around to face the boy. “What? What did you say? You speak English? Oh, my God. Really? That’s amazing! Will you…wait, what did you say?”
“Lady say jump. Mihai tell.” His expression grew dazed as he stared. He began smiling. Weird little guy.
She looked to the fretting women. The older one had her eyes closed and her hands clasped. She was praying.
“Oh, shit. I didn’t mean it, kid. I was just being silly. Sarcastic. Do you know what sarcastic means? Oh, God,” she groaned as she patted the woman’s shoulder and shook her head at his mother.
“Boss bring the bad time if lady jump. To Mama.” The boy’s staring was interrupted by his mother moaning. “Boss make go. No food.” He patted his stomach and his mother grabbed Yasmeen by the hand and shoved her into a chair. She spoke for a good five minutes to the boy then motioned him to repeat it.
“Er, boss smile for lady. Like lady. Er, no die.” He motioned around the room. “Bring the bad time.”
“I won’t die. I won’t jump. I promise. No jump. It was a joke. You know? Ha ha.” She cringed. Lucian liked her? He smiled for her? When? Why hadn’t she seen it? More tears tried to choke her. Christ, she was turning into a wimp. “I won’t jump. Never. Never ever. Okay?”
He said something to the others that made them clap and cheer, but there was a new wariness in their eyes. Yasmeen stood, held up a finger, and left them alone. The older one started chanting something.
Returning some minutes later, she held the dictionary she’d thumbed through earlier because it had English words in it. She waved it and read the few words she’d found during her walk back.
“No die. Lady sad.”
Three frowns hit her audiences’ faces, even the boy. “Aw,” the older lady cooed as she bustled over and jerked Yasmeen into one of the roughest hugs she’d ever received. She was pulled out of a big bosom after losing a few strands of hair. The woman said something.
“Bunicuţă say lady no sad. Bunicuţă say lady get happy. Eat. Sit. Now.”
Yasmeen looked through her book to find that word. Okay. The older woman was his grandmother. So that meant this was a mother and daughter team who worked for Lucian. She found a few more words. “May…I…help? Vă rog?” Did her ‘please’ sound as if she was begging?
She didn’t even get the opportunity to indicate she meant with the cooking of the meal before she found herself by the sink. A bowl of potatoes was shoved in front of her, and a peeler was jammed into her hand.
She flipped a few pages. “Mulţumesc,” she said, thanking them.
“Cu plăcere!” both women said, beaming at her. They pointed and waited.
“Uh, hang on…” She flipped pages to the tourist section. “I am Yasmeen.” She put her hand to her chest and silently repeated the phrase she’d found at the back of the book a couple of times before attempting it out loud. “Cum te cheamă?”
They both flew through their response and looked at her expectantly. After a few seconds, the grandmother brought the boy forward. He went from oldest to youngest, pointing to make sure Yasmeen got it. “Teodora. Iulia.” He took a hold of Yasmeen’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Mihai.” The slap his mother landed to the back of his head had him jumping away with a grin.
Yasmeen smothered a giggle. “It’s nice to meet you all. Really, you have no idea.”
They nodded and Iulia pointed at the bowl. They waited.
Okay. They were going to watch her peel the potatoes? She efficiently zipped around a spud with the knife, taking the peel off in one piece. She held it up, feeling kind of smug but careful not to show it. Teodora nodded and slapped her back as hard as a man would have. Iulia appeared slightly put out as if she’d wanted Yasmeen to fail. She sniffed and patted her arm lightly before eventually offering her a warm smile and going back to her bread.
Feeling better because she was among rational human beings, Yasmeen tackled the bowl of potatoes and tried to pretend she didn’t see Mihai leaning on the end of the counter, his chin in his hand as he stared at her. She smiled at him once and went back to her task when his cheeks grew ruddy.
How adorable.
♦ ♦ ♦
Twenty-four hours later, nothing was adorable. Everything from the scenery to the delicious meals