Tiago bought a surprisingly fabulous movie tonight. Like a little dive restaurant that turns out to be the best in town, the cover was less than inspiring. It was called “Duets” and something...a little independenty movie with Gwyneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis and a few other people whose names didn’t ring any bells. And it was about karaoke singers. Karaoke contests where the top prize is a whopping five thousand dollars!!! I was totally confused by his movie choice: This is what my darling boyfriend finds interesting? After a steady stream of action flicks, indie films would be nice...but this certainly would not have made my “pick a movie by its cover” list. Which goes to show that first impressions are frequently wrong. I loved it! We both did, actually. Great sound track, quirky story line, intriguing actors. It was made even better by the addition of our dinner menu: fresh squeezed orange juice, rosemary-garlic-lime marinated chicken sandwiches with pan-fried onions, spinach, and mozzarella, and...fried okra! Lightly fried...of course, since I’m not into heart attacks and I want to eat like this for the rest of my life.
Okra is my new vegetable of the month. It has replaced spinach. It has replaced the ubiquitous carrot. Wash, cut, dredge, go...it cooks up fried in a matter of minutes, and makes a wonderfully gooey mess mixed in with chicken and a tomato sauce...I love the little white seed things. They’re simultaneously revolting and curious, an exact visual twin to the inside of a fish’s eye. I know, because we dissected one last Wednesday when Raquel and I refused to eat our fish heads at lunch, preferring to poke and probe at the parts we found too repulsive to eat. The eye was soft and squooshy. With a nudge of the knife, it separated to reveal a tiny white orb, stone hard but which flaked like limestone or chalk when enough pressure was applied. We’re still curious. Is that really what the inside of a fish’s eye is supposed to look like? And if it is, why is it opaque? How do they see? Science majors, assistance, please!
None of this was what I was intending to write about tonight. I wanted to write about how I arrived at the metro station this morning and was reading a sign on my way out of the station when a strange man grabbed me around the shoulders and kissed me passionately.
Tiago looks different when he shaves!
I was surprised, as he had said for me to come straight to the church because he wouldn’t be able to take a few minutes off of work to pick me up at the metro. So that was surprise number one. Surprise number two was being introduced to absolutely everyone at the medical clinic as his “princess” and girlfriend, watching their expressions (it was quite obvious that he’s been talking about me all week), and then getting to listen as they praised him. It’s quite a wonderful thing to have the privilege to hear people honoring someone you care so very much for...but surprise number three really caught me unawares. Usually, Tiago is Mr. Total Professional at work and the best I can get out of him is a wink...he’s the one with more of an American attitude towards public displays of affection now! So having him be so open about our relationship was a bit out of the ordinary. Usually, he’s much more reserved. Tiago was just not quite himself this morning, more agitated and over-loud than I’m used to seeing him. But when he came back into the room after a short absence, and presented me with a dozen roses (pink and red), all was explained! And my face was glowing crimson but for once, I didn’t care.
Tiago is a romantic-in-training. And I am spoiled!
This is a good thing for both parties.... [grinning...]
1 comment:
Jenna - You might tell Tiago that women like to get flowers when they arrive at airports, too. I can't wait to meet this man! Mom
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