Chapter 44: Talk While Doing It
The waiter brought the menu. Carlos gave Alicia a look asking her to order, but she pushed it to him, "Up to you. I am not familiar with this place and I don't know what to order."
He did not refuse, opened the menu, lowered his eyelids, and pointed a few special foods to the waiter. Alicia stared at him intently until he closed the menu and suddenly raised his head to meet her gaze. She looked away with embarrassment. "Say whatever you want."
Carlos saw her hesitation.
"Just a little curious. Why did you suddenly propose to come out to eat?"
"One may steal a horse while another may not look over the hedge?"
Alicia shook her head hurriedly, "That's not what I meant. I didn't expect you to have the habit of eating supper."
"There are so many things you didn't expect. If you could think of everything, how other people live."
Carlos pointed his slender finger in the direction of the wine cabinet, "Any drinks?"
"No, no, no."
Thinking of her gaffe after drinking last time, she refused without thinking.
The waiter brought the food very efficiently, and the dishes were so exquisite that the appetite was greatly increased by just looking at it. Alicia was starving, and she just put things in her mouth despite anything. "How about it?"
"Great."
"Better than instant noodles?"
"Much better."
She smiled as if flowers were blooming on her face. Carlos looked at her and become a little absent-mined, suddenly said, "Would you like to have a baby?"
Puff...
A mouthful of hot soup almost came out of her mouth. Alicia raised her head in shock, and stammered, "Who...with whom?"
"You tell me." He raised an eyebrow.
"Me and you?"
"Nonsense. Who do you want to have a baby with?"
Awkward. Alicia felt it was the end of the world. The man who sees a woman like a cockroach was proposing to have a child. What an unbelievable and frightening suggestion! "But you don't love me."
"Who said that you must have to have a baby?"
"Isn't that a fertility tool?"
"So, you don't want to?"
She smiled lightly, "Not really. But I think you should think about it again as you seem not to be sober now."
"What if I say that I am sober now and I have considered it carefully?"
"Then let me think about it. It is a big deal and I have to be prepared."
Carlos nodded, "Okay, I will give you three days to consider it." "Three days?" She widened her eyes, "Isn't it too short?"
"Too short? What about thirty years?"
"Thirty years? Isn't it too long..."
"Yes. I don't mind giving you more time to think about it, but I'm afraid that you won't be able to give birth to anything by then."
"That's nothing. However, if let the man like you who changes women like changing clothes to extend the period from 30 months to 30 years, I will be dead."
After Carlos rolled his eyes at her and said that "You really understand me", the first round of argument ended.
After filling their stomachs, the two went out of the restaurant. Alicia looked at the time on her watch, and it was two o'clock in the morning.
She sighed. This was the first time she was a night owl. She always behaved quite well and never knew what it was like after midnight. She stood there where the moonlight and the starlight intersect, and felt the commendable tranquility.
At least this tranquility was extremely rare in a noisy city during the day.
"What are you looking at? Let's go."
Carlos had already gotten into the car, and seeing Alicia looking up at the sky like a fool, reminded her to get in the car impatiently.
"Oh, fine."
She hurriedly opened the door and sat in, looking straight ahead, "Okay, let's go."
"Seat belt."
Carlos gave her an eye to indicate that she did not wear a seat belt. Alicia waved lazily, "It's okay. We'll be home in a while, and there are no traffic police in the midnight."
"Don't trust my driving skills too much. As you said, I may not be sober now."
As he said, he suddenly leaned over and stretched out his hand to tie her seat belt. This action evoked Alicia's vague memory. She remembered last time the two of them came out to eat together, and he was this close in front of her. But that time, she could touch his face unscrupulously through drunkenness. This time, she could only hold her breath and freeze her body.
As the car was moving, Alicia felt inexplicably hot. She opened the window and poked her head out to enjoy the breeze touching her face.
After a while, she couldn't restrain the doubts, turned around and asked, "Why did you propose to have a baby?" "Guess."
Carlos gave her a meaningful glance.
She thought for a few seconds, guessing uncertainly, "Maybe you are in love with me and want me to be the last wife of your marriage."
"My god." Carlos found it both funny and annoying with an unbelievable face.
"Why? Wrong?"
"What a cliché!"
Alicia rolled her eyes and murmured angrily, "Then don't let me guess, or if I guess, don't say that it was a cliché. The reason for a man proposing to have a child with a woman, what else could you think of besides wanting to grow old with that woman and forming a family?"
"That's what an ordinary man thinks, but am I an ordinary man?"
Alicia was speechless as Carlos talked back. Sure. How could she think in a normal way to this abnormal man?
Without a common language, they both fell silent.
When the car was about to reach home, he suddenly said, "Because you are smart."
"What?"
Alicia was a little confused.
"Didn't you ask me the reason for proposing to have a baby? This is the reason. Because you are smart enough, you are qualified to give birth to my offspring."
"So, you just want a smart child and don't care who the child's mother is?"
"It can be understood this way."
Alicia took a deep breath. Such an answer made her extremely unhappy, making it clear that he was using her as a fertility tool.
"Then you are overestimating me. I am not as smart as you think. You can tell from my wrong guess of your idea."
Carlos smiled disapprovingly, "No matter how smart a person is, there are times he's wrong. It's not because the person is not smart enough, but the person being guessed is too weird."
"Why do you think I am smart? Because I am a teacher and you think I have higher IQ?"
"Occupation is a reason, but certain things can also be the proof."
"Such as?"
"For example, you can make your father donate ten million to charity."
Alicia sighed and said indecisively, "That's not smart. It's a trick and it's a terrible behavior."
"You have to be clever with tricks."
"Such intelligence is not a good way of education. Most parents want their children to be genuine and upright."
"The thought of most people does not mean that is mine. As a descendant of the Noel-Baker family, the person was destined to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the imperial kingdom from his birth. Of course, tricks are indispensable wisdom." Alicia was completely speechless. It seemed that she was far beyond the topic.
The two got off as the car stopped. Carlos habitually walked in the front, while Alicia followed closely behind.
"Don't step on my shadow."
He suddenly turned around and warned abruptly.
Heh, Alicia was speechless again. What a nitpicking man! Won't let others walk beside him, and even not step on the shadow. She was wondering if she really gave birth to a child with this man, what kind of child he will be...
"I have another question. What should I do if I do give birth to a child?"
Carlos didn't understand the question. She changed the wording, "In other words, how do you plan to settle me?"
"You?" He shrugged, "Go back to where you are from."
"Really? You can bear the child have no mother?"
Alicia was going to be speechless again. What kind of strange thing is this guy?
"What's the matter with child without a mother? Alex grew up without a father or mother, and his IQ is not lower than anyone."
"..." Sure enough. A few words were too much when two people couldn't see eye to eye with each other.
Arriving upstairs, before Alicia entered the secret room, she just could not forget about it and then asked, "Are your previous wives all stupid? Or are there smart people who just don't want to have children with you?"
"It's not clear if they are stupid as we didn't get along much. You are a special one."
Alicia's heart lost a beat, and she asked casually, "How am I special?"
"You are not very annoying, and I don't feel a burden to get along with you. So, I am closer to you."
Thankfully, Alicia finally heard something that made her feel better.
"You can tell me the stories of your ex-wives. I have always been curious."
Alicia rushed to Carlos as they were getting along quite well tonight, and she dared to challenge his bottom line with confidence.
"Are we that close? And you dare to sit on my bed like this?"
"I'm the mother of your future child. How could we be not close? Tell me about it."
"Don't take it too far and go back to your house."
Carlos was dismissing the guest firmly, but Alicia didn't take it seriously, still pestering him.
Impatient with her pestering, he undressed and lay on the bed, patted the space beside him and said, "Since you are that eager to know, come and sleep with me. Let's talk while doing it."