Chapter 2: Chapter 2
“Welcome to The Crossroads Diner.”
The sound was low and husky, and Eric thought it had to be sexiest voice in the world, but was nothing compared to the man who uttered the greeting. He gaped at the unknown, smiling man who was standing behind the circular counter located in the center of the room. He easily ignored all the other customers who sat around the counter. Or the ones who occupied the wooden tables and chairs scattered throughout the diner. This man had to be the owner of the diner. He wore a fitted black T-shirt and a pair of maroon jeans that showed off his lightly muscled build. He was probably two or three inches shorter than Eric’s six feet height, but he must be thirty to forty pounds lighter. Eric was totally mesmerized by the owner. The man wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous, but he wasverycute. Eric raised his right hand in greeting and nodded once before grinning at the owner in response.
“Thank you. A table for one, please.”
The man’s facial expression didn’t change, but Eric could tell that it was getting rather strained. He wasn’t sure what exactly was wrong with him. As a restaurateur who owned and managed one of the most popular dim sum restaurants in Chinatown, maybe even in the whole of New York City, he would be delighted to have any customers inside his establishment. A part of him felt rather offended by the less-than-welcoming vibe that was put out by the owner of this diner. On any other occasions, he would have stormed out without another word. However, something made him stop. He felt as if he needed to be there inside the diner for some unfathomable reason.
“You may sit anywhere you like, sir,” the owner of the diner eventually said. “There are quite a few empty tables tonight. I’ll be right with you.”
“Okay.”
After that, Eric chose a table that was closest to the entryway before removing his coat. November in New York City wasn’t really that cold. The last time he checked, which was more than two hours ago, it was predicted that the temperature would drop to somewhere around forty degrees Fahrenheit as it got later in the evening. The inside of this diner was quite warm, though. Eric was even perspiring a little, and he could feel the sweat rolling down his back. Even his armpits were rather moist now. His turtleneck stuck to him rather uncomfortably, but he figured he would adapt to the weird heating inside the diner soon enough.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” the owner of the diner apologized while placing a one-page menu on the table in front of Eric. “What can I get for you tonight?”
Eric browsed through the menu. Not that it was difficult. There were only ten Chinese dishes altogether, and the diner didn’t serve any beverages other than tea, the list of which was very extensive, bottled water, or baijiu, which was also known as sorghum wine. Eric silently thought this had to be the weirdest diner in the world. None of the dishes appealed to him, though.
“What’s the special for tonight?” Eric inquired as he gazed into the eyes of the owner of the diner.
The color of the man’s eyes were brown just like Eric’s, but was a shade or two lighter. They both had a full head of black hair, and Eric guessed the other man was probably four or five years younger than him. Not that he was old. He was still three years away from the big four-oh.
“Do you like steamed dumplings?” the owner of the diner asked. “The fillings include minced pork and shrimp. I’ll even give you a bowl of pork bone soup.”
Eric drooled a little inside his mouth. “That sounds amazing. How many dumplings in one serving?”
“Ten.”
Eric beamed widely in an instant. “One serving, please.”
“Very good. Something to drink?”
“Tea, please. Jasmine, if you have it.”
“Of course. I’ll be right back.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Eric was excited now. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know how to make his own dumplings or pork bone soup, but those two dishes always reminded him of his late maternal grandmother. Since he was always busy at the restaurant, he didn’t have the time or energy to prepare those dishes by the time he reached home. He loved eating them on a cold night like this. They brought back wonderful memories of the time he got to spend with his late maternal grandmother. He was so lost inside his head, he was more than a bit astonished when the owner of the diner returned to his table less than five minutes later.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone