She had seen a video about a seemingly nice grandpa going ape nutz to a waiter by tossing his breakfast to the waiter's head simply because he didn't get a spoon to eat his benedict eggs. She had heard about some devoted religious couple, basically, holier-than-thou types of people, who gave a "Your Salvation is Here" flyer instead of giving decent tips to the waitress, who served them for 30 minutes (including babysitting their poops-thrower baby while the parents were eating) and cleaned their table afterward, which was full of shredded tissues. She had been a witness when a lady got offended and started shouting profanity at the restaurant manager when he confronted the lady for smoking crack in their establishment.

In all of those events, Renata was a bystander, a mere spectator that laughed at those people, and maybe to some extent she cringed and felt sorry for all the people involved. But being in the eye of the embarrassing situation herself at the moment was her first time. Her body was nailed to her chair, practically void of any thoughts since her frozen brain had "Out of Order" signs plastered all over it like police lines at a murder scene.

"Get Your Lazy Ass to the Kitchen and Bring My Damn Food Out!!! Are You Deaf, Skippy!!!" The server's face was flustered at Lyle's yelling, Renata could see that Kenneth was about to do something to worsen the situation.

"Can you just ease off a bit, Lyle?" Renata couldn't watch any further, she snapped. "He is not the one who cooks our food." Renata glared at Lyle. Seeing that Renata was pissed, Lyle tried to defuse the situation by apologizing to her, not to Kenneth. It was Renata who apologized to Kenneth before he left for the kitchen.

Renata had returned to her cheerful attitude after Lyle threw some jokes shamelessly at her. But deep down, she couldn't help comparing his attitude to her father. Sure, she had heard that her father was hard to please. He constantly critiqued his subordinates to do a better job, to improve, so that their business could get better in their service. But she never witnessed him demeaning anyone; not to his employees, or to a server. Would Wilson also do the same as Lyle? Had she ever seen him do that in school? Not for long, Kenneth emerged from the kitchen, carrying a full tray of their orders. Renata felt relieved as Kenneth smiled at her when he said, "Enjoy." to her, he didn't seem to harbor any ill feelings toward her or Lyle anymore.

Lyle must be really hungry. For the past minutes, he had wolfed down 8 slices of pizza out of 12 while Renata was still chewing her first slice. The pizza was good, they were not stingy with the toppings, but eating three slices might be her wishful thinking. Lyle moved onto his 2 huge chunks of sandwich, they were stuffed to the brim with Genoa salami, prosciutto, pepperoni, provolone cheese, onions, roasted red peppers, shredded lettuce, and tomato. As she attempted to finish her third slice, Lyle had polished his plate clean. The boys' tummies sure were wider than most girls'; they probably had a full-fledged double-door refrigerator inside. As Lyle was snacking on the last slice of pizza, Renata was ready to take a nap on the nearest curb outside, her stomach was so bloated it was uncomfortable.

"Let's go, Little Rabbit. Where do you want to go next?" Lyle held her hand, interlocking their fingers together.

"I want to see the shop in the corner we passed earlier; they sell jewelry made out of glass."

The quaint little store was so lovely. If she could, she would buy all their goods. She loved their unique craftsmanship, all made in Murano-Venice, Italy. Murano glass jewelry was not cheap, indeed. There was this cute necklace with a heart & key pendant that cost almost $150. She would have bought that in a heartbeat if they didn't have any plans afterward. But unfortunately, they would watch a movie in an hour. And she didn't want to get just one item here, so probably next time.

'Heung~, these anklets are gorgeous, and the wristwatches were also nice. What should I buy? An anklet costs $80; a wristwatch $60. I still have $350 on hand and I also brought my credit card. Should I use my credit card?' Renata was so deep in thought that she didn't realize that Lyle had gone restless.

"Little Rabbit, I need to go to the restroom. Are you OK being alone for a while?" Renata told him to go and she would be waiting for him around here, then he left in a hurry.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

-----------Bear Family Chat Group-----------

Renata : Dad, look at these

- Picture sent -

- Picture sent -

- Picture sent -

Renata : Can I use the credit card? Pretty Plizz <(_ _)>

Dad : What happened to your money? And where are you?

Mom : Oh that anklet is so pretty, where do you find this stuff, silly bear? so gorgeous..... Where have I seen these....

Renata : I almost run out of pocket money..... Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I?

Renata : I'm at Mystick Village, with a friend.

Dad : NO, absolutely not. It's for emergency cases, you know that, Naughty Bear. You are not with a male friend, right?

Dad : Why are you not replying?

Dad : RENATA!!!

----------- INCOMING CALL : POP -----------

Probably, it was best not to answer it, for now. Renata had not grown her spine to speak to her father. Maybe she would call him later, after the date was over; if she ever found a Sumatran Tiger's gall to be transplanted into hers.

Renata decided to buy a Murano Millefiori wristwatch in pink leather and two anklets, one for her and one for Millie. She picked an Amethyst Murano Anklet for herself and a Dolphin Sea Green & Coral Murano Anklet for Millie. She hoped she would like it. After paying for the jewelry, she went to look around the stores next door.

There were many interesting stores, but she didn't dare to go into any of them, such as a witchcraft store. It said they sold cloaks, wands, potions, brooms, enchanted plants, books, and magical items. There was also a haunted bookshop, a Mad-Hatter tea party house, a beef jerky(?) store, a funky glasses store, toy stores, and many more. Her attention was absorbed in those trinkets; she was peeking inside the stores through the glass window as she passed. She didn't notice a hunk boy standing in front of her; he had anticipated her bumping into him.

The boy chuckled and pinched her cheek. "Watch where you are going, Renata." It was James, carrying a bag from a famous clothing brand. "Why are you here alone? Where is Lyle?"

"He was going to a restroom. Where is Meghan?" She soothed her cheek with her palm; he always pinched her cheek for an annoying reason, saying her cheeks felt like a mochi. In his words, they were pinchable.

"She is somewhere in one of these stores, shopping. Sit here." Apparently, he couldn't stand accompanying Meghan shopping, so he would rather wait for her in a coffee shop. Meghan could shop until the store was about to close. Renata bought a large cup of coffee frappe and a Boston cream brioche to accompany James. Renata told him that she and Lyle would go to a cinema, where, by coincidence, James also planned to watch a movie with Meghan.

"Why don't we go watch a movie together? What do you guys plan to watch? I heard Madagascar 2 is playing?" Renata asked him while sipping her frozen coffee, it was so good even in this cold weather, James was baffled.

"Are you a kid? Oh, you are ^^" Renata punched him in the upper arm for that comment. "I don't know what Meghan wants to watch. And I don't know if she wants to double date. Let me ask her, hold a sec." James pulled out his Blackberry and texted her. As they waited for Meghan's reply, Renata saw a souvenir store across from her, they sold mugs, tumblers, T-shirts, etc. with customizable designs to be printed on them. An idea sprung into her mind, and she smirked.

------------------------

They did a double date in the end and agreed to watch an American comedy film called [Role Models]. Lyle agreed to buy the tickets, and James agreed to buy the snacks. While waiting for those guys, Meghan and Renata were chatting about their dates so far while sitting on one of the benches near the cinema entrance. Meghan and James were visiting some boutiques and clothing stores; having lobster rolls for lunch at a cafe around the Waterfront, and eating homemade ice cream; she got pistachio and peanut caramel for James.

"I wondered where you bought your bucket bag. It's so nice." As Meghan approached her, a whiff of fruity floral scent hit Renata's nose. Oddly, she felt familiar with the scent, but she couldn't remember when and where.

"I'm not sure, my mom gave it to me." Renata was not used to telling people about their family business. When she was a little younger, a friend of hers praised her bag but actually was gossiping behind her back about her "ugly bag". Since then, she never mentioned to anyone that all her bags were her mother's design. She still wore it proudly because she really loved it, but she didn't want to hear people speak badly about her mother's creation.

"Wait, isn't this a Rosaline Perlée bag?? Oh my god, it is!!! I have never seen this before, was this a special edition?" Whoah, she knew her parents' store.

"Maybe, I'm not that familiar." Of course it was a special edition. Her mother never gave her mass-produced bags; all her bags were especially made solely for her.

"What do you mean??? The Rosaline Perlée bag is a famous handbag brand. Were you living under a rock? Gosh, if people knew you had the special edition, they would kill to have it. Do you know how much the ribbon alone costs?"

Renata just shrugged. She thought Meghan was a quiet type; she never knew she could be this talkative. "I wondered, what kind of perfume do you wear?" eager to change the topic.

"It's a new perfume by Vera Wang, Flower Princess. The perfume was just released this year. What do you think? I was so lucky to get this; they sold really fast."

"You girls, ready? Or do you still want to do each other's nails?" James had to have been thinking that this was a football field as he shouted, making both of them turn their heads at him, and everybody else near them. Lyle was walking beside him.

Renata stood up and walked beside Lyle, as James kissed Meghan and put his huge arm around her shoulders. Lyle chose the middle seats, three rows from the back. The girls were arranged to sit in the middle, next to their respective partners. When she was settled and the movie's opening was starting to play, she finally understood why Meghan's scent was familiar.