Stuck Between Two Gentlemen

"Waiter?" Carl's voice echoed through the restaurant, reaching a boy stationed at a distance near the bar. The three of us were seated at a table tucked away in the dim corner, illuminated solely by the green lamps suspended above.
Carl had a penchant for Chinese cuisine, leading us to this Chinese restaurant. Personally, I wasn't particularly fond of Chinese food, but did I really have any other options?
The restaurant buzzed with activity, creating a cacophony of laughter and chatter under the ambient green and yellow lights. Some patrons were engaged in official dinners, donned in professional attire, while others, dressed casually, were there to enjoy a night out with friends.
Our trio mirrored this diversity. One professionally dressed, one in comfortable attire, and the third casually dressed. Arthur sat beside me, while Carl occupied the seat opposite.
Responding promptly to Carl's call, a waiter, dressed in his official duty attire, approached our table, hands obediently clasped in front of him. "Yes, sir!" he acknowledged.
"Bring us the menu card," Caro ordered the waiter.
"Ok, sir," the boy responded before turning away. Shortly after, he returned, holding the menu card in one hand and a tray featuring a bottle of mineral water and three glasses turned upside down.
Carl distributed the menu cards, passing one to me and Arthur while keeping one for himself. Engrossed in the variety of dishes listed, all three of us lowered our heads to peruse the menu. Carl focused on reading the dish names, while I casually examined the images of the dishes displayed alongside.
Arthur, however, seemed preoccupied with something beyond the menu. I could sense his gaze lingering on me, despite his attempt to divert his attention. Considering the words I had uttered to him in the past two days, I thought he might prefer not to look at me. I excluded the first night when we met, given his unconscious state at that time.
Curiosity getting the better of me, I glanced in his direction, and he quickly averted his eyes, pretending to be engrossed in the menu card.
"So, what have you decided?" Carl inquired, breaking the brief silence.
"Well, I don't like Chinese. You can order on my behalf." I said.
Arthur averted his gaze back at me.
"Sushi with hot sauce and fish dumplings." He places his order as the waiter noted it down in his tiny diary.
Carl ordered his and mine food.
I sift my phone out of my purse and started checking the notifications of message, when they both indulge in their own conversations.
"Yay,!" I bursted out.
"What happened?" Carl inquired.
"I was supposed to receive a confirmation email from the school where I had applied for the job. And I just got it." I announced the reason of my happiness while literally jumping on my seat.
"Congratulations. Are you sure?" Carl rolled his eye upon hearing the that I'd work as a teacher in a school.
"Yes, I'm damn sure about my decision."
After giving my answer to Carl, I started typing a thank you email back to the school.
"So, you're passionate to work as a teacher."
I rolled my eyes at Arthur who just spoke now, looking at me in a way which seemed satirical to me.
"Yes." I said, coarsely.
I wasn't sure about what made me so rude towards him but yes it was what was and i guess he might have figure that as well.
"You made her understand, Arthur. That this job doesn't suits her." Carl said to Arthur.
Arthur traded his gaze from Carl to me.
And stuck it on me for a while before saying something which I wasn't expecting.
"What's wrong with this job?" He asked Carl as he averted his gaze to him.
"This job doesn't suits her status, (our family status)." Carl said.
"Oh, c'mon, Carl." Arthur waved his hand at Carl.
"Teaching is quite a respectable profession especially for girls. You should be proud of her rather than opposing her decision like this."
He spoke.
"It's a low status profession."
"Completely wrong." Arthur refused his ideology.
"People in our family doesn't opt for this profession. We don't have a single person in our whole generations who ever taught in school for little pennies. We are the business tycoon..we have our own status, name, and reputation."
Carl said.
"That's the mentality issue of your family not the profession." Arthur said, seriously.
Carl face grew red as he shut his mouth and didn't say one more word. I listened to their conversation silently, though, I had been hooked to each and every sentence Arthur uttered.
I was impressed to my core by his simple ideology and perception. Opting for this profession wasn't my passion nor I had ever dreamt just like other people do before getting into this profession.
It was just a option I chose as a way to survive and escape. But the way he explained it to Carl, I was amazed.
He literally made me a fan of his thinking. It's hundred and ten percent true when they say don't judge a book by its cover.
He proved it right to me. What hadn't I thought of him. A drunkard. A doctor so irresponsible that he drinks himself. How could a person like him treats other better. Rude, ruthless, and devil.
However, he showed me the real face which is entirely opposite of what I had been assuming about him.
He's a man with positive thinking. He doesn't judge anyone by their professions just like people of my class do.
I began abhorring them when I myself started my journey towards independence. I confronted people which belong to my class when I no longer had any connections and reputation of that class, I bear their gazes roaming over me like I'm not a human but a pathetic object, I heard their taunts and disgusting views about my current class.
I was so happy and relieved to know about his views and felt proud that I'm sitting next to him.
Even though, by the time, the waiters arrived with our order the table had already grew damn hot with the argument between the men. But I cheered them both and we had our lunch.
Carl and Arthur were good friends and they knew well how to digest the bitter views of each other, afterall they had been living in the same building for years. So, I hadn't had to put alot of effort to bring them back to normal.
While we had been enjoying our delicious lunch, I felt Arthur looking at me from his loop sided grin. I didn't turned my head to stare at him, instead let him do as he pleases as a reward to whatever he had said earlier.