides you with food and insurance, right?”
“Yes,” Lisa lied. “Granola for breakfast and a slice of bread for dinner. And for lunch I have to buy myself something.”
When they were ready to head back, he went with her into the hall and accompanied her to the house. Lisa felt as if his eyes lingered on her lips, but the next moment he was once again impenetrable.
“Goodnight, “she said. “Thank you for today. “
“Thanks to you, it was an unforgettable day,” he replied before turning and walking away.
Lisa closed the door and was left wondering what those words meant.
33
Lisa was tired of crying, just sick of it. With a groan she got herself up, moved the crutches to the back of the closet, then went into the bathroom. In the shower, the hot water stung her face and stiff body. It felt nice. Steam rose and billowed. Droplets started to cry down the glass wall. She stared. She stopped shampooing. Her soapy fingers went to the glass, and touched the face. A weeping face melted under more droplets.
Afterwards, Lisa took Ben to kindergarten, and then sat in the library on the third floor of the glass house, learning the language by listening to the news.
“I need to wear something decent, “she thought. She went to her closet and found a cheap, blue shirt. This color perfectly set off her blue eyes, and as she walked past the mirror, she saw a very pretty girl with magnificent wavy brown hair and blue eyes like the sea. The girl, in whom it was impossible not to fall in love with, had a beautiful smile.
Lisa looked in the mirror, touched up her eyelashes, her lips, and her hair. She smiled to herself, and she was glad for the first time for her beauty.
Some time later, Lisa was lying on the bank, and reading an interesting book on her little, white laptop.
The sun warmed her bare arms. A caressing breeze swirled around her legs in her soft cream dress, and the sweet fresh air made the environment cool.
One of the tasks that Lisa had was to iron the T-shirts. There was a room in the basement devoted to the ironing board and chores related to using it. This room was also where many articles of clothing hung to dry, or to prevent wrinkling. Ironing was a very boring task. It didn't require much thought, but it required quite a bit of time. Lisa often found herself with little to think about while she was ironing. So, she would turn on the radio that was in the basement. She enjoyed the talk radio program she found on one of the channels. She didn't want her knowledge of the language to fade. She thought it would help to listen to the language being spoken while she worked. There were a variety of subjects talked about on this particular station. There were news stories told and local events. Lisa didn't understand everything that was talked about, but she had a good grasp of what was being said. It always interested her to hear a language other than her own being spoken. It was educational for her. One day, the host father came down into the room she was in. He looked from her to the radio and asked what she was listening to.
“I'm listening to the news on this talk radio,” she answered simply, continuing to iron the shirt in front of her. The host father seemed upset by this answer.
“You can't even speak the language,” he argued, motioning towards the radio. She shook her head.
“I can,” she corrected, looking over at him. He shook his head and walked over to the radio. He picked it up and turned the dial to off. Then, he sat it back down on the counter it had been on.
“You don't have enough of a brain to understand these difficult things,” he insisted. She knew better than to argue, but wanted to state her opinion anyway.
“I thought I might try to learn,” she answered quietly.
He shook his head. “Don't waste your time learning something you don't need to know. You should be focused on your work.” He started back up the stairs. Before he left, he turned around tossing a pile of t-shirts in her direction. He headed back up the stairs and shoute,
“Iron these T-shirts as well,” he commanded and closed the door.
Lisa obeyed.
34
It was Sunday and Lisa received the following emaiclass="underline"
From: Alexander
To: Lisa
Subject: J
Hello, Lisa,
I hope you had pleasant holidays.
The weather is so pleasant today. If you have time, suggest where and when we can meet to go for a walk.
Bye,
Alexander
From: Lisa
To: Alexander
Subject: J
Hello, Alexander,
The weather is very nice. We can meet at the beach at 2 pm.
Kind regards,
Lisa
Leaping out of bed, Lisa went into the bathroom and stood under a cold shower. Cold showers always sorted out her nervous system and had a positive effect on her attitude. After standing for a few minutes under the water jets, she wrapped herself in a towel and looked at the clock. Half an hour remained before the meeting, just enough time for a cup of tea and putting on her makeup.
Lisa looked at herself in the mirror. She disliked how pale she looked. Pink lipstick gave her a more innocent look and mascara brought out her unforgettable cornflower blue eyes. Lisa smiled at her reflection in the mirror, put some mascara on, and combed her curly hair.