“Yes, sir, it is,” he replies.
“I’ll take a cut of that, please.” I turn my card over to green so any other meats that come around will head our direction. I’m excited to taste the meat we supply in action. The meat itself is delicious, but a good chef is always where the difference comes in.
After everyone gets a cut, the conversation officially begins.
“So, Nate, I don’t know if you know, but Lizzie has been living in Belgium the last two years,” John says.
“Wow, Belgium?” I ask, “And you still live there?”
She moves her napkin to blot at her mouth. Everything she does, she does elegantly. She seems to be this mix of classy and joyful, just from the few minutes I’ve gotten to know her. She wears a smile like it’s a piece of clothing—never off her face.
“I do. I came back for the summer to spend some time with my family, but I leave in two weeks.”
Two weeks. So if this attraction to her is anything at all… that’s something that heavily influences any sort of future. I’ll have to tuck that away and think about it later.
“What do you think of Belgium? Do you see yourself living there long term?”
Maria and John also seem intrigued. John glances over at me, and I can tell everything from a look.
“Honestly, I love Belgium. I love Europe, in general. I’ve had the opportunity to see so much while I’ve been over there.”
Another waiter comes around with some more meat, this time beef ribs. We all say yes to a round of it.
“I started off the journey to get to know some of my father’s side of the family,” she continues. “And I’ve been an au pair to some families there ever since. I’ve had to leave every three months because of my visa, so I’ve been able to see a lot. Europe is absolutely beautiful.”
“I can attest to that,” I say, nodding. “I’ve had the privilege to visit a few countries out there. It’s beautiful.”
Her eyes light up at this. My chest warms.
“Oh, really?”
If she lights up like this over simple questions… I have a feeling I’d want to coax out that smile constantly.
“Yeah, I was just telling John the other day about Italy and how much I love it. But after a while, I couldn’t take the pizza anymore,” I laugh.
“I think I could eat pizza for days,” she chuckles.
Ithink opposites attract.
But it’s just pizza. Calm down, Nate.A beautiful woman who ticks off some of your list and happens to like pizza more than you do does not mean it’s time to jump in, I think.
“I, for one, am ready to eat all the pizza I can,” John raises his hand.
“Hear, hear!” Lizzie lifts her glass to cheers John.
“I think you’re ready to eat all the good food around the world, aren’t you,meu amor?” Maria giggles and we all join in.
Lizzie continues, “As for your original question, do I see myself there long term? I’m not entirely sure. I wanted to gain some experience in life, and Europe has given me that. But I don’t picture myself being an au pair for the rest of my life. Especially because after my dad gets me my new Italianpassport, I won’t need to leave the country every three months. So right now, I’m just taking it one day at a time and seeing what God reveals to me. I guess when I go back, I’ll probably start looking for a new job there.”
“What kind of job would you be looking for?” I ask her.
“You know, I feel like I could be pretty happy doing lots of things. I sometimes joke that I’d love to be the person at customs and immigration at the airport, stamping people’s passports as they come into the country. It would be so fun to meet people from all over the world!”
Her grin is so wide.
“Lizzie, that sounds like the most boring job in the world,” Maria snickers.
“I love people, too, and getting to meet new ones. But I’m with Maria on that one,” John laughs.
