“I don’t know about you, but that muffin isn’t doing much for me right now,” he said as they neared the end of the trail.
“I know, I’m starving,” she agreed. “Do you know any place around here we can eat?”
“There is one I saw online that had good reviews.”
“Great. I’m in.”
They arrived at the restaurant and were seated in a booth. The hostess handed them menus and assured them the waitress would be by in a few minutes to take their drink order.
“I expect you to order wine and dessert,” Amanda teased him as they looked over the menu.
“What if I’m too full for dessert?”
“Then you take it to go,” she answered.
“You do not need to buy me dinner,” he tried to dissuade her. “We can split the check.”
“Nonsense. What kind of wine do you like?”
He smiled, not knowing what to make of her stubbornness. “I like dry wines. Reds more than whites.”
“Perfect. Me too. See one that interests you?”
“The cabernet,” he answered.
“I was looking at that one too,” she agreed. “We’ll order it.”
They were both so hungry after their hike, they didn’t need to look long at the menu to make their decisions, and by the time the waitress arrived to take their drink order they were ready to order their food.
“What made you talk to me this morning?” Amanda asked after the waitress had left.
“This morning?” he repeated as he tried to think of how to answer that. “You just seemed very sad.”
“But you could have noticed that and not spoken to me. I’m sure other people noticed I looked sad but none of them spoke to me. What made you want to talk to me?”
“I’m not sure how to answer that,” he admitted. “It just seemed to me that something was wrong. If I simply ignored it and went on my way, I would have later wondered if perhaps there was some way I could have helped you.”
“Would you have approached me if I was a man?”
Viktor felt trapped by the question because honestly, he would not have approached a man for the same reason and he didn’t know how to explain that. He shifted in his seat as he struggled to come up with a response.
Seeing she was making him uncomfortable she decided to abandon her curiosity and let him off the hook.
“Nevermind,” she brushed it off. “It’s a silly question.”
“Thank you,” he said with a playfully grateful tone.
She laughed and decided to change the subject for his sake. “So what places have you travelled to?”
He took a deep breath and thought for a minute. “Scotland,” he answered jokingly. She chuckled and he continued, “Ukraine, Turkey, Germany, Spain, France, Denmark.” There were more but he didn’t want to keep going and risk having to divulge how much money he had. “I’ve traveled a lot,” he simply said.
“I guess so,” she agreed.
“How about you?” he asked.
“Well … Scotland,” she humorously repeated. “We were in Ireland before coming here. I’ve been to Canada. And that’s about it. Pretty boring.”
“It’s hard for Americans to travel,” he sympathized. “It’s easier for Europeans because an hour in a plane and you’re in another country.”
“I suppose.”
“Where else do you have plans to go?” he asked.
“On this trip, after Scotland we are going to Spain, then France and finally, Italy.”
“Italy?” he repeated with marked enthusiasm. “When will you be there?”
“Umm. We arrive on the 24th and leave on the 30th.”
“What part are you visiting?”
“We’re starting out in Venice and then on the 27th we will be in Rome. We fly out from there. Why?”
“I’ll be in Italy at the same time.”
“Really?” Amanda perked up. “Where are you going to be?”
“I won’t be far from Venice but my flight also leaves from Rome.”
“You’re kidding!”
“We should meet up,” he suggested.
“Absolutely!” she readily agreed. “That would be so cool!”
“Great,” he grinned. “But I have to buy you dinner in Venice.”
She smiled and gave him a look of playful reluctance. “I will allow it.”
“Good,” he said, seeming well pleased with the arrangement.
Before leaving the restaurant, Viktor asked the hostess where the best spot to watch the sunset was. The hostess was more than happy to direct them to a spot just down a ways in Ballachulish where they could watch the sunset over Loch Leven. She advised them to arrive well before sunset in order to claim a spot as it was a popular site with locals and tourists alike.
They parked at the Ballachulish visitor center. They still had some time to kill so they wandered the well-kept grounds of the visitor center, snapping a few pictures before heading down to the bay to find a spot to sit and wait for sundown.
“How’s this spot?” Viktor asked.
“It’s perfect.”
He looked at the ground around them. “Nowhere to sit.”
“Grass is fine for me,” Amanda said.
“That will work,” Viktor agreed, thankful that Amanda wasn’t fussy.
They settled on the grass next to each other and soaked in the view.
“It is just amazing here,” Amanda declared.
Viktor looked at her and smiled. “It is.”
A few minutes of silence passed and Viktor began to feel desperate to converse with her. He wanted to know everything about her. He felt completely at peace with her and wanted it to continue.
“Does your mother like the outdoors as much as you?” Viktor’s voice finally broke through the silence.
“She does,” Amanda confirmed. “I get it from her.”
“Would I be wrong in thinking that you had intended for her to come with you on this trip?”
Amanda’s eyes teared up suddenly but she caught herself. She looked away until she could regain control.
“I’m sorry,” Viktor apologized, feeling like he had just opened an old wound by accident.
“No. It’s fine,” she said. “Yes, originally when I planned this trip, my mom was supposed to come with me. We had saved for over 2 years.” Amanda quickly dispatched a few
