Chapter 21: Family Dinner

We entered the restaurant. It was an Italian place, the sort made for large family gatherings and small children. This early, it was still at acceptable levels of racket, but I knew the place would become more hectic as the night wore on.

In short, it was just the sort of place Mr. Maurizio would love.

A smiling waitress led me and Mrs. Gailon to a table and we sat down. I sat next to the head of the table, figuring that Mr. Maurizio would sit there. To my dismay though, Mrs. Gailon sat at the other end of the table with the same look she'd been wearing for most of the car ride.

Before I could say anything, Heather, Mrs. Gailon's eldest daughter, and Nick, Heather's husband, showed up. Heather sat across from her Mom and Nick next to Heather. As soon as they sat down, Heather asked, "Where's Cathleen?"

Mrs. Gailon huffed out a response I couldn't hear. The Gailon boys came next and filled in most of the spaces between me and everyone else. Then Keith slid in at the head of the table.

"Hey, Kelsey," he said with that innocent smile.

I glared at him, "Isn't your uncle going to sit there?"

"Uncle Maurizio," he said, his eyes widening, "Why ever would you think that? He'll sit next to my dear mother of course."

I frowned and looked at the table. There were two spots left: one spot between Jeffery and Mrs. Gailon and another spot across from me.

Mr. Maurizio arrived and, as Keith predicted, he sat down next to Mrs. Gailon at the other end of the table.

Then, just as the waitress returned to ask about drinks, Cathleen emerged from the bathroom. She still looked… off. Her smile was too big and I thought that her face was flushed. Mr. Maurizio must not have noticed because he smiled. "There you are, mi scimmia. I was growing worried. It's rare for me not to be the last at the table. Now come, sit down and join us."

Cathleen stared at the table and a look of annoyance crossed her face when she saw the last spot was with me and Keith. Keith waved while I found myself hoping that look was for him. I watched Cathleen sink into her seat, not making eye contact. She just propped up her menu which blocked both mine and Keith's view of her. I frowned. I hoped she was alright.

Keith only grinned. I could just tell he was plotting. "Hey Keith," I said. "Stop."

He cocked his head to the side. "Stop what?"

I frowned at him. "Whatever you're planning to say. Have some compassion for once," I said.

Keith blinked. "Always so harsh, Kelsey. I'm super compassionate."

I scowled at him. He just smiled, but I suppose that was better than him talking.

We kept up our staring contest until the server came up to ask about my drink order. I was forced to glance down at the menu. As I ordered a root beer float, Keith whispered something into Cathleen's ear. I saw her knuckles go white.

I was ready to tell Keith off, but then the waitress turned to him and Keith waffled. He asked the server about their alcohol options, knowing full well he was too young to drink. Then he and the waitress began a lengthy discussion on the best drinks. In the meantime, I tried to catch Cathleen's eye, but she wouldn't look up from her menu. I frowned.

When the waitress moved on to Cathleen, Keith leaned towards me, his eyes sparkling.

"What?" I said.

"Don't you want to know what has Cathleen so upset?" he whispered.

I glared at him. "Not from you."

"But I'm your bestest friend in the whole circus," he whined into my ear.

"Ha!" I laughed. "Good one."

"Well, I don't see anyone else going out of their way to talk to you."

That shut me up.

He continued with that annoying smile of his. "So… I must be your best friend. Because Cathleen sure isn't. She has a new best friend. Isn't that right, Cathleen?" He said raising his voice to above a whisper for her to hear.

In the silence of Cathleen's response, I felt my face grow hot. I blinked a few times. I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of knowing he got to me. So, I hadn't made friends in the circus yet. So what? I've been busy. Once I finished slaving away in the kitchen and I made my debut, things would be different. I would give Cathleen a proper apology and I'd finally be part of the family again.

That's what I tried to tell myself, anyway.

Keith wasn't done though. He was facing Cathleen, "It's such a shame Matt couldn't make it here tonight or… any other night." He paused and then he turned to me almost singing the next sentence. "Good thing we have you~."

Cathleen had had enough. She took that opportunity to get up and leave.

My swirl of emotions had settled on anger. Keith was being downright toxic tonight. Just as evil as when we were kids. "What is your problem, Keith?" I demanded.

"I'm not the one with a problem," Keith sat leaning back into his chair. "You don't see me fleeing to the restroom because my friends aren't here." He paused, "Well most of my friends. I mean if I'm your best friend then you must be on my friend list somewhere…" he glanced down, "near the bottom." Then he smiled blissfully at me. "I have a lot of friends."

"As if," I said, getting up, "No one with half a brain would want to be friends with you. I'm going to go check on Cathleen."

"I'm sure she'll love that," he said, rolling his eyes.

I ignored him and went to go find the women's bathroom. It didn't take me long to find the bathroom, but Cathleen wasn't in front of the mirrors and there were people coming in and out of the place. It wasn't crowded, but it was too busy for privacy. I tried to nonchalantly walk by each stall which earned me some looks before I heard the sniffles that must be coming from Cathleen.

I leaned against the stall door, earning even more looks and whispered into the stall. "Don't let Keith bother you," I said. "He's a poopy jerkface."

I heard a snort. I grinned. It was an old insult back from when I was seven. Cathleen always used to laugh at it, even after we were both too old for the insult.

Then Cathleen said. "You shouldn't be here, Kelsey. You should go back."

There went my smile. I recovered and said, "But I want to be here. I'm worried about you. What's wrong?" Because despite what Keith said, I didn't believe that Matt not being here was the whole problem. Cathleen was not that shallow.

There was silence. Women kept filing past me and toilets flushed, but I tried to ignore it.

I was rewarded with a whisper, so faint in the background noise that I almost didn't hear it. "I can't do this today."

"Can't do what?"

"Kelsey," her voice suddenly strained. "I just need a bit of time alone. I'll be alright, so just go back, okay?"

I stared at the door. She was crying in a bathroom stall. She obviously wasn't alright and I wasn't sure that a bit of time would fix whatever had caused that expression outside the restaurant. I didn't want to leave her alone.

"Please," she said.

It was such a desperate plea that it made me feel like the poopy jerkface. I thought that checking up on her would be a good thing, the right thing. Cathleen looked like she needed help. In the old days, I would have been able to help, but now I just seemed to be making things worse.

"Alright," I said. "I'll see you later."

"See you," she said.

I returned to our table. Keith had moved into Cathleen's seat and was talking to Daniel. He looked up as I approached and smiled, "How was dear Cathleen?"

I scowled and sat down.

"There, there, Kelsey," he said leaning over the table to pat my shoulder. "I'm still your friend."

I angrily shrugged off his mock sympathy and told him to stuff it which he actually did. But Keith's silence didn't improve my mood. Keith was right. I wasn't close enough to Cathleen to help her and she needed help.

I was stewing in my chair staring unseeingly at the menu when the waitress arrived to ask if we were ready to order. Several eyes at the table drifted to the women's bathroom. It had been a good ten minutes since I had left the bathroom, but Cathleen still hadn't returned yet. Mrs. Gailon looked annoyed and worried at the same time.

It was Heather who rose and said, "This is ridiculous. I'll go check on her, Mom." She left the table. The waitress said she'd be back in a few minutes and our table was quiet for a few moments.

Mr. Maurizio patted Mrs. Gailon on the shoulder, "I'm sure she is fine, Viola. Just a little teenaged bravata."

"Teenaged girls can be so emotional," Keith hissed into Daniel's ear.

Daniel covered his mouth. He was obviously laughing.

I glared at both of them. "Hey! I'm a teenaged girl."

"Exactly," Keith said smugly.

But my outburst had caught the attention of the rest of the table. "Keith," Mrs. Gailon said in a warning voice, "Don't make any more trouble tonight."

"Yes, mother," Keith said in the voice of an angel.

Mr. Maurizio added, "Needing to make an apology to one young lady is more than enough for one day, folletto."

"You're right, Uncle," Keith said.

Mr. Maurizio nodded, satisfied. And then Mr. Maurizio directed the conversation to what he called "Happier topics."

I sat there, surprised. In the old days, Keith never used to get told off like this. He had that angel face and was so sneaky that no one ever suspected him. I guess at some point people had caught on to Keith's act. My shock must have caught Keith's eye because he turned to me and shrugged.

"You can't win them all," he said. "But… I do win most of the time." He winked and then he turned back to the conversation.

Soon after Heather returned with Cathleen. Keith smiled at Cathleen and gestured to the head of the table. Cathleen glowered at him and sat down. The whole table focused in on Keith as he said, "Cathleen, I'm so sorry for teasing you. I know how much you love Matt. Maybe he'll be invited next year."

Cathleen turned red and held up her menu even higher.

"Keith!" Mrs. Gailon snapped.

He turned to her and said, "What?"

Mrs. Gailon glared at him.

"Fine." He said, rolling his eyes. He turned back to Cathleen, "I'm sorry for mentioning that you love Matt too." He glanced at his mom who still looked displeased. "How was that?"

Mrs. Gailon sighed, "Terrible as usual, Keith."

Keith frowned. "Um…sorry?" he said. He looked genuinely confused. The poopy jerkface deserved an Oscar.

Mrs. Gailon just shook her head. Both she and Mr. Maurizio looked like they might say something, but luckily for Keith, the waitress returned. It was time to order our food and Mrs. Gailon was first up.

Keith shot me a smile and mouthed, "Most of the time."

I rolled my eyes. Then I propped up my menu like Cathleen and tried to ignore him. While Mrs. Gailon and Mr. Maurizio were ordering, Keith sparked a conversation with Nick of all people. Nick was happy to discuss different circus philosophies. Nick had worked at a couple of circuses before joining ours. It was an interesting topic for everyone and soon it distracted both parental figures from a probable lecture.

The rest of the dinner went better after that. Despite his many faults and bullying tendencies, Keith actually was a great conversationalist when he wanted to be and now that his powers were being used for good, conversation flowed across the table.

Cathleen didn't join in. She was quiet and subdued. I think Keith purposefully avoided drawing her in. I felt bad for her, but there was nothing I could do to help. Besides glancing at her now and then, I didn't do much.

At one point, Keith asked me, "Do you like this pasta more now that you've learned how to cook, Kelsey? I remember Daniel started liking food that he didn't have to cook more after he joined the kitchen."

"Uh. Yeah," I said, "I do appreciate not having to cook this. Though," I paused, surprised at my upcoming thought. "I think I like Ruth's sauce a bit better than this."

Mr. Maurizio eyes twinkled. "Ah yes. I think that must be true. Ruth, she is a master. I like to eat out for variety and atmosphere. I do not expect better food."

The table agreed and it began a discussion of favorite circus foods. It was a lively topic as people fantasized about their favorites. I personally was getting excited because this seemed like an ideal way to transition into the question that determined my fate. But then the question got directed to Mrs. Gailon. She smiled sadly, "There are a lot of good things that Ruth cooks, but my favorite was tandoori chicken."

I stiffened. That was one of my mom's dishes.

"Ah Viola," Mr. Maurizio agreed, "That was a good one. Perhaps Kelsey will learn it one day and cook it for us."

All eyes were on me. I screwed up my courage and said, "Speaking of which, I wanted to talk to you and Mrs. Gailon about my cooking lessons, Mr. Maurizio."

"Oh, mi patatina, now is not the time."

"But-"

He held up a hand. "I know. I have been thinking about it too, but wait until next Wednesday. That will be the time. You, Viola and I will talk business on that night."

"But, Lisa-"

"Now Kelsey," Mrs. Gailon said cutting me off, "My brother's right. This is a family dinner. He didn't invite you here to talk about work. We'll see him on Wednesday and discuss it. It's only a week away. Okay?"

They wanted me to back down and accept this, but Lisa needed me. Every week was like a month in bobcat years and Lisa needed help as soon as possible. I didn't want to arbitrarily delay this meeting because of etiquette. I eyed Mrs. Gailon before saying to Mr. Maurizio, "It's not just a week. Lisa hasn't done well under this new schedule. It's not healthy for her to be away from me so much. And since you both said I was doing better, I was really hoping to discuss changing my schedule as soon as possible, for her sake. Are you sure we can't speak about this tonight?"

Mrs. Gailon frowned at my plea as Mr. Maurizio shook his head. "I am sorry for that, mi patatina, but we really cannot speak of it now. My plan is good, but it requires some more time," Mr. Maurizio promised, "Have patience and work hard in the meantime. Yes?"

I looked up at the two siblings feeling the eyes of everyone at the table watching me. I had made my case despite Mrs. Gailon's interruptions and I saw no change in their expressions. I swallowed. I wanted to keep pressing, but I knew it wouldn't work. They saw it as a measly week and I could tell Mrs. Gailon thought I was being melodramatic. I knew the best thing to do to ensure their goodwill was to stop arguing, so I swallowed my complaints and said, "Alright."

"Very Good," Mr. Maurizio said.

Mrs. Gailon stopped frowning and looked almost relieved.

After that dinner was essentially over in my mind. I had nothing more to say. I knew that tonight would be a long shot with the whole Cathleen thing and it hadn't been a total no, but I couldn't help but be disappointed. I needed more time. Before I had just wanted to start planning my new circus act, then to escape the kitchen and hopefully make up with Dhiren. But after yesterday, I realized how dire things were with Lisa. I needed more time with her to create a new training plan before she became weaker and more forgetful. It was a week between today and Mr. Maurizio's proposed meeting. I would just have to pray that things didn't get much worse between now and then.

A/N: So... I'm really into watching stats. I like to look at the traffic stats feature and such. And I found out something cool. I think with this chapter, I will have the longest fic in this fandom. Granted the word count includes these authors notes but it is still pretty crazy. I joined this fandom super late, but with this, I kind of feel like I'm making an impact. I don't know. It feels cool and I am over excited about it.

Anyway, this was a really fun chapter for me to write. Keith indeed is a poopy jerkface and was a joy to write. I've been trying to ride what I call the "writer's wave." The muse has stopped by so I'm hoping to finally get ahead of myself in chapters. That should mean more consistent upload times. You might notice I'm early this month :)

Please leave a comment if you are enjoying this fic. I use those comments to bolster my spirits when the writing gets rough. Follow and fav too for updates if you've been tuning in each month. That's it, guys. I'll see you next month.