Page 40 of Liberating Mia
“It’s a place frequented by locals and a firm favorite of mine. You’ll have to wait to find out more.”
Finn was perplexed,standing in front of a house at the top of the Bo-Kaap district – the top of Cape Town. Mia grabbed his left arm and twisted her head to read his watch.
“Right on time.”
“For what? I didn’t realize we’d be visiting anyone today.”
“Come on. I’ll show you.” Her naughty grin was infectious.
He followed her up a short set of steps. At the top, she reached out to open the door.
“Er … don’t you knock, woman?”
This time she flat-out laughed at him. Opening the door, she stepped inside. Following her in, he understood her amusement. It appeared to be a restaurant.
A woman came over to greet them, bending to hug Mia. “Naand Liefie. Lank laas gesien.”Evening, love. Long time no see.
“Nadja, hi! Gosh, ithasbeen an age. How are you?”
Finn was completely lost as the two launched into a conversation in the local Afrikaans dialect. Suddenly, Mia clapped a hand to her head. “How rude of me. Nadja, I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine. Finn, this lovely lady is Nadja – her mother owns the restaurant. Nadja, Finn.”
They shook hands, Nadja giving him the not-so-subtle once-over. “It’s nice to meet you. Welcome to Canon House.” Turning back to Mia, she said, “Come. Your table is ready.”
Once seated, Nadja took their drink order. “I’ll be right back with the drinks and to take your food order.”
When she’d gone, Finn picked up a menu but found himself completely stumped. None of the dishes were familiar.
“Help.”
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Then I’ll order for us. Do you prefer your food plain or spicy?”
“I’m Texan, what do you think?”
“Spicy it is.”
Nadja arrived with their drinks, and Mia ordered a selection of dishes from the Cape Malay-style menu – the cuisine the restaurant specialized in.
“I’ll be back in a bit with your food. In the meantime, shout if you need anything.”
She lit the candle in the middle of the table and left.
“You know, we’ve been as intimate as two people can be, and I barely know anything about you. Tell me something I should know.”
He snorted out a laugh. “Cut right to the chase. I like it.” He watched in fascination as her cheeks flamed bright red.
“That was a rather blunt, I guess. But you can’t deny the truth of it.”
“True enough. What do you want to know?”
“Are you an only child? What do you parents do? Where do you live? Do you like pineapple on pizza? Give me all the deets. I want to know.” She made a “gimme” gesture with her hands.
For the umpteenth time that day, he found himself laughing at her. “You know, I haven’t laughed as hard in the longest time as I have with you today.”
She shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a funny girl.”
