Nicole Vargas
"Finally, I thought you two would never come," Rose exclaimed as she opened the door for us. "Come in, dinner's ready."
Rose's house was huge. It looked more like a palace than a house. The floors were marble, the stair rails were ornate mahogany, carved and polished so that it shined. Portraits were painted in oils and hung in gold frames. The furniture seemed to be all handmade by master craftsmen and the air was scented with fresh flowers.
Rose wore a dark red dress covered in feathers. For an old woman, she sure looks stylish and classy.
"Before we have dinner I'm going to play with Thomas for a bit. You and Nicole can catch up." Ethan said as he walked away.
"Who's Thomas?" I asked Rose.
"That's my dog." She laughed. "He has his own part in this house. Come, darling, let's go to the kitchen and have some wine."
I followed her into the kitchen and there were two maids standing at the counter. They slightly bowed their head at me. "Good evening miss," they both said in unison.
"Hi," I answered curtly. They both looked young. In their late thirties perhaps? They wore a grey uniform with Rose's name on it. I assume that is their uniform.
"Two glasses of wine please...," Rose said and leaned on the kitchen counter where the two girls were just standing. "I hope you like Italian food. I have made Panzanella and pasta carbonara. Ethan loves pasta carbonara."
"I actually do love Italian food," I admitted. "How come you can prepare them?"
Rose laughed softly. "My husband, well may his soul rest in peace, he was half Italian. He taught me."
"Oh," I said softly. Rose is a widow. "How long has it been?"
"Mmh let's see... Eight years. I have been a widow for eight years."
"Aren't you lonely in this huge mansion?"
Rose chuckled lightly. "Not at all. This mansion is his actually. After his death I got everything. His money, house, cars, and whatsoever. He made sure I would have a comfortable life."
"Oh wow." I breathed out. He's a true gentleman.
"And he was also twenty-five years older than me. I started off as his sugar baby." Rose added casually.
My mouth fell open. "You what? You mean he was---,"
"My sugar daddy?" Rose smiled, "He was. He had a boring wife. I was there to spice it up for him. He loved kids, but he didn't want any for himself." Rose sighed and gazed dreamily in the distance. "He divorced her later and married me. Everyone said I did it out of money. They said I was a gold digger, but trust me when I say I love that man so much."
The two girls came back. "Please, ma'am. Here's your wine." The girl handed me and Rose a glass of wine.
"You can go home now," Rose said to both of them. "I'll see you both tomorrow morning."
They nodded their heads. "Good night."
When the girls left the kitchen Rose spoke again. "They are all trained. Everyone who works here was trained by him. So how's it with you and Ethan? When is the wedding."
I choked on the wine. I coughed loudly. "I'm.. what wedding?"
"Yours and Ethan's wedding. You two are so perfect for each other. Since I don't have kids, it's kinda lonely up here sometimes. So since I got to know Ethan, my life has been a little bit more worth living. And since he got you, I cannot help to feel like a proud mom. He scored so well."
I laughed. "Well, we take things slowly. I've known him for quite a while, but so far things are good."
"I'm glad to hear that. You know a relationship will never be all sunshine and roses. There will be thunderstorms, and... there will be a point where you want to give up. But keep this in mind. In a relationship, it's not you against the person. It's both of you against the problem." Rose took a sip of her wine. "That's the best advice he ever gave me."
"You loved him a lot didn't you?" I asked. The way how Rose talked about her dead husband, you would never think he was her sugar daddy. Her love for him is so pure. The pain in her voice is so evident. "Have you had someone else after his death?"
Rose shook her head. "I wish I could. But I can't do my man dirty like that. Everything that he possessed, it all belongs to me now. The least I can do is remain loyal to him even after his death."
I heard footsteps outside the kitchen and Ethan entered in the mid of our conversation. He took a deep breath. "Mmh, I smell pasta."
Rose smiled at him. "I made pasta carbonara for you." Rose motioned for me to sit. "Let's start dinner now before the food gets cold. What do you want to drink, Ethan?"
"Water, please."
Rose went and grabbed water for him. After that, she sat down and took a deep breath. "I'm so happy that you both are here. Now let's pray and dig in."
Ethan did the prayers. I never saw him as a religious guy, but I guess I was wrong. The food was delicious. It tasted better than the Italian food I occasionally ate at the restaurant in Brazil.
After dinner, Ethan went to take Thomas out for a walk and I helped Rose with the dishes. Rose handed me a small book. "What is it?" I asked as I looked at the beautiful satin red book in my hand.
"Recipes of food Ethan like," Rose said with a twinkle in her eyes and added teasingly, "Because as you know... The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."