An Old Country Bumpkin Visits a Church

"Thank you for today. The ravioli was delicious."

"I'm glad to hear it."

After enjoying lunch and conversation with Kinera-san, we left the restaurant, and I thanked her again.

It really had been delicious. I didn't mean that the food at my usual tavern or Myui's home cooking wasn't good. It was more that they were completely different kinds of cuisine.

I thought it might be nice to treat myself to a slightly more luxurious meal like this every now and then. It would be good for Myui's upbringing, too, and fortunately I had enough income and savings to afford an occasional indulgence.

Still, if we were going to visit places like that, maybe I ought to teach Myui a little more about table manners. She still ate with such gusto that she might stand out for all the wrong reasons at a nicer restaurant.

"I'm sorry to have kept you for so long."

"Oh, don't worry about it."

As we picked at our ravioli, we ended up chatting about all sorts of things.

I'd had a good impression of Kinera-san from the start, but after talking with her, I found she was both a good conversationalist and a good listener. She was a genuinely kind person who'd spend time with an old man like me without showing the slightest annoyance...