Page 58 of Dan.
Once we reach our destination, it’s becoming quite clear that Andries’s choice of an early lunch is solely because he wanted some privacy, since we’re one of only three tables in the entire place. The lack of other guests means we get a prime table on the edge of the outdoor dining area, overlooking the turquoise Mediterranean Sea and views of the towering Faraglioni. Scents of buttery seafood and fresh bread waft over me, and my stomach growls. I guess I didn’t even realize how hungry I was until right now.
The server is quick to greet us since the restaurant is so slow, and when Andries just gives a listless shrug when the young man reads off the list of wine, I go ahead and order for us. I choose something light and fresh, internally thinking that the last thing Andries needs is something else heavy and complicated in his life right now. My friend adds on a basket of fresh bread before the server leaves, and then he’s back to staring out into the ocean, his chin balanced on his fist, elbow on the table.
I keep waiting for him to initiate conversation, but he’s silent, even as the server pours our wine and delivers our bread––baked with fresh herbs and served with olive oil for dipping. The crunch of the knife cutting into the crust seems almost deafening compared to how quiet Andries is, and while he takes his own slice of bread and empties half his wine glass in one drink, he still doesn’t have much to say to me. I’ve never seen him like this. Sure, Andries can be moody and melancholic, but there is always a lot of venting or ranting to accompany it. He’s never silent like this, and the strange behavior he’s showing makes me uneasy.
“Wine is good,” he says finally, still not looking at me. “What are you ordering?”
“The prawns, probably…” I say, wondering how I’m supposed to stretch that one question into an entire conversation. “It says they are fire grilled.”
“Nice,” he comments, emotionless. “‘I’m getting scampi.”
“Uh… great…” I take a long drink of my own wine glass, stopping myself from drinking the entire thing just to ease the awkwardness of this meal. I need a little liquid courage, and as the refreshing wine pools in my belly, I decide to do something about all of this. I’m not going to eat in utter silence, after all. “Are you okay, Andries?”
Now he looks at me, and his eyes look haunted. “Should I really get married, Dan?” He pauses, taking a deep breath. “I mean, what if she is found guilty and spends the next decade in jail? Am I supposed to just spend ten years without seeing my wife, knowing she’s locked away in some prison?”
Ah, here it is. The real reason for this trip. “We don’t even know if she’s going to go on trial or not, man. She wasn’t in the area when all of this happened, and, like she said, her cabaret had a squeaky clean reputation before all of this.”
“I shouldn’t have done it, but I couldn’t help myself… I looked up some of the news about the whole scandal after I talked to her alone, and there is a new video where the prosecutor is saying on television that they believe she left the country on purpose.”
“First off, don’t do that to yourself. Don’t go searching for things like that when you know it’s just going to upset you. Plus, I’m sure this PR stunt is being financed by––”
“My dad?” Andries interrupts, his words sharp like the blade of a knife. “Yeah, maybe. Let’s say he’s funding it. That doesn’t take away the fact she is the ownerandthat she lied to me, Dan.Again.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the server hesitating to approach the table, so I wave him over. “Let’s order, and then we can get into all of this.”
He nods tightly, and we place our orders, the heat of the argument we were almost getting into fading away.
I chew on some oiled bread to keep myself busy while I try to figure out the best way to support Roxanne while still admitting that Andries has a point. “She didn’t really lie. She just… didn’t tell you about it,” I say lamely
“That’s called a lie of omission,” he replies just as fast, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “It’s the same shit. She knew I wanted her to quit that industry, and a cabaret in the red light district is not much different from that agency she owned.”
I furrow my eyebrows, an argument forming in me. “It’s not exactly the same, and you––”
He holds up a hand. “Don’t. I’m not trying to convince myself that it’s okay that she hid an entire fucking cabaret from me, okay?” My mouth snaps shut, and I pour us both a refill just to have something to do. As soon as we’re done arguing, Andries starts to fade back into himself once more, looking pensive and far away. “I bet Dad is laughing all the way in Lake Como about what is happening.”
“Don’t let him win, Andries,” I tell him. Thinking about Sebastian and all the shit he’s pulling to make his own son miserable makes me feel heated, and my words reflect it. “We can get great lawyers, the best around, and go against Karl and your dad. Roxanne might have a lot of flaws, but she really does love you. I’ve been able to tell that from the very beginning, and it hasn’t changed. In fact, I’d even argue she loves you more.”
“Is love enough, though?” Andries asks, visibly broken. His words startle me… Andries is a true romantic.
“Um, what do you mean by that exactly?”
The server brings our food by, and my stomach rumbles again, louder this time at the scent of the prawns. Andries’s shrimp scampi is swimming in clarified herb butter, and he has a side of roasted vegetables to go with it. Not that he’s paying any attention to his food, that is.
“We are just so fucking different,” he answers after a moment. “Her life choices are now biting us in the ass and they are taking her away from me.”
“That’s why you have to fight back,” I answer, my tone overly excited, but Andries just scoffs. How can he be so dismissive about everything? It drives me insane! “I promise you that Roxanne never thought owning a cabaret would lead to so much trouble. She was, and still is, a savvy businesswoman, Andries. I bet that cabaret was the last little piece of the empire she built for herself. It was wrong of her to keep it from you, I agree, but I really don’t think the intent was at all malicious.”
“Yeah, right…” Andries says between bites, tearing off little pieces of the crusty bread to soak up the herb butter as he talks. “It’s so hard to tell when she is doing something on purpose or not, so I have a hard time believing that she’s so innocent when it comes to lying to me.” He pushes the food around on his plate, the wind blowing his hair. “So… do you really think I should go ahead with the wedding for next month or what?”
“Which day was it, exactly?”
“Twenty-sixth of August,” he says, sounding nostalgic, his gaze drifting up to meet mine. “The day I met her a year ago.”
This is the longest year of my entire life thanks to you, Andries,I can’t help but think. Out loud, I tell him what I genuinely feel, even if it might not be the wisest decision on paper. “I think you should, yeah. But at the end of the day, it’s up to you. I can’t make that decision for you. No one can.”
There’s a lull in our talk as we enjoy our food and let all the events of the last few days wash over us. It feels like a waste to be so down and sad in such a beautiful place, but I can’t exactly tell my friend to cheer up. He has all the reason in the world to be gloomy, for once. My prawns are citrusy and bright tasting, paired with rice pilaf.
“Are you actually mad at Roxie?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me. Scared for her I can understand, but I hope he isn’t outright angry with her. They have enough to deal with, and that will just make it harder.