We decided not to cross the line.

Episode 67. The meaning of the ring

It was a little past seven,

three guests arrived.




Maria had baked walnut pie herself to have for dessert.

Maybe here,

she thought it would be hard to make proper Korean food,

so she had prepared dessert.




Antonio had a bottle of wine in his hands.





I never dreamed I'd invite guests like this

and end up having a meal in a foreign country.

Maybe getting to know these three families

was the biggest blessing I'd received in Spain.





With scarce ingredients and clumsy hands,

I had quickly made bulgogi, but

everyone ate it happily.





They found the rolled omelet fascinating, saying it was like pudding,

and I found it fascinating that they ate gim separately from rice like a snack.




I hoped that this connection with them

would last long even after leaving Spain.




I wanted to avoid

starting something with rash feelings only to drift apart.




Maria and Antonio, too,

if they learned the age gap between Miguel and me,

probably wouldn't be welcoming at all.

 



They were so much like they had been Korean in a past life that

even while eating rice and ramen, they never spared the praise

that it was delicious.




After the meal, while we ate pie and drank tea,

I ended up hearing Maria and Antonio's love story.




What I newly learned while listening was that

Maria was

eight years older than Antonio.




I asked Antonio whether there had been any family opposition.




Antonio, as if it were a habit of this family,

shrugged his shoulders and said.





"Isn't the most important thing that the two of us feel the same?

Of course, I was told to think it over once more,

but by the time I introduced her to my family,

my mind was already made up."




I suddenly thought Antonio was truly amazing.

The age gap, and even giving up his dream because of caring for someone sick,

he simply accepted them as part of life

and as his own choices.





By the time we were each having a glass of wine,

Miguel brought up how he had proposed to his parents today

and been rejected.




I was completely stunned by the sudden story.




Maria and Antonio laughed heartily as if

they were listening to a neighbor's son's story.

 


"So what are you going to do, Miguel?"




Antonio asked as he poured wine for his son.




"I don't know.

It seemed like they didn't dislike me, so

I thought they'd accept it..
 
It was something I never expected, so

I don't know what to do next."




Following Miguel's words,

Maria continued with a question.




"Did you ask that woman why she turned you down?

We need to see whether you can try again."




"No.

I was too flustered to say anything."




I didn't know what I should say here,

so I hesitated.




Maria looked at me and said,





"Sophie, don't you have any advice?"





'For this family's members, age like that

doesn't work as a reason for rejection.

For them, the heart comes before age.'




"Maybe...

In my opinion, rejecting such a wonderful man as Miguel...

it wasn't because Miguel was disliked or there was some problem...

Maybe because a previous relationship hadn't fully ended

...isn't that possible?"




Miguel's eyes doubled in size when he heard me.

Maybe among the reasons he had expected,

he hadn't thought

there would be a former boyfriend.





"Ah... that could be it.

I never thought of that.

Then let's wait a little longer..."




'Huh!! No..this flow...'




I hurriedly added one more line.



"There are people you'd rather

think of as friends for life than as lovers."




Miguel shot back.




"My mother and father

are friends and lovers for life, aren't they?

As you can see with Sophie..."





"Of course, there are exceptions."




I couldn't think of anything else to say but that.




When I stood up from the table with my water glass,

I saw Maria looking at Miguel

and pointing at the ring on my finger.




Maybe...

On the day Maria and I first had a long conversation,

she had looked at the ring on my finger and asked if I was married,

and I had answered that it was a gift from my ex-boyfriend,

so it seemed she remembered.





As the dinner that evening was coming to an end,

the three families took turns

offering me sincere thanks,

and Miguel was the last to give me a warm hug before leaving.




Maybe he hugged me

to show understanding and encouragement...





"Maybe I'll go on a trip to commemorate it."