woman wearing irish linen shirt

I rushed to the speed of life and death to buy a bottle of New World Winery's table wine before the deadline.

There are special circumstances during this time, and the sale of alcoholic beverages is no longer allowed anywhere after 10:30pm.I rushed to the store immediately after eating, and I didn’t even have time to choose the vintage. Fortunately, I bought a semi-sweet wine. The taste of New World wines is always simple and clear, and the weather conditions of the year are not so important.

Miss Pender has asked me to meet at her house tomorrow.She cooks for me.

I didn't ask for packaging, and I felt a bit like a drunk on fire while I waited for my car with a bottle of wine.

Probably actually about the same.

I seem to have actually seen her, but not at Frankfurt airport, a little earlier than that.

Is she that person?Because it was only a one-time relationship, and ten years have passed, I can't make up my mind.Not to mention anything else, Miss Pan De has always been in Boston, why did she appear in Pioneer Valley?Did she have a show at that time?My chest rose and fell like a deer was running around.

After I got home, I was busy answering emails until after two o'clock in the morning.Now that I have agreed to her invitation, I don't want to break my promise.This weekend I'm going to be a normal person stripped of my social identity - at least try to.I don't expect everything to be perfect the first time I try something.

Then I lost sleep all night.

When I woke up to do HIIT in the morning, my heart rate never exceeded [-].I rinse out my heart rate belt, mix my protein/powder, shower, iron, and do everything with a weird sense of euphoria.It's as if a small seed sprouted and gradually grew up under the care of the sun and the wind. When people passed by, they glanced at it inadvertently, but saw it suddenly bloom like an open fist: ah, it turned out to be called The flower of "expectation" bloomed.

Just flowers, I thought.

Why am I so happy when it's such an ordinary thing?

Her house is near the subway station where we took our first goodbye walk, so it’s no wonder she took me there.The place is very easy to find, the top apartment in the CBD must be well known.

And she still lives on the top floor, the so-called penthouse--in this comparison, her car is not a luxury at all.

But right now, Miss Pender is just an ordinary person who happens to live here, and I'm just me, on an ordinary Saturday, with ordinary plans, seeing whoever I want to see.

Miss Pender was waiting outside the subway station.

"Hi." I saw her from a distance, and raised my hand to beckon.

She waited until I came closer, and then her smile became clear from the distance and the mask, and she said softly, "Hi."

"You were perfect today."

"Hmm..." She made a nasal sound with mischievous eyes, "I thought you would speak more, I don't know, be more worldly?"

"You look perfect." I said again, "Really."

"Thank you." She finally lost the battle, bowed her head and said with a smile, "I like you dressed like this."

"I'm honored." I blinked.

Because I couldn't spare a hand, I handed her the wine ahead of the guest list check-in.She thanked her in a low voice, looked at the wine label for a while, and asked, "Have we ever drank this?"

"You're right." I answered her, "I chose it for you when I was at the National Gallery, and that was the day of the concert."

"Oh!" She narrowed her eyes with a smile, "I love that wine. I have prepared very good ingredients today, I believe we will not disappoint your gift."

The elevator door opened.

She brought me the slippers with a layer of outer packaging.There is always a huge entrance in every apartment, but she makes good use of this space. There is a vase on the shoe cabinet, and there are four or five white roses that are about to bloom.Miss Pender hung the key ring on the coat rack. This move is really unusual, and I couldn't help laughing.

"What?" She was a little annoyed.

I stopped smiling, but my eyes were still smiling: "Is this your family habit?"

"It's one of my personal habits, I guess?" She took off the mask and hung it on the coat rack, but paused, then threw it into a sealed trash can, and motioned for me to throw it in too, " My brother also laughed at me when he came over. It’s obviously very efficient, and it’s not easy to forget—did you put the key in the bowl with coins on the shoe cabinet?”

"Wow," I said deliberately, "Siri, remind me to clean up the room and hide all the embarrassing things before Sonya comes to my house."

"What embarrassing thing?" Her eyes narrowed.

"Kitchen waste, half-eaten frozen pizza, clothes that haven't been put in the washing machine...I can make a list for you."

"Should that be embarrassing? Oh," she said, almost relieved, "it's a good thing I just did the cleaning today—"

Turning the corner, the eyes suddenly opened up.We're in her living room.

"Welcome to my house," said Miss Pender.

When you think of a flat-floor luxury apartment with an all-glass exterior, people tend to think of modern, minimalist decor that oozes money—her living room was nothing like that.Of course, spacious and bright is my first impression. This has not changed, but there is a strong atmosphere of life here. Miss Pender's home is just like her, beautiful, bright and full of fun.

The most eye-catching thing is a glass display cabinet placed against the wall, which replaces the position of the general TV set, facing the light-colored sofa with delicate leather surface.The richest lighting arrangement in the living room should be gathered there. A few spotlights are aimed at the man table in the carefully protected glass cabinet. A long red dress stands there eternally as if alive.

There is a shocking beauty.

"It's kind of weird, I know." Miss Pender followed me and explained, "But I feel good when I see it, so it's weird if it's weird."

"It's not surprising. Your family told me that you are an interesting person." I restrained my gaze and stopped looking at the display, "Is it your dance skirt? It seems to be much bigger than the skirt of ordinary Latin dance clothes."

"This is the costume for the bullfight dance. The skirt is like a cloak, so it's very wide." She gestured, "Have you seen the bullfight dance?"

I shook my head.

She took me to the sofa to sit down, and pulled out a tablet from under the side coffee table.I was surprised when I said it: there was not a single pillow on her sofa.I couldn't help but think of the way she put one on her back, hugged another in her arms, and occupied two pillows by herself, with some hesitation under her feet.

But I sat down anyway.I haven't forgotten why I came here today. Since she is only her and I am only me, there is nothing I should or should not do.

Miss Pender had a wish about me, and I happened to be the one willing to grant her wish.

We got very close.She deftly found a video, and the tablet rested between our knees, and I supported it with my hand.

"This female dancer is called Yulia, and she is very strong." Miss Pande introduced before clicking play, "They have retired, so we can only watch performances with this clarity."

The background music is a segment of the Broadway musical "Nine". Perhaps because of this, the dance is not very intense. Compared with a matador and an enraged bull, it is more like two people testing each other and getting closer to each other.

These few minutes of dancing are extremely tense, smooth and full of stories.I didn't know how to dance at first, and now I'm even more distracted. I don't know whether to watch the dance or watch her.I was just thinking, that dress in the glass cabinet, she must be very beautiful in it.

"It's a milder bullfight. How about it?"

"I don't see a cow," I said.

She laughed: "You're quite right. In this dance, the female dancer is more like a bullfighter's cape than a bull. Sometimes a female dancer will play the bullfight, so the dance steps will be more intense and have a sense of humor." more confrontational."

"Their dance looks very powerful." I pretended to look at her skirt and moved it slightly to the outside.The red dress, which was almost the embodiment of beauty, became so thin that I couldn't help staring at it. Even if I looked at it like this, it was still difficult to maintain my focus.Finally, I found something to say, and said, "I only watched "Carmen", not the Broadway one..."

"Flamenco?"

"Yeah." I confessed my ignorance, "It's kind of embarrassing, but I don't see much more than beauty and passion."

"You have seen the essence of dance." She laughed, "Better than me. When I watched Latin dance for the first time, I was frightened and cried when I left my head and shook my head."

I froze for a moment: "How old were you then?"

"Four or five years old." She looked at me mischievously, "But I don't remember it myself, it's my mother who often brings it up."

"Did you go to visit at that time?" I was thinking that Indian children might also have to take interest classes.

She shook her head. "My mom was a former Latin dancer. I thought her neck was going to break."

I paused, but fortunately I quickly thought of the wording, and said, "Although it may not be so common, but from another perspective, you were very caring when you were young."

She took a breath: "You and my mother must have a lot to talk about. She used this as evidence that I am very caring, and told everyone who knows me..."

I looked at her, trying to comfort her with something.But when Miss Pender looked back, the two of us avoided our gaze almost at the same time.I pursed my lips and said, "This dancer, she doesn't seem to be tall. Is it 1.7 meters?"

This is literally the worst topic I've ever found in my life.

Fortunately, Miss Pan De didn't seem to dislike it: "You will be very surprised."

After finishing speaking, she exited from the video, cut into the photo album and selected a folder, which was full of photos of the event with the flash on and everyone glowing red.I lowered my head and let her rummage, the tablet was between us, one of her arms was already attached to me, and I felt the little side of my body stiffen.

The last photo that stays in the frame shows two people.The young one is tall but shy; the other one is obviously the female dancer Yulia in the video just now, and she wears the same dress, which may have been taken on the day of the video recording.Yulia is half a head shorter than Miss Pender.

"The dancer's figure is so good, it's hard to guess the height without comparison. It's not my loss." I looked at her in the photo.Time has sculpted her beauty, and Miss Pender has become more and more attractive.

Miss Pender did not speak immediately.I looked up and happened to meet her eyes.

The air smelled of her perfume.

"Yao." She looked over, "Did you recognize me?"