"Do you agree with me, sweet heart?"
"I couldn't say any better. In fact I think I need her a lot more." Jacob gave Diana a sweet smile.
"You two are very lucky couple." Tim answered.
"Anybody can have what we have. It's not hard." Jacob said earnestly.
"What is the secret?" Rosa asked after a long silence.
Jacob and Diana looked at each other, but it was Diana who said:
"There is no secret; when you respect your partner and love him and he is your best friend, it works even in bad times. They all go together. And believe me we had our shares of bad times. What about you? Do you ever want to marry?"
Rosa thought for a moment while sipping her wine. Then she raised her head. Her magical eyes glowed, but before she was able to give her answer, Thui said:
"Ya, talking about bad times, with their daughter..."
Diana cut in before Thui was able to finish what she was about to say, and turned to Rosa, and said: "What were you saying?"
"I don't know what to say after hearing your perspective of marriage and good life. I am frightened at this point of my life; I don't know why; however, I can't agree with you." She put her hand on Tim's hand, and looked at him passionately but not lovingly.
"What part of what I said you don't agree with?" Diana quizzed her while trying to hide her anger from Thui.
Everyone was anxious to hear what Rosa had to say:
"Why are you all looking at me like this? I don't like to be on spot!" She said in an abrupt and incisive tone.
Tim pulled her close to him and kissed her on the cheek.
"No one is going to condemn you for your opinion, sweet heart. We all are educated people here."
Thui dropped her head on her chest.
"Well," Rosa began: "I don't think marriage is for me unless I change. I like to be independent and run my own life without being responsible for anyone else or answering anyone for my action."
"But living single is not a fun life!" Diana cut in.
"For who, you or me? What is good for you, may not be good for me."
"So why do you date?" Thui's question, of course, was not for her curiosity but it was because of her evil mind and the feeling of being left out from the conversation.
"I always date. I don't deny my desire for men. But I also have my own place, so if I decide that I want to be left alone, I have a place to go to."
"How can you say you don't like marriage in front of your date?" Ed said with disgust.
"Tim doesn't want to get married either. He's told me himself. Ask him."
Jacob poured more wine for everyone. They all waited for Tim's answer. He noticed every one's stare. There was a fog before his eyes.
"She is right. Marriage is not for me either. I had enough of it. Not everyone is as lucky as Jacob to marry only once and hit the jackpot." Then his voice tapered off apologetically:
"No offense to you married people!"
"You must have had bad marriages!" Thui said with a funny smile.
"Do you want to know my life story? Why don't you just ask? I'll tell you." Tim's voice passed its prime. It showed his disgust of Thui's question. Then he continued:
"Yes, I was married once, only once, Miss Thui. I didn't have marriages. I had one marriage many years ago. She almost ruined me. She took my son from me. She poisoned his mind against me. Do you want to know more." Tim Did not hide his disgust from Thui.
"Hey, Tim, you're talking to my wife. Just watch it." Ed began, but before he was able to go on, Jacob got himself involved. He did not want a fight in his house between Ed and Tim who were seeing each other for the first time. Ed noticed Jacob's intention.
"So you have a son. How old is he now?" Ed blurred out trying to hide his anger.
"Never mind my son's age. You probably want to guess my age. But I won't tell you." Then he added with a visible sadness:
"I haven't seen him for a long time. His mother infected his mind against me."
To Be continued
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