178. Love at first sight (4/ ...)

Very quickly, the 'psychopath' became a regular visitor to the flat.

'You want something to eat?'

'Yum! Excellent idea!'

'Got plenty of eggs. Do you want an omelette?'

'Yes, please!'

I'd whip up an omelette in no time at all. One of my flatmates, who was at the time struggling with her own relationship, dutifully warned me that this might be a case of female-enslaving through omelette making.

'You need to stop feeding this man! You'll never get rid of him!'

Did I want to get rid of him? I hadn't even asked myself that question but I did not think I'd ever want to get rid of him. I could not picture myself saying 'you need to get out of my life. I've had it making omelettes. Go make your own.' 

'I don't want to get rid of him.' I said.

'He'll be forever wanting you to cook for him! Is that what you want?'

'I like cooking and he likes eating. So I cook and he eats.' 

Being a few years older than me she was speaking through experience she said. She just wanted to warn me (and whoever was around) about how tough life was, about how things never turned out the way we thought they would. About how good-looking men were bound to dump you (and did I want a list of names) and how foolish we were all to fall in love and dream of happy-ever-afters.

I did not care. I just kept making omelettes. 

Dates for drinks turned into dates for food, in small exotic restaurants in the back streets of the West End, and posh venues in the recently refurbished East End. We ate onion bhajis and vegetable pakoras with our fingers one evening and the next we sample haute cuisine. My translating the à la carte menu was as close as I ever got to attempt teaching him French again. I had proved to be an appalling teacher ... One day even our children would comment on that!

While we ate he told me stories about walking across Africa, talked about navigating sails over the seas and through the skies, told me he was fed up right now and ready for new adventures ... What a coincidence I too was ready !