“At least I know. I’ve done my part.”
“What’s that? Getting involved in other people’s lives?”
“I’d just like to remind you that you brought me here. You should’ve guessed that I’d find out.”
“Find out what? Who I am? Where I come from? How influential my family is, while I’m a total nobody?”
I don’t like his words. I don’t agree with what he’s saying, and I don’t like the way my stomach reacts to it, either. No one should talk about themselves like that, and even though I barely know him, I’m certain that the reason he’s so hard on himself is down to someone else’s words.
“You’re a chef,” I say calmly. “You work in someone else’s restaurant.”
“Are you analysing my shitty life?”
“You could have a whole chain of restaurants in your name by now – even hotels, if you wanted. You’d never have to work another day in your life.”
His jaw tightens and his eyes darken, fixing themselves onto mine.
“And yet…”
“And yet I’m a failure? Is that what you’re trying to tell me, in your weirdly polite way?”
“And yet, you’ve proven that you’re someone who sticks to his morals, who believes in what he does, and who doesn’t go looking for shortcuts.”
His expression relaxes.
“You don’t know me.”
“True. But it doesn’t take much to see that this,” I say, gesturing around us, “isn’t you.”
I watch as he swallows, his Adam’s apple moving up and down as if his throat were as dry as the desert.
Everyone sits down at the table, interrupting our conversation and bringing our attention away from us.
Eric’s mother is the first to speak.
“We have a special vegan menu, in case you’re…” She glances at me, and I shake my head.
“I’m not, but thank you for checking.”
I hear Eric scoff from beside me, but try to ignore it.
“Our Colm is vegan,” she continues, her emphasis onournot escaping my ears – and if I noticed, then Eric definitely did, too. “I’ve tried, but I just love lamb too much.”
I glance quickly over at Eric to gauge his reaction.
I shouldn’t worry about how he’ll react or how he might feel, sitting across from someone who, apparently, has been an important figure in his life, but has recently taken on that role as part of someone else’s life. But I can’t help it. I’m here with him, after all, and even though we’re not friends, I can’t just pretend I’m totally disinterested in what’s happening around me.
“So, tell us…?” The pompous arsehole turns to me, pretending to have forgotten my name.
“Sean. His name is Sean,” Eric responds for me.
“Of course, of course…” He can’t hide his satisfaction in the face of Eric’s reaction. “What do you do?”
“I’m a professor.”
He stifles a laugh under Eric’s hard, furious gaze.
“A professor… And what do you teach?”
