When they arrived at the park, a large crowd greeted them. Food trucks surrounded the perimeter as a band played in the center of the concrete stage area. Families spread blankets on the lawn, laying out while children played freely, running barefoot in the grass.
Surely, it would be one of the last weeks before you needed a jacket to brave the evening weather, so everyone was intent on soaking up as much warmth as possible. Ben thought for sure that Katherine would enjoy the festivities, but as he looked down, he was shocked to see the concern on her face as she scanned the crowd.
He couldn’t help but ask her, “Is everything okay?”
“Oh, yeah,” she said, forcing a smile he could tell wasn’t genuine.
“If you’d like, we can go somewhere less chaotic,” he suggested, fearing the large crowd was the cause for her concern.
“No, it's fine. Let’s have fun,” she said, now wearing a smile that reached her eyes. After watching her closely for a long moment, Ben conceded, strolling around the perimeter of the park as they read the menus together.
Again, he was certain that something was troubling Katherine, but decided he would have to earn the right to help her. She needed to trust him, and he was fine with working up to that level of closeness. More than anything, he was happy that he wanted to be close to a woman.
Work had been his girlfriend for far too long. A change of pace was more than welcomed, and so he focused on the present, telling Katherine which food trucks he had tried before, and pointing out others he had heard great things about.
“Mex-orean?” Katherine stumbled through reading the name of a food truck.
“They take traditional Korean barbeque and wrap it up into a tortilla like a burrito,” Ben explained, watching Katherine’s eyes light up with interest.
“I want that!” She smiled broadly and the two happily joined the line of people waiting to place their orders.
“So, how was work?” He asked, as they took one step closer to the front of the line.
“It goes so fast, especially when it’s busy. Talia has been showing me the ropes and we work really well together,” Katherine explained.
“That’s great. It always has to be a team effort if you're going to succeed in business,” Ben agreed, citing one of the founding principles of his company.
“I saw you typing away in the corner. You must have had a busy day too,” Katherine noted.
“Oh, just a few emails,” Ben shrugged it off, not wanting to bore her with talk of his work.
It was one of the last tidbits of advice Rachel gave him before he left the office, determined to find Katherine. She knew how easily he could go off on a tangent, talking about their new line of pet accessories, and why last month’s sales were less than expected.
Now, in the middle of the park and surrounded by patrons, he was the far from his comfort zone, but he still felt relaxed. Katherine had a calming effect about her, always making it easier for Ben to unwind and try new things. He was a man of habit, typically sticking to the same routines and restaurants.
A date for Ben was usually at a high-end restaurant with a menu that listed no prices. Regardless, he always wore the same uniform—a pair of comfortable jeans and a button up shirt. He wasn’t the type of man who flaunted his wealth, and staring around the large crowd, he doubted anyone knew who he was, let alone how much he was worth.
“I’ve never had Korean barbeque, but I love Mexican food,” Katherine broke the silence brewing between them.
“I’ll have to take you. I know a great place downtown. You’ll love it,” he assured her, and she brightened up at the suggestion.
“Between you and Talia, I’m going to eat my way clear through this city,” she joked.
“San Francisco is known for food. You have to try it out,” he reasoned.
“How can I help you two?” A young man asked, when they finally reached the food truck.
“Ladies first,” Ben nodded towards Katherine.
“I’ll take the chicken burrito,” she smiled, and the guy scribbled onto his small white notepad before turning his attention to Ben.
“Make that two,” he said, making the order easy.
“Have you had this before?” Katherine asked, when they received their orders.
“No, but I was expecting them to be a
bit bigger,” he acknowledged, holding the miniature burrito with one hand.