REBEL GRAINED

HIS PLATE

Thulile didn't wish to go far. So they ended up in the first restaurant they crossed.

Whether the place served good dishes or not didn't matter for Thulile.

"Where do you want to sit?" Lars asked.

"Where ever you want."

A waiter approached them, "a table for two?"

Thulile looked about. She would have been happy with the first fast food they crossed, but Lars seemed to want something more classy.

The woman was right. It was the first time they had lunch; a sandwich or fried chicken came off cheap. Lars didn't plan to impress. He didn't hope for her to eat in places she was used to going.

The man could not imagine the delicate dishes Thulile had eaten with Elije and the gastronomical heavens she visited over the years.

They sat down, and the waiter gave them the menu. Thulile only took a glance before putting the menu down.

"Wow, your choice was quick. What are you having?"

"Crêpe, the cheese and ham one."

"Oh, crêpe au jambon fromage."

"Yes."

"That's just a starter. What else?"

"It's enough for me. I'm not that hungry," Thuile's mind fast-forwarded to the bill. It would be silly to presume Lars would pay. Thus she prepared herself just in case they split the cost.

Lars observed her and lowered his gaze when hers caught his stare. He couldn't tell whether Thulile wasn't hungry or if she didn't wish to appear a glutton.

The waiter came back, "have you ordered?"

"I'll have a crêpe au fromaje Gambon," Thulile said.

Lars desperately tried to refrain from laughing at the very odd pronunciation, "I'll have a Cesar salade, followed by your entrecote and Pommes Maison."

"Any drinks?"

"Water for me," Thulile said.

"Sparkling or still?"

"Still."

"And for you, sir?"

"Sparkling."

The waiter left Lars and Thulile in an eye-to-eye showdown where they both detailed each other's features.

Lars had incredibly impeccable teeth. How could they be so straight and white? Most foreigners she saw had yellow teeth, but Lars' were perfect.

"Eh, em, the weather is good today."

Thulile cocked an eyebrow as if to say couldn't you find a better conversation starter, "the weather is always good. Joburg is fun."

Lars adjusted his position, "yeah, it's a great city, but there are some thingsㅡ," Lars stopped as the odd baroness entered his mind and a sardonic grin appeared, "there are some dark sides."

"Is there a perfect place on earth?" Thulile asked.

"Sweden, my country isn't bad. I mean, it's clean. People are polite."

"Being polite doesn't make someone nice or friendly."

All the Northern European countries were alike in Thulile's mind as cold as the people. When they visited South Africa, they allowed themselves to do things disapproved in their country. A foreigner's behavior in another country than their own reflected the profound personality they hid from their society.