Rosaleen scraped the bottom of the chalice several times before admitting defeat. Notwithstanding, she managed to finish her food before Richard.
“You must have been hungry!” he exclaimed.
“Famished,” she corrected. “The other reason I didn’t want to share any more. Also, raw food doesn’t keep; I couldn’t very well take home a lizzy bag, now, could I? Not that my buddies wouldn’t have enjoyed it.”
“I’d really like to try more of that steak tartare,” he revealed. “But maybe not a full serving.”
“They have appetizers here, too,” she pointed out. “One’s called a ‘feral sampler’; it’s got a selection of raw foods, but one of them is always steak.”
“Something else to look forward to!” he chimed.
She stood up. “Do you mind if I go freshen up?”
He swept his hand forward. “Not at all.”
She gave him a cryptic smile and walked off.
Richard grinned broadly as he opened one of the supplied wet naps. With a start, he realized he had been here for less than an hour, yet everything seemed different. Raw steak, wild decor, and a beautiful jungle princess that genuinely seemed to like him. He tried to recall what his life was like just a short time ago, what with the cramped apartment, dusty office, and a self-owned business constantly teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. But now, the future looked brighter than he ever believed it could. What a difference a good woman can make, he thought to himself. He wondered if this is how his dad felt about his mom, back in the day.
A piece of cardboard in a folded leather handbook dropped in front of Richard’s face. “Your bill, sir.” His eyes zeroed in on the total, and his jaw dropped. Her meal was over ten times what his cost.
“Sure hope she was worth it!” the waiter smirked as he walked away.
How could raw food be so expensive? Even being funded for the duration wouldn’t help; the small daily salary was nice, but he couldn’t expense this meal on Harmony’s account. And he certainly couldn’t bill it to Rosaleen. He thought of the check he just mailed, to pay off his credit card; the revolving balance had returned like a B-movie zombie, just like the wrinkled crone warned him it would. One step forward, then the college football linemen using him as a practice dummy knocked him into last week.
A shapely freckled arm suddenly grabbed the check. “What’s wrong? You look pale.” She scrutinized the bill for a moment, then stuffed her credit card into the designated pocket and handed it to the waiter; he nodded as he strutted away. Her face wore a concerned look. “Are you OK?”
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“I…” he began.
“You didn’t think I was going to make you pay for my expensive meal, did you?” When he didn’t respond, she flashed an incredulous smile. “That would have been really unfair! C’mon, what century is this?”
She took her seat. “How about you leave the tip? That should be about as much as your meal.”
He fumbled for his wallet, putting together a few bills. “I can do that.”
She cocked her head as she gave him a coy smile. “Want to take a walk after this? I could sure use one.”
The park was only a block away; no need to drive to it. It was less of a park, and more a piece of undeveloped land without a fence. It had none of the meticulous manicuring found in an official city park, nature’s plan bent to fit mankind’s whims, rock walls forming prisons for plants. Here, trails formed spontaneously by people taking shortcuts, the popular ones created as people voted with their feet, pedestrian democracy in action. Nearby, teenagers rode foot-pedaled dirt bikes around laboriously-formed berms, competing for air time. None of them wore helmets; anyone daring to would have been laughed right out of town. Good thing they were still young enough to be indestructible.
“Isn’t it nice out here?” Rosaleen gushed. “A little slice of the wild, right here in the city.”
Richard looked around. “Too bad we can still hear the cars.”
She pointed to a thick clump of trees in the distance. “Maybe it’ll be quieter in there.”
Richard shrugged. “Worth a try.”
No well-beaten path led there, just an occasional trampled plant. Their trail wound between boulders, around rodent holes, and down into hidden washes left by monsoon torrents. “I’m glad you had time for this,” she trilled. “I hope I’m not taking you away from an important case.”
“I needed the break,” he related. “I’ve run out of leads. When that happens, I find it’s best to get some distance from it, gain some perspective, maybe spot something I missed before.”
“Then I’m glad I could help,” she shared.
“So what about you? Did all the lizards go to bed early today?”
She giggled. “Sort of. We didn’t have any new additions today, so the other staff have it under control. They only need me for the problem children.”
“Seems like we’re the people others call when they’ve got problems they can’t solve on their own.”
She took hold of his arm and momentarily put her head on his shoulder. “We get each other.”
Richard’s only reply was a beaming smile.
They neared the clump of trees; he noticed her eyes darting from one side of it to the other. “Is everything OK?”
She drew in a sharp breath. “Just a little nervous.”
His face fell. “I’m sorry…I don’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”
She playfully batted him. “Not you, silly! It’s just that…I don’t have a lizard to defend me here.”
He patted his suit coat directly over his shoulder holster. “Don’t worry…I’m not defenseless.”
She laughed to herself. “Look at me, hiding in the lizard pen, so I can avoid dealing with people.”
“Well,” he consoled, “hopefully I can help you build up some positive experiences with humans.”
She smiled. “I’d like that.”
“Stay right where you are,” commanded a firm voice. Richard spun around to find a disheveled thug, brandishing a knife. Rosaleen screamed and hid behind Richard, cowering.