Meeting Again

Henry parked his car on the side of the road near the restaurant and entered the restaurant close to the agreed time. He was neither late nor too early.

Charlize Theron had already arrived at the restaurant and was chatting happily with the rather burly waitress who had almost arrested her earlier. In her hand, she held her copy of "Love from a Different Culture."

Could this be considered a case of becoming friends after a fight?

As soon as the person waiting entered, Charlize stood up happily and greeted him, "Henry, you've come."

"You're already here. Have you ordered?" Henry asked as he approached the table.

"Not yet, I'm waiting for you to come."

Henry let Charlize sit down first before pulling out a chair and taking his own seat. The waitress, on the other hand, immediately became very attentive and politely brought out the menu.

Henry asked, "What do you want to eat? The same as last time?"

"Hmm, that's a bit too much. I'll just have one duck pie," Charlize said somewhat embarrassedly.

It seems he hasn't been hungry since we met the day before yesterday. That's a good thing. Henry said, "Give me a duck meal, plus a peach pie, lamb chops, and a Caesar salad. Thank you."

Charlize looked surprised at the food, which was clearly not a single person's portion. This was the meal the man had said he would treat her to; if she were to pay, it would cost her a week's worth of food in one meal.

Facing those wide eyes, Henry chuckled, "I have a big appetite. The steak you saw last time..."

That's the second round of food.

"This is the first time I've ever heard someone use the term 'second round' to describe a meal."

"Haha, you'll get used to it." Henry said, extending his hand. "Give it to me."

Charlize was momentarily stunned by the question. Henry could only point to the book the girl was holding and say, "Didn't you want me to sign it?"

"Oh, yes, yes." Charlize hurriedly handed over the book.

Like Henry, he used a fountain pen, signed his name in cursive script on the blank page at the bottom of the cover, and wrote a message. What's special is that this message wishing him a successful career was written in Netherlands.

Although Afrikaans is separated from Netherlands, the distinction is roughly the same as between American English and British English. Therefore, Charlize Theron, a South Africa, could still understand it.

She simply asked in surprise, "You really speak Netherlands, or did you look it up for me?"

"Of course it's for you, beautiful girl," Henry said tenderly at first. Then he smiled and said, "Isn't that a bit too much?"

Charlize Theron, with a complex expression—a mix of happiness and embarrassment—seemed to have let her guard down.

He said, "Okay, what's the real situation?"

Henry said in Netherlands, "My former boss, Audrey Hepburn's last lover, Robert Wolders, was Netherlands. I usually communicated with him in French or Netherlands. Is this different from your Afrikaans?"

"It's a little different, but I can still understand what you're saying. For example, when you say 'Levenspa'..."

"Ritter (life partner)", we mean "Lewensmaat".

I think I roughly know why there's this difference.

Charlize asked curiously, "Oh, why do you think that is?"

It seems that modern Netherlands is heavily influenced by French. For example, the same word in French is "Partenaire de vie," while Netherlands uses "partner" as a root word.

"That should be it," Charlize said, switching back to English.

Henry switched back to English and asked, "How long have you been in United States?"

"More than two years. Why do you ask that?"

"Because your accent isn't like Robert's, which has a strong Netherlands accent, but rather a bit of France accent."

As he spoke, Henry imitated the Netherlands actor's tone and recited a line from an opera, which made Charlize chuckle.

"Did he really say that?" Charlize asked.

"Yes, integrating opera into daily life. That's quite something," Henry joked, then turned to ask, "And you? Although I've traveled to many Africa countries with Ms. Hepburn, I haven't been to South Africa yet. What kind of country is that?"

The United Nations arranged the lady's visit to South Africa before Henry became her assistant. No such arrangements were made afterward, so Henry naturally missed out on going to that country.

When asked about her hometown, Charlize seemed reluctant to speak. But she still answered, "To be honest, it's not much different from other Africa countries. Apartheid policies filled the whole society with conflict."

"I grew up in Benoni in the Transvaal Province, which is close to the city of Johannesburg. My family owned a farm, and the environment was very nice. I often played barefoot in the dirt like a boy."

"There was no Game Boy, no computer, and because of international sanctions at the time, there were no concerts. This meant I had to find my own fun, just like any other country bumpkin."

"So if you ask me what kind of country South Africa is, I can't answer you. I can only share some common impressions, even if they are somewhat negative."

The food was served, and the two ate and chatted. Henry asked, "And then?"

Charlize replied, "When I was sixteen, I left South Africa with my mother and went to Italy to work as a model. Although I lived in Milan, I spent that year traveling around Europe."

"After my modeling contract expired, we came to the United States. My mother lived in Miami, while I went to New York to attend the Joffrey Ballet School."

Henry said in surprise, "The training institution run by the Joffrey Ballet? They're very famous, and the people who get in are all very accomplished. You're quite good."

"Yeah, What If...? my knee hadn't been injured," Charlize said dejectedly.

"Really? Oh, that's a pity. If you get injured during training, it means you'll never truly reach the top level."

So-called talent isn't just about learning quickly; it also includes physical limitations. If you hit your limits early on and suffer injuries, it's a lie to say you'll achieve much in the future. Many things aren't guaranteed to succeed simply through persistence.

"Yes, that's what my teacher said too, and she didn't recommend that I continue learning ballet. That period was absolutely terrible."

So you came to Hollywood to pursue your dreams?

As if lost in memories, Charlize said, "Yes. My mother, who was in South Africa, came to see me in New York during that time. She told me, 'Either you figure out what to do next, or you go home. Because in South Africa,'"

I can sulk and be willful.

"Then I came to Los Angeles to try one last time, while my mother stayed in New York to support me. This was our last chance. What If...? we failed again, we would have to go back to our farm in South Africa."

"The United States Dream, ah," Henry exclaimed.

Looking embarrassed, Charlize Theron said shyly, "Honestly, why would I tell you all this weird stuff? Please forget about it."

"Okay, I forgot. But I have to say, sometimes it's good to speak your mind instead of keeping it bottled up inside."

"No, please just forget about it completely. Don't give me any advice."

"No problem, um, I don't remember a thing," Henry said, going along with the mood.