"Mom, where was that cute thing you always used for my packed lunch when I was still in school?" Apollo asked, emptying all the kitchen cabinets to find that thing.
Mrs. Rodriguez looked confused. "The bento box? Why do you need it?"
"I cooked too much of the braised beef so I was wondering if maybe Betha would like to have it for dinner. She can just heat it up later."
"Oh." Mrs. Rodriguez went upstairs.
"Mom?" Apollo looked around for his mom. "Where'd she go now?" He asked himself. A few minutes later, his mom appeared. "Where'd you go?"
"You said you wanted to use the bento box so here it is." She sat at the kitchen stool fronting Apollo who was standing by the counter.
"Oh. Thanks, mom. Aren't you hungry yet? It's almost one." He opened the bento box and started stuffing it with rice, braised beef and veggies.
"We had way too much breakfast, dear. But I am excited to eat your braised beef later."
"Yeah me too. I still feel like a pig right now. That was some serious breakfast we had. I won't get that overwhelmed in cooking again. I learned my lesson." He gave Mrs. Rodriguez a sweet smile and she responded the same.
"You look happy and excited. I'm glad."
Apollo was done preparing Betha's packed food then simply nodded at his mom's remarks. "What's this called again?" He asked, holding the thing and looking at every angle.
"Tote."
"It's very girly. I don't remember that this goes with the bento box."
"Well I don't think there's going to be a problem with that because it's meant for a girl anyway."
"Oh. Right." He grinned.
���You look a little nervous." Mrs. Rodriguez stood up, fetched a bottle of water from the fridge and gave it to Apollo. "Here. Drink up and cool down."
Apollo's eyes rolled. "Mom, I'm fine. I'll be fine."
~
"I'm not fine. I'm definitely not feeling fine." Apollo was in her mom's car parked in front of the pharmacy and he'd been looking at it for quite some time, trying to collect all his courage and thoughts. His plan was to give Betha the packed meal and ask if she wants to watch a movie at Daylight Avenue before dinner.
Daylight Avenue was the perfect mall for health and environment enthusiasts. It was the only mall that followed outright banning of plastics so the food court at the 2nd floor as well as all other restaurants used either edible or nature straws that were made of wheat. The ground floor had fashion boutiques from self-proclaimed artists that were very good in their craft. The many variety of good quality garments, shoes, bags, and accessories were exclusive sold only in Daylight Avenue. The grocery store, which was also situated at the ground floor, only sold organic food and only had hessian bags that were made from durable and naturally biodegradable vegetable fibers as their best alternative for single-use plastic bags. The 3rd floor was the mall's entertainment avenue comprised of a Movie Avenue with four cinemas and a Kids Avenue that didn't have any violent arcades. Apollo's first destination for his first date with Betha was at Daylight Avenue. They could just watch a movie and maybe play some arcade.
He closed his eyes, inhaled and exhaled. When he stepped out of the car with the tote bag, he searched the premises, feeling a bit embarrassed to be seen holding something flowery. When he got inside the pharmacy, there was no sign of Betha, so he tried to check further if she was maybe at the far end or inside their stockroom. Apollo almost looked like a brontosaurus in doing this. Not long, a girl with short curly brown hair in mid 20s greeted him. "How may I help you? Can I have your prescription?"
"Oh no. I'm not here to buy anything. I'm looking for Betha." Apollo responded, still looking around to see where she might be. And just like magic, she appeared from behind the shelves. He instantly smiled at the sight of her. "Betha."
"Well hi there. What brought you here?" Betha nonchalantly approached the counter and rested her elbows, hands clasped under her chin.
Hannah's curiosity was short lived when she recognized the kind of casual flirting that Betha was playing. She stepped out of the picture to give them space.
"I brought you lunch. Or well, dinner because it's way pass lunch. You can just heat this up later." Apollo placed the tote bag on the counter and pulled out the bento box. "It's braised beef with rice and some veggies. I cooked too much of it and since you're new in our neighborhood, it's kind of a welcome gift." He looked self-conscious as Betha studied his face and opened the bento box.
"Wow these look good. They also smell good, Apollo. Thank you." She gave him her sweetest smile.
Apollo felt like he was going to die happy. "It's nothing, really." He humbly said.
"Actually, I think I should eat this now. The truth is I haven't had lunch. It was peak hours and I just didn't have time but now I do. Do you wanna join me?"
"Yes." Apollo instantly responded, his heart leaping and jumping up and down like Deedee of Dexter's laboratory.
"Can you wait for me? I'll just quickly tell Hannah I'll step out for my one-hour break."
Apollo nodded. His heart had not recovered from the adrenaline rush upon seeing Betha's reaction to the food he had cooked himself. And now he was too ecstatic to spend one whole hour with Betha.
"Where should we go eat this? We can share if you haven't had your lunch."
"My mom's friend owns Samgyeopsal. She's almost never there but the staff lets me and Gab hang out there sometimes." He opened the pharmaceutical door for her, and they stepped outside.
"Sure, let's go there."
As they entered the restaurant, Betha was mesmerized with the interior design because at first look, anyone would've thought they had entered an art gallery if it weren't for the mouthwatering scent of beef and kimchi stew. Samgyeopsal didn't completely follow the traditional look of a standard Korean restaurant. The entire surrounding had a mix of Western modern elements and upscale Korean designs that would make anyone want to stay. Chairs were made of high-quality Manchurian ash solid wood with decorative touch that used glossy, breathable, soft, and tough imported cloth. The black and gold color looked elegant and matched the smokeless Korean barbecue table. The walls had paintings with labels under them. Betha touched the labels showing Plum Blossoms, Blossom, Bump, Flare, and then went straight to the corner of nine showcased artists. "Kim Tae, Kim Tae…oh my gosh their names are so hard to pronounce."
An amicable-looking waitress came up to her and read the names of the artists. "Kim Tae-Kueon, Park Je Kyoung, Ham Sup, Shin Ha Neul, Lee Yoonsung, Sang-jin Choi, Chu Yeon-Sin…."
"Oh, I know this. I can read it. Candy Park." Betha proudly said.
Apollo burst into laughter with a quiet applaud. "Good job there, Betha. Good job."
"And the last one here is Um Mi Keum. They are all contemporary artists."
"You're not Korean." Betha said to the friendly waitress then noticed her nametag. "Shelley."
"Yes, I'm a full-blooded American." She smiled. She had natural blond hair, a petite figure and was two inches shorter than Betha who was 5'7" and five inches shorter than Apollo who was 5'10. The girl felt so tiny as she stood between the two. "Please have a seat. What are you having?"
"Just rice and kimchi stew. We brought a packed lunch." Apollo raised the tote. "We'll check the menu for desserts or beverages."
Shelley handed the menu over to Betha and Apollo. "I'll be right back."
When she was out of sight, Betha was in awe of the ambiance. "THIS, is the epitome of a fine dining restaurant." She said as they sat across each other. Betha was even more impressed by the plates on lovely linen placemats. Chopsticks, condiments, glasses, and tissue were already set up on the table.
"It is, isn't it? The owners are art collectors. Su-ann, my mom's friend is a curator at an art gallery. She's married to an American who's into furniture business."
"Such perfect combination! That explains the high-end interior of the place. It's so amazing."
"It is."
"Gab and I are here at least maybe once a month when my mom's craving for Korean. We'd eat here and then order a takeout for her. Then, sometimes my mom and I are here on Sundays."
"Cool! You seem really close to your mom. And she's very pretty and sweet."
"She is."
"She looks a lot like Jennifer Aniston that I had to do a double take when I met her."
"Yeah, she gets that a lot. And Gab has a huge crush on Jennifer Aniston."
"Oh." Betha suddenly understood why Gab was acting cute with Apollo's mom around. "Oh, now I get it! Gab has a crush on your mom!"
Apollo looked embarrassed. "Yep. But let's not talk about that. Let's talk about food instead." They started checking the menu for beverages. Betha tried her best to hide her amusement.
After five minutes, Shelley served rice, iced water and kimchi stew. "Thanks, Shelley." Apollo said. "I'll have the usual sikhye."
"What is that?" Betha asked. The menu was clearly a challenge for her because it was her first time in a Korean restaurant.
"It's a sweet traditional rice drink. I think every Korean restaurant has it because it's their traditional end to a meal. Or I don't know. At least that's what I remember. Right, Shelley?"
"Yes. You're right. I haven't seen you for a long time. I'm glad you're here." She commented.
Betha looked from Apollo to Shelley then back to Apollo. "I'll have the same." She closed the menu. "By the way, I'll be out by five and I was planning to shop at Daylight Avenue. I was wondering if you could come with me." She discreetly observed Shelley's reaction though it was hard to pinpoint because she seemed to only have one reaction to her smiley face.
Apollo couldn't believe the luck that he had. The gods were with him and he couldn't help but smile with all 32 of his teeth showing. "Okay."