Dashtan looked at the surprised Rakia with an amused smile while Rakia hastily lowered her head to hide her awkwardness and slight embarrassment. Twice this strange man before her had offered something that sounded ridiculous when it was a man like Dashtan who said it. Rakia took a deep breath to regain her sanity.
“Don’t like to offer things that you can’t live up to in the end. Have you ever been dumped?” asked Rakia with a serious challenging look. Their orders came and stopped their conversation for a moment. The waiter helps them prepare the BBQ stove.
“It must be painful,” said Dashtan when they came back together. Rakia swallowed her bitter saliva.
“It felt like I wanted to die,” Rakia said honestly. The aroma of grilled meat covered in spice sauce is very appetizing. Dashtan moved his cooked meat straight into his mouth using chopsticks. He nodded while chewing, “It’s delicious”, he commented. Rakia also followed Dashtan’s way of eating when the meat was cooked, she also made the same comment.
“We men sometimes leave for reasons that make no sense. But Women always give cliché reasons to leave. Honestly, I’m looking for a candidate for my wife, are you interested?” Dashtan dipped his meat in a sauce which he sprinkled with sesame seeds earlier. Raki sighed.
“Do you think finding a wife is like finding a clerk for you?”
“Not really, but I’m just avoiding clichés.” Dashtan stared at Rakia with his mouth chewing on the meat. He swallowed his food before speaking again.
“You don’t seem interested in my offer, even though I already have ten candidates.”
Rakia stared at Dahstan in disbelief. She thinks that this man in front of her is a man who might be a pimp.
“I have no interest in getting married anytime soon.”
“Why? Because you got dumped?”
The question made Rakia choke. Dastan just stares at Rakia who is trying to calm down.
“So it’s true, huh?!”
“What?” asked Raki angrily.
“About you getting dumped.” Dashtan spoke without sin at all. Rakia exhaled in an attempt to calm herself from the surging emotions.
“Yes, that’s true. So what?” Rakia gave Dashtan a slightly sharp look.
“It’s okay, maybe you need a distraction from the pain you’re feeling. I can help.”
Rakia’s eyeballs rolled 360 degrees with her unfriendly expression.
“Thank you, but I don’t need anyone right now.” What he said was true. He just wanted to be alone for a while. Dashtan finished his food and said “You can call me when you need someone later.”
They ate in silence for a few moments. Dashtan had finished first so he stole the opportunity to watch Rakia eat. Somehow he enjoyed the moment that woman gave him at this time. Dashtan observed the woman in front of him in his mind. In terms of physique, according to him, Rakia has an ideal and sexy body. What made Rakia interesting to him was when her pair of green eyes stared at him. As if she influenced him somehow to always be around him. Even when she was with Dalilah, she never felt that way. He was sure, Rakia was like a riddle to him.
“How about we have lunch together tomorrow?” offered Dashtan in an attempt to get to know her a little bit.
“Tomorrow I won’t be here,” Rakia replied. He finished his last bite.
“Where are you going?”
“None of your business, this is the last time we meet,” Rakia decided seriously. Dashan sighed.
“Come on... I just want to be friends.”
Rakia finished her orange juice before speaking.
“You know why I got dumped in the first place? It started with friendship. So stop using those boring cliché excuses to cover up your true intentions.”
“I already offered you an offer, but you refused. In fact, I hope you accept the offer.”
Rakia smirked at Dashtan’s honesty.
“You just pick the ten candidates you said you’d marry,” Rakia suggested.
“Nothing suits me.” Dashtan supported his cheeks with his hands as he looked at Rakia.
“You’re the perfect candidate for the role.”
“A role? You think marriage is a play?” asked Rakia fiercely. Dashtan cleared his dry throat. Rakia when angry looks quite scary.
“For me maybe yes.”
Rakia stared at Dashtan coldly. But he couldn’t assume any further about it, maybe there was a reason why the man said that.
“For now I have no interest in playing anything.” Rakia sighed, looked at the empty dinner plates and then called the waitress to clean it from in front of her.
“Would you like another order, Miss?” Asked like that Rakia nodded, she thought about a pudding and ice cream. The waitress came back and gave him the menu book. Dashtan also followed Rakia’s wish. He felt she was buying time for them.
“Do you have anything else to do? Because I still want to be here.” Raki told.
“Not right now, I’m going to meet the archeology team from Canada this afternoon.” Telling Dahstan, Rakia raised an eyebrow looking interested at that.
“You like something old-fashioned?” She asked because it reminded her of her father. Her father is one of the members of the archaeological excavation team.
“Not really, it’s just that recently one of the lands my father owned was believed to be the location of one of the oldest tribal civilizations on earth and archaeologists are about to carry out an excavation.”
Reporter Rakia’s soul seemed to be called to find out more about this information, but he was immediately hit by disappointment when he realized the reality. He looked down to hide his sad smile.
“Aren’t you a journalist?”
For some reason Rakia felt that the man in front of her knew everything about her.
“Not anymore,” Rakia replied, coldly.
“Why? You stopped?” Dashtan was curious but Rakia didn’t feel comfortable bringing it up.
“It’s okay, it’s not your business to know everything, right?” press Rakia to stop him from picking anything out of her. Dashtan smiles seeing Rakia’s discomfort.
“So, I think our meeting ends here. I have to go home to pack.” Rakia finished her dessert and got up from her seat.
“Don’t pay anything,” warned Dashtan when Rakia turned her back to leave. Rakia turned and looked at Dashtan with a smile and then thanked him before walking away. Dashtan watched Rakia leave with various thoughts about her. He must immediately find a reproach so that she is willing to help him carry out a role in his life. It sounds selfish and evil but Dashtan was tired of looking for the right candidate and he felt Rakia was the right woman.
Dashtan started to get frustrated again when he remembered his father’s agreement regarding the inheritance. His father only needed his married status to be able to transfer all of his assets to him, but unfortunately the woman he had chosen to partner with at the aisle chose to leave him for another man. He thought he would get that happiness simultaneously, marrying the woman he loved and getting the inheritance, but all vanished in an instant. Dashtan reached for the cell phone in his jeans pocket and surfed the internet search field and typed in someone’s name. An archeologist he would meet later this afternoon, as well as someone who would get closer to Rakia.