The next morning when Edmond went to the coffee shop he found Rika there working on her paper. She looked up from her laptop when he came to the table and sat down next to her.
"Hello Edmond, good morning," she said.
"Good morning. Can I get you anything?"
"I could use a cup of coffee. I have been working here for hours and I need a break. A cup of coffee would be good."
Edmond walked to the counter and ordered two cups of coffee and a bagel with cream cheese for himself. Taking the coffee back to the table where Rika was working, he set the two paper cups of coffee down on the table. He walked back to the counter and got his bagel and then went and sat down next to her.
Rika picked up the coffee cup and took a sip. "Mmm, thank you for the coffee," she said smiling, her green eyes sparkling.
"Your welcome. How is your paper coming?"
"I'm almost done."
"What are you writing it on?"
"It is about T-cells."
"What are T-cells?"
"They are a type of lymphocyte that helps the body's immune system fight infections"
Edmond did not know anything about immunology; he was majoring in literature and found science to hard for him to understand. Rika could tell from the look on his face that he was not going to be able to follow her description of what T-cells did so she cut it short, just telling him, "that they were necessary for the body to mount an immune response." He smiled as if he understood what they did. After they had talked about the sunny weather for a few minutes, she went back to working on her paper. He opened the book he had been reading. The action in the book had progressed and now the protagonist of the novel had gone to a priest to have the demon that was haunting him exorcised. The priest told him that before he could perform an exorcism that he would need to have a psychological exam to show that he was truly possessed. The hero then went to a psychologist who first asked him about his childhood. The man was telling the psychologist about his youth, when Rika screamed out.
"I'm done," she cried.
Edmond looked up from his book and smiled at her.
"Finally," she exalted as she saved her work. "Want to go get a beer?"
Edmond looked at his watch. "It's not even noon."
"I don't care. I want to celebrate."
"Sure, why not."
Edmond stood by and watched as Rika packed up her things and they left the coffee shop together. Right next-door to the coffee shop was the bar where they had seen the blues group two nights before. It was just opening for the day as they went in and sat down at a table they were the only customers in the bar. The man that was opening the bar said that none of the wait staff was due for another hour so he would take their order. Rika ordered a pair of beers for the both of them and the man brought them to them a few minutes later.
"I am so happy to be done with my paper," she said.
"When is it due?"
"It was due yesterday. I was able to get an extension from my instructor. I will proofread it tonight and email it to him. Do you want to read it?"
"No that's all right. I am sure I wouldn't understand it anyway."
"Does it bother you to be with a woman who is smarter than you?" she said, teasing him.
He was a little taken aback by her brashness, but thought it best to play it cool. "No I like smart women."
"So tell me Edmond, do you have a girlfriend?"
"No, I guess not."
"What do you mean by that?" She asked taking a big swallow of beer. Her glass was almost empty, with only a small amount still remaining. His was still mostly full.
"Before I came to Europe I had been going out with somebody, but I have not been able to talk to her since I got here."
"Have you tried to talk to her?" she asked, waving at the man behind the bar to bring them two more beers.
"I have tried to call her almost every day. She works in the library at school and I have been trying to call her about the time that she gets home. She can't talk while she is at work. But, I have not been able to speak to her. I have only talked to her mother, who tells me that she is not home. I kind of got the impression that she was out with somebody, but her mother wouldn't tell me."
"Poor thing," she said looking at him with at sad look on her face.
The man had brought two more beers and set them down on the table. Edmond had still hardly touched his first. Rika dove into her second, taking a big swallow. They sat and continued talking, Edmond sipping his beer, Rika rapidly drinking hers. After she had finished her second glass of beer she asked Edmond if he was going to drink his second. He was still working on his first. He told her it was okay if she drank the second beer the man had brought for Edmond.
After she had finished the third beer, Rika yawned. "Mmm, I'm tired. Maybe we should go take a nap?"
After his beer Edmond was feeling a bit tired himself. "Sure, I could use a nap myself."
"Well, why don't we go back to my apartment? My roommate is out of town and we will have the place all to ourselves."
"Sure," said Edmond, a little bit surprised.
After Edmond had put a few Euros on the table to pay for the beers, they left together and walked to Rika's apartment. They entered the two-story apartment complex and Rika led him up a flight of stairs. She led him to the door of her apartment and unlocked it with her key. He followed her into the apartment. She walked down a short hall to the main room of the apartment and flung her book bag down onto a couch.