Table for Two

The elevator spat them out into a space that looked like the waiting room before they were served. There was a gentleman standing there whom they assumed were the maitre 'd.

Xu Jing stepped out of the elevator first, leading the way. After all, he was the one with the restaurant coupons.

The gentleman walked over to greet him while simultaneously blocking his way forward. He asked politely, "Sir do you have any reservations?"

Xu Jing reached into his breast pocket to find the coupons given by Sylvia. "Of course, I've called this morning to confirm the reservations. I'm the one asking about the usage of the coupons. The surname is Xu..."

Before he could finish however, the maitre 'd walked past him to greet Joann who was just coming out of the elevator. "Miss Joann Fong!" the maitre' d called with measured excitement. "It is such an honor for our establishment to serve you."

Perhaps the maitre 'd was Joann's fan or he understood the presence of a star of Joann's caliber could do wonders for the restaurant's reputation, in any case he promptly left Xu Jing hanging while he went to serve the customer that was deemed more important. After all, in today's day and age where idol culture ran rampant, endorsement from a famous celebrity could bring miracles for one's sales number.

One of the recent examples was how Nivea Men's Shave Balm flew out the shelves when Kylie Jenner, the second youngest of the Kardashian-Jenner clan showed a picture of it on her social media.

Similarly, if Joann would just share a picture while she was dining at the restaurant, the business would skyrocket. Even though they were doing fairly well already, who would say no to free promotion?

"Thank you for the warm welcome but I actually came with my husband today..." Joann smiled politely and started to explain but the maitre 'd would not give her the chance to do so. He pulled her along saying, "Of course, of course. Actually, tonight our tables are already full. Even if you come with a reservation, there would be about a half an hour wait but let me see what I can do for you. Miss Joann, this way please..."

When Joann passed Xu Jing as she was led into the restaurant, she stressed, "But I came with my husband. Do you mind if he join me?"

The maitre 'd turned to look at Xu Jing and added, "Of course, of course. Please come this way as well, Mr. Fong. You sure are a lucky man." Even though the man said so on his lips, he was looking through Xu Jing. In his eyes, he probably only saw Xu Jing as an attachment to Joann. Since the smallest table they had at the restaurant could fit at least 4 people, the additional weight that Xu Jing represented was no issue at all.

They say behind every powerful man is a powerful woman but behind every powerful woman is often a more than understanding man.

It took a man who was truly comfortable in his skin to not feel overshadowed by his wife's greater achievement. After all, as much as we would love to trick ourselves into believing, our society is not yet ready for women in the household to be more successful than the men.

The man himself might not think much of it but the people around him would talk and you could be sure those would not be flattering words. It was traditionally the man's role to be the breadwinner so when you act against the set rules, it was normal for others to view you differently.

It would be hard to not internalize these outside criticisms.

Therefore, Xu Jing's patience and open-mindedness could not be understated. Other men with bigger ego would not have been able to reside in his shoes for long.

As they were led through the restaurant, Xu Jing and Joann could see for themselves the maitre 'd wasn't lying. Almost all the tables in the room were occupied.

At the same time, they could hear muffled whispering of Joann's name. Either her fans or the public had recognized her.

They were eventually led to a secluded corner by the window. The view was amazing but it was quite obvious that they specially opened this table for Joann and Xu Jing. The table was of a smaller size than the standard table and the place setting looked quite new and unused. As polite guests, they did not point that out.

Xu Jing helped Joann with her chair. When Xu Jing took his own place at the table, the maitre 'd materialized with the menu.

Joann made her order and the maitre 'd prepared to leave. Xu Jing had to cough audibly to catch his attention. The man did not even seem fazed that he had forgotten about Xu Jing's existence. It was as if Xu Jing was of such little importance that the offense he made did not even register in his mind.

Xu Jing was starting to feel rather impatience and annoyed but he took it in stride because he did not want to let the man ruin their special night.

After the maitre 'd finally left with both of their orders, Xu Jing looked around the room and commented, "This place sure is fancy."

Joann concurred by nodding.

"But it feels nice, this change of pace. It's not bad to luxuriate once in a while and the best thing is I get to do it with you." Xu Jing flashed a smile at his wife. "We should do this more often."

Then, they settled into a good pace, exchanging smiles and sharing conversations.