“I got a very exciting assignment,” Chioma told Dushan. They were at his flat and had just finished having dinner which he had prepared earlier that day. He was an excellent cook.
“Oh. What’s the assignment?” He looked at her and it occurred to him that she didn’t seem excited at all.
“I get to interview Yiddish film director Zelda Altermann.”
“When is the interview?”
“It’s on January 20th. I fly out of London on January 15.”
“Fly out to where?”
“To Buenos Aires.”
He stared at her. “Buenos Aires, Argentina?”
“Yes. I couldn’t believe it when Lydia told me. I’ve never been to South America or anywhere out of the country of an assignment.”
“How long will you be gone for?”
“Eight days. I’m going to miss you so much, Dushan.” Eight days apart would seem like eternity for her. Since they became a couple in December, they had been inseparable, seeing each other almost every day.
Dushan thought to himself, That’s why she isn’t excited about such a great opportunity. “You don’t have to miss me,” he said to her.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll come to Buenos Aires with you.”
Her face brightened. “You will?”
“Yes. I have vacation time and it would be a nice break from this cold.”
“Are those the only reasons?”
“You know very well that they aren’t. I want to be with you, Chioma.” He couldn’t imagine spending more than a day apart from her.
She smiled. “And I want to be with you. It will be so much fun, the two of us in Buenos Aires, exploring the place, soaking up the local culture and enjoying the cuisine.”
“I can bring my Spanish English Translation book. I bought it years ago for my trip to Barcelona.”
“What was Barcelona like?”
“It was great. The people, the art, the food and the places. There was a lot to see and do. We had a great time.”
“How long were you there for?”
“Two weeks. I went with a group of friends. It was a very long time ago. It was after I graduated from Cambridge.”
“What can you say in Spanish?”
“Hello, goodbye, thank you, can you help me, excuse me, do you speak English, how much does it cost, I don’t speak Spanish very well which came in very handy because there were times when someone was talking to me and I didn’t understand what they were saying. My personal favorite was, “Quiero la cuenta, por favor.”
“Wow. That was impressive. What does it mean in English?”
“I want the bill, please. I know that phrase by heart because a lot of the time, I got stuck with paying the bill.”
She laughed. “Nice group of friends you had there. Are you still in touch with any of them?”
He smiled. “Yes, I am. They’re a great bunch of guys even though back then, they were cheap skates. On the last night we were there, they didn’t let me pay for the entire dinner among themselves.”
“That was nice of them.”
“Yes, but I had to pay for the taxi to take us back to the hotel because they all got plastered at the nightclub we went to. I was the only sober one.”
She laughed again. “I would have liked to be there to see you trying to manage a bunch of drunk guys.”
“Believe me, it wasn’t pretty. I think the taxi driver was relieved when we got out of the car. He didn’t even bother to wait for a tip. He was out of there like a shot.”
“How did you manage to get your friends up to their rooms?”
He made a face. “Don’t ask.”
Chioma doubled over laughing.
He watched her, thinking about how beautiful she looked and how much he enjoyed making her laugh. And it occurred to him that he had never told Ruth about his trip to Barcelona. There were so many things which he had never told her which he shared with Chioma.
He was looking forward to going to Buenos Aires with her. It was a great opportunity for him explore a part of the world where he had never been before. They would go sightseeing, for walks and maybe spend a day at the beach. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.
“Bring your translation book with you and we can go through it when we’re on the plane.”
“All right.”
“I’m really excited about this trip because you’re coming with me.”
“I’m very excited too.”
“Buenos Aires, here we come!”
Source: Spanishland School
Notes to Women 