Chapter 387 Meeting Raymond
Raymond strolled out of the Howard family crib, waving off the driver. "Nah, you hang tight here and wait for my mom. Make sure she gets back safe."
He figured he'd just grab a cab himself.
Hopping into a taxi, Raymond pulled out his phone and his eyes landed on Natalie's contact. After a quick think, he decided to give her a ring.
"Hey, you got a minute, Ms. Teeger?" he asked.
Natalie was just leaving the hospital, thinking about grabbing a bite. She had plans to hit up the cemetery in the afternoon and then swing by the bookstore. When Raymond called, she said, "I was just about to eat, Raymond. Wanna join?"
Half an hour later, Raymond stepped out of the cab. He found himself on a bustling pedestrian street packed with food stalls. It was crowded, with folks walking or riding electric bikes since cars couldn't get through.
Natalie waved. "Over here, Raymond!"
Raymond spotted her in the crowd, waving from a small stall. He walked over, feeling surprisingly chill in the lively, noisy scene. He'd never been to a place like this or tried street food before, but he didn't feel out of place at all.
He thought he might feel awkward, but nope, he was good.
"Want some? I just ordered one. If you're down, I'll get another," Natalie offered.
Raymond hesitated. He wasn't sure if he wanted to try it. "I..."
Natalie made the call for him. "Hey, can we get another one, please?"
"Sure thing," the vendor replied. "Onions and cilantro?"
Before Raymond could answer, Natalie said, "No cilantro, light on the onions."
Raymond looked at her, a bit surprised. She seemed to know his tastes pretty well.
"Got it right?" she asked.
"Yeah, you nailed it." Raymond didn't like cilantro at all. Onions were okay, but only in small amounts. He really hated ginger, though. Even a tiny bit in his food, and he could taste it. He could tolerate it if it was ground into a paste or juice, though.
The line at the stall was long, and it took about ten minutes for the food to be ready. Natalie grabbed two portions and handed one to Raymond. She took a bite and smiled, clearly enjoying it. Seeing her smile, Raymond felt his mood lift. "Is it really that good?"
"Try it," Natalie urged. "It's awesome."
This street was near a bunch of middle and high schools, so it was usually packed with students and some folks from nearby offices.
She used to come here with Ryan. When Ryan was in high school and she was in middle school, he'd wait for her after school and buy her a snack.
Raymond eyed the food, then took a bite.
It was actually pretty tasty. Who knew something so cheap could be this good?
Natalie said, "I used to go to school around here with my brother. We came here a lot after school."
Raymond asked, "Did your brother like this too?"
"Not really, but our parents didn't give us much money. He'd usually buy one portion, and we'd share it. But I always ended up eating most of it, and he'd just have a bite."
Raymond remarked, "Your brother really looked out for you."
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