5.
Kai arrived at the retirement home about fifteen minutes early. He pressed the buzzer and Benson the security officer let him in and ushered him to the green lounge. Benson picked up the phone at the reception to inform me my visitor had arrived.
Gosh, he looks so dashing! My brain reacted delightfully to what my eyes saw. He stood up and smiled at me; I detected that it was a nervous smile. He was dressed casually in a grey shirt that complemented his bronze complexion and dark hair, jeans with a black belt and shoes that gave him the looks of a movie star. I felt sure the ladies would swoon so badly they might just pass out. Rylee would completely freak out, and I giggled inwardly. Maybe I would get a photo taken, put it on Facebook and then wait for her reaction, this time, I did laugh out loud.
'What's funny? Am I overdressed?' He questioned very concernedly!
'No, I will explain later. You look very nice, certainly better than your daily clothes I've seen you in.'
I was sure he blushed.
'Well let's meet the masses. I hope you are ready for the onslaught!'
I led the way first to the blue room where I had asked Mother to wait for us. I wanted to introduce her to Kai first for fear of not getting a chance once the other ladies got hold of him.
'Thank you, son, for rushing to Darla when she called you.'
Mother hugged Kai with sincere affection and when she released him the tears streaming down her face confirmed her gratitude.
She wiped her face with a tissue and amidst the sniffs said, 'Enough of this, come let's eat.'
Her smile would forever melt my heart. She linked her arm in his and started toward the dining hall entrance. Kai grinned and held out his other arm to me, requesting that I link my arm in his. I did so. Gosh, it felt good!
'You need protection?' I smirked at him trying to forget the fuzzy feeling I had just felt.
The big doors swung open as we entered through them. Everyone stood up, be it a little slower than normal considering the average age of the residents.
'Be prepared to be treated like a superhero,' I said as I eyed Betty swarming in on Kai.
Poor Kai. Everyone literally attacked him. He probably had more kisses in a matter of half an hour than he'd had in his entire life. His hand was shaken by the men so many times that by now it was likely swollen. I felt sorry for him, but he took it all in courteously. When Mother had finally freed him and managed to get him to his seat between her and me, Chef Billy was finally able to stop sulking and complaining that his food was getting cold. Before we ate as was the norm in the retirement home, Uncle Larry said a prayer.
'Amen,' Kai said when Uncle Larry had finished.
A delicious avocado stuffed with seafood was the starter for the five-course meal. We ate it in silence; it was so yummy, and then we wiped our mouths with the serviettes and sat back feeling very well satisfied.
Then Kai cleared his throat.
'So your friend Rylee, she is very forward…' He looked at me waiting for my response. Well!
I did not want to have this conversation right now.
'Yes, she is. She does not mean any harm, but she is, as you say, very forward. What prompted you to mention that?'
'She phoned me last night and invited me to a party.'
'She did? Goodness!' I was stunned. 'I'm sorry if you had wanted to go, you could've cancelled with me.'
Kai took a sip of his juice and paused before replying, 'Are you crazy and miss getting treated like a superhero celebrity?'
I snickered, 'But honestly Kai…Ooh wait, did you tell her you were coming here tonight?'
'No, should I have?'
'So when are you going out with her?'
Curiosity was killing me.
'I took a rain check.'
'Oh.'
Then the next course was brought in, and our taste buds were sent into a frenzy of tantalising tickles as we sipped our soup. I had no idea what soup it was; it had bits of veggies and chicken in and other spices that simply set off a blaze of flavours in our mouths. No one spoke until every drop of the soup was devoured. I wanted to continue my conversation with Kai, but Betty was once again all over him, and when the other ladies noticed they vied for his attention too. I couldn't help but notice some of the men getting very jealous of their ladies perving over Kai.
'Sorry ladies can I just tell Kai something please? You can have him back in a second.'
'The men look like they're getting a bit jealous. I'm so sorry, but you have to treat these lovely elderly people like kiddies sometimes, so can you talk to them a bit.' I whispered in his ear.
Kai glanced at the men and nodded.
'Excuse me, ladies, please,' he said standing up and moving toward the men, and if I am not mistaken, he looked relieved.
The ladies, however, looked very disappointed. We had very little time to talk in between the courses that truly were beyond anything I had ever tasted. After the soup, we had lamb shanks, roasted beef, mutton curry and an array of roasted veggies flavoured with different herbs. The dessert was out of this world – tiramisu; need I say more? Chef Billy was terribly wasted in the retirement home kitchen; he should have been cooking meals like this for the whole world to savour.
I did manage to steal a photo of Kai and me on my phone – a very cosy one at that – and I uploaded it to my Facebook page. I couldn't wait for Rylee's reaction. Then I walked Kai to his car, well, the van he used for work, it was just cleaner.
'I am sorry you had such a hard time with all the ladies; I really should have taken you to a restaurant instead.'
He turned to face me before opening the door, 'Oh no! It was a great evening thank you again.'
He seemed to hover by the car door.
'Though I might take you up on that restaurant offer sometime.'
He had the most adorable smile.
'Thank you I'd like that.'
I knew I was blushing. He leant forward and kissed my cheek. His lips were soft and smooth, and the kiss glued itself to my face. I mentally stuck it there forever.
'I'll see you at the house,' I said as he climbed into the van.
I realised as I was walking back indoors and to my room that I had no idea where he lived and that I didn't know anything about him. The retirement home was silent in contrast to the last few hours. Shame, they were all so exhausted from the excitement, and I'm sure the ladies were dreaming of Kai by now. I lay down on my bed after a warm shower and checked my phone. Rylee had seen the photo and 'liked' it on Facebook. I knew she was going to phone me in the morning, but fortunately, I had the day off, and so I switched off my phone.