Nika agreed to the walk because her grandmother said she felt dizzy after lunch. Once they reached the park, Grandmother walked faster than everyone. Five retired women, a man with a newspaper, and a young man who looked just as deceived as Nika waited on a bench. He carried a water bottle and two bananas, equipment for an outing suddenly turning into something else.
His name was Vuk. His aunt claimed she needed help with her phone but had left it at home. Grandmother whispered to Nika that Vuk had a steady job and washed dishes nicely. Nika asked how she knew. Grandmother said good news traveled fast. Across the bench Vuk received a similar report about Nika's tidiness and supposed love of hiking. Nika did not like hiking.
After ten minutes the older people decided to shorten their walk and have coffee somewhere that "didn't have enough chairs for everyone." They left the pair beside the lake with the remaining bananas. Vuk looked at Nika and said he felt like the last piece of furniture his relatives were trying to position correctly. Nika laughed for the first time that day.
They sat on the grass and agreed not to reward the scheme with a kiss. Both had recently left relationships about which their families had too many opinions. Vuk admitted he did not wash dishes particularly nicely, merely regularly. Nika said her room often resembled a dressing room after a performance. They enjoyed the conversation precisely because they did not have to fulfill someone else's advertisement for an ideal person.
Before parting Vuk suggested telling the relatives they had argued terribly. Nika refused another performance. They simply said they had walked and did not want arranged meetings again. Grandmother insisted she had planned nothing while carrying a cake she had ordered in advance for two. Nika kissed her cheek, took half the cake, and went home without a lengthy explanation.
Three weeks later she met Vuk at a concert. Nobody had brought them or left them together. He approached after the second song and asked whether she wanted a drink. Nika agreed, then suggested a walk after the show herself. They wandered the city until late, choosing streets that led to nobody's grandmother. When they kissed, Vuk said they had to keep it from the family committee for at least a few days. Nika laughed and promised only not to lie. The following Sunday she brought her grandmother a cake for one.