Caipirinha chicken. It was a fresh, tropical take on traditional Chinese stir-fried chicken dishes. Aside from the soy sauce and chilli flavour, it also carried the aroma of cachaça and lime juice. It was garnished with a large amount of chillies, onions and fermented black beans, as well as a small side of black vinegar rice. The contrast between the tender, juicy chicken cubes and the crunchy, fresh chillies made the dish very enjoyable. The onions and beans provided a pleasant chewy sensation between the chicken and the chillies.
The lemonade was more than just a concoction of lemon juice and condensed milk. It had hints of vanilla, bergamot oil and cinnamon. The complex mixture tantalised the tastebuds as it flowed over them.
It was one o’clock in the afternoon, and the sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky outside the window. Marina came out from the staff counter, carrying a lunchbox with her.
“Hey, do you guys have a spare seat?” Marina asked while looking at Kevin, who clearly had spare seating space next to him.
“Oh, you can sit next to Kevin! He won’t mind at all!” Nina’s voice was mixed with friendliness and a hint of a teasing tone.
Kevin moved closer to the window, giving Marina space to sit with the trio. He nervously tapped his finger on the table to a tune in his head. After making herself comfortable, she opened the lunchbox, revealing more caipirinha chicken.
“Isn’t that the same thing we just had?” asked Kevin.
“Yes!” said Marina. “I made it at home. I know how to make some of the dishes here.”
“And yet you’re just a waitress?” Kevin was puzzled.
“Oh, this restaurant is owned by my parents,” Marina explained. “They came a very long way here from Brazil.”
“Wow, that’s amazing,” said Kevin. “Do you plan to take over?”
“I don’t know,” said Marina. “I’m not entirely sure what I want to do. What about you, Kevin?”
“I want to be a singer, so I study voice at the Conservatorium,” said Kevin. “It’s in South Bank, not too far from the film school where Nina studies.”
“So you must be a musician, then?” Marina perked up slightly.
“Yeah,” said Kevin.
“I can play piano pretty well,” Marina continued. “I don’t think I’ve played with a singer before, though.”
“I can play the guitar alright,” said Kevin. “I’ve considered forming a band, but I don’t know many musicians. You never know what could happen, though.” He raised his eyebrow and the corner of his mouth crept up a bit.
“You are right, you never know what could happen,” said Marina. “I might be interested.”
“He talks about starting a band sometimes, but so far he hasn’t organised rehearsals and music to practise,” said Nina. “Me and Xave are ready to help him once he does start, though.
“Wow, I didn’t know about that,” said Marina. “What instruments do you play?” She looked towards Nina and Xavier.
“We can both play guitar,” said Nina nervously, “but Xave can also play piano and does so at Mass some Sundays.”
“So there’s no bass and drums,” said Marina. “I have two amazing friends! One plays bass and the other plays drums.”
“Wow, that’s super amazing!” Nina said. “Kevin, you’ve got the missing pieces of the puzzle you wanted!”
“Are they good?” asked Kevin.
“I’d say they are, we’ve been playing our instruments for around ten years at this point,” said Marina.
“I’ll have to consider this, this is very interesting,” said Kevin. “Can I get your number?”
Marina became a bit flustered. Nervously, she darted her eyes around a bit before regaining her composure. “D-do you always a-sk women for their phone number that easily?” she stammered.
“Do you not want to give me your number?” Kevin asked. He had a confident look in his eyes.
Marina paused for a bit. “Fine,” she said, a little annoyed at herself for getting flustered around Kevin. “You’re Nina’s brother, so I don’t think you’d do anything funny.”
Somehow, Marina became an even bigger curiosity to Kevin. She’s Brazilian, looks vaguely Chinese, has parents who run a Brazilian restaurant, can play good piano, knows people who could possibly join the band, and has good looks to boot.
Deep in his heart, he thanked God for this new opportunity presented before him.
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