“Any drinks?”
"They have a fruity cocktail drink two stalls over," she replies, her eyes conveying "trust me on this." I nod. I’m happy to follow her lead. It gets to our turn, she’s quick to put in the order. I hand the twenty-dollar bill to the guy, and we move to the next spot to pick up our order. She picks up the box and holds it close. I chuckle as I watch her.
We get to the drinks stall, and the line is long again. It seems everyone leaves the pretzels stand and makes the next stop to the drinks. We get in line.
“Do you do this every weekend?” I had to ask. She laughs like I’ve cracked a joke.
“No, but I do come here a lot.”
“Okay, seems you know your way around.”
“As a matter of fact, I do, and I’m going to snag us a seat in the best corner, and you can bring our drinks. I want a lemonade twist with raspberries. Everything is good, I have tried them all. I’m just feeling the lemonade today, so you try something.”
“Okay.”
I watch her briskly walking towards a bench under an umbrella, my eyes are glued to the movement of her ass in that dress. I am so focused on her, that I don’t realize the line has moved until the guy behind me says, “Line is moving,” in a stern tone.
After getting the drinks, I head towards her and notice she managed to place a small tablecloth on the table, adjust the umbrella wider and turn the chair in a different direction. I notice paper plates and napkins all set.
Setting the drinks down, I take a seat. She takes out the butter pretzels first and I do the same. Taking a bite, the soft pretzel was worth the wait. MAK is eating and watching the crowd. I do the same and soon realize how easily we are sitting in companionable silence.
I sip the drink and, just like the pretzel, it’s amazing. I now understand the long lines.
“Where to next?” I ask.
“Did you like your pretzel and drink?”
“I most definitely did. I’ll be back,” I say, winking at her. She smiles.
“We are going right to the Knick knack section. There’s a path that leads to the parking lot. We can leave to drop the boxes at the center, then have lunch at Mrs Wu’s.”
“Mrs Wu’s?” I question.
“It’s a restaurant, and I know the owner.”
“Of course you do,” I tease.
“Don’t be jealous, Uncle Dan. if you don’t have friends and family discount,” she mocks.
“Uncle Dan again?”
“I like it,” she teases.
“I’m sure you do, Ms K.” She rolls her eyes at me.
We pack up and head towards the Knick knack section. Walking by stalls, she buys a few items, haggling the sellers. I watch in amazement as she stands her ground on her price, laughing with the sellers. She’s good.
A few guys try to pick her up, my backoff glare is immediate.
Before I know it, we are hauling bags of everything MAK bought at the market. We make it to the car and I realize it’s late in the day. I’m glad she told me to wear comfortable shoes. Filling the trunk with all her purchases, she tells me to drive to the center. Pulling up at the center, a few boys come out.
“Boys, can you give us a hand here?” she calls out to them.
“Sure, Ms K.” They all race over to pick up the boxes and take them to the storage inside the center. She thanked them and we return to the car.
The moment we sit, her phone rings. I start the car and wait as she answers the call.
“Hello, Daddy.” She’s all smiles, like a little girl.
