"The Dinner Party"
By: Evangeline Henri
Chapter 3: Trouble With The French Language
**
Davis squinted at the menu, bewildered. Although he
tried his best to figure out what was being offered, he was
completely lost. What did any of it mean? The letters
didn't even look like real writing; it seemed as though a
child had scribbled down random characters and fancied them
words. He looked around, hoping he wasn't the only one having
trouble, but everyone else seemed to be doing just fine. "I
have no clue what any of this means!"
Yolei sighed. "Hopeless! Utterly hopeless! First
of all," she snapped, "you're holding the menu upside-down!"
The table roared with laughter as Davis slumped down
low in his chair. Thanks a lot, lambkins. "I knew that!" he
cried, wishing he could escape. "I was just kidding, you guys!"
"Need some help?" Ken asked.
Mortified, Davis nodded.
Ken scooted his chair around closer. "Let's have a look
here." He bent closer to examine the righted menu. "Don't worry,
Davis; it was in French."
"Yeah, but he still had it upside-down." Apparently,
Yolei was not going to let him forget this easily.
"Ignore them," Ken said, and Davis realized that he
really didn't care what they said. "Hmm.... 'Coq au Vin.'
That's chicken in a wine sauce. And 'Canard Orange' is orange
duck."
Davis was well aware of how close he and Ken were
sitting. How couldn't he have been? Sharing a menu, heads
bent over it and nearly touching- none of this escaped him.
He could smell the scent of Ken's shampoo. Raspberries.
"Smells- I mean, sounds delicious, Ken."
"Does it?" There was a small smile tugging at the
corner of Ken's lips, as if he knew exactly to what Davis had
accidentally referred.
Davis blushed. Had he really been so obvious? He nodded.
"Wonderful."
"Thank you." Turning the page of the menu, Ken's knuckles
brushed against Davis' fingers. He held his hand there for a
moment, before dropping it to the side.
"Let's tackle the pasta entrees, shall we?"
Davis nodded. Suddenly, he found that he wasn't as hungry
as he thought he was.
*****
Although Davis had hoped fervently that that last
interlude had gone unobserved, such things rarely do. That
little moment, so fresh in both his and Ken's mind, was currently
burning in a third one- TK's. His face was painted by jealousy,
which deepened every time that Davis glanced at Ken for a half-second.
He savaged the napkin clutched in his hands, wringing it.
Matt, removed by both age and by passion, had seen all.
He nudged Tai. "Looks like we have quite the love triangle going
on down there."
"Ah, the emotional turmoil of youth," Tai said sagely.
"How very wise of you."
"TK, what's wrong?" Kari, a true child of light, had also
noticed his unhappiness. "You have the strangest look on your face."
"Oh, it's nothing, really." He tried to smile for her,
tried to keep up whatever façade that he had been so successful
with before. All his efforts failed utterly, though, when he saw
Davis touch Ken's arm briefly.
She gave him a puzzled grin. "Well, if you ever want to
talk about anything, I'll always be willing to listen."
TK smiled wanly.
"I'm starving!" said Yolei. "I feel like I could eat
every last thing on here!"
Davis smirked, but visibly restrained himself when
she shot him a murderous look. "Watch it, goggle boy!"
As if trained to arrive at the moment when catastrophe
seemed most imminent, the waiter bustled over. He loomed above
the table, tall and thin with the curling mustache and haughty
expression that waiters at French restaurants seemed to be born
with. "Are we ready to order?" He sniffed.
Everyone nodded his or her acquiescence, and the waiter went down
the row. He nodded once or twice at a person's order, all the
while scribbling in his little spiral-bound notebook.
It was soon Davis' turn. "And for you, monsieur?"
"I'd like the rabbit with raspberry sauce, please," he
said haltingly.
Ken smiled like a proud parent. "The same for me."
The waiter nodded, then turned his icy gaze to TK. "And you?"
"Um...." TK stammered. He had been so caught up in
watching Ken and Davis that he had never even opened his menu.
Now, he scanned it frantically, searching for a dish that he
recognized. Nothing.
Blah blah, blah... escargot... blah, blah blah...
Escargot? Vaguely, he remembered hearing something
about it in a foreign film in French class. Although he had been
half-asleep at the time, there was something about the escargot
dish that had resonated in his mind. But what could it have
possibly been? Try as he might, TK couldn't recall what escargot
was. He had always had trouble with the French language; it was
never his strongest subject. All of those deathly boring classes
with Mrs.(Beastly) Priestly had finally come back to haunt him.
Everyone was staring at him, though. Twelve pairs of eyes.
They were all staring, criticizing his inability to choose. And
beneath those looks, everyone was laughing at him. Davis was
even snickering into his hand at TK's plight, though Ken looked
marginally sympathetic.
It seemed as if escargot was his only option.
Kari nudged him. "TK, the waiter needs your order."
"The escargot," he said quickly, the words tumbling out
of his mouth.
"That's... all, monsieur?" TK nodded. The waiter opened
his mouth, but clamped it shut again. "As you wish... monsieur."
He moved on to Kari.
When he had finished, the waiter gave a highly exaggerated
bow, and then scurried away, muttering under his breath in French.
"Hey, TK," Matt called. "Do you even know what escargot is?"
"Of course I-" TK stopped. "No."
"Snails, steamed and served in a garlic butter sauce," Izzy
said, smacking his lips. "Delicious!"
"You're kidding, right?"
"'Fraid not," said Matt apologetically.
A wave of nausea spread over TK. No wonder he had
remembered what escargot was! He had managed to select the
worst, most putrid item on the menu.
"Dude, you ordered snails!" Davis cackled.
Yolei glared at him. "Davis, can you do the entire human
race a favor and try for like, five seconds, not to be such a
cretin? It's not as if you wouldn't have done the exact same
thing, or even worse, if Ken hadn't taken pity on your ignorance."
"Yeah, Davis," Kari agreed. "Be a little nicer."
"Sure, Kari, if you say so! I'll be so good that you won't
even recognize me! I'll change my name to Saint Davis and move to
India to help, like orphans and puppies and stuff," he gushed.
TK winced. How could Davis be so patronizing to her?
Didn't he see the glances that Ken was trying so hard to disguise?
How could TK be the only one who had caught them all? How could
he be so blind as to go after her, when Ken was right there?
"That's better," said Kari, mollified. Testing her powers,
she added, "And apologize to TK. He didn't deserve that."
"Yes'm. Sorry TR," he spat, not looking his rival in the
face.
Cody tried to steer the conversation into safer waters.
"So, Davis, who's watching the digimon while we're away?"
"My sister, June."
All conversation stopped. The party had been bustling
on at a relatively nice tempo; each person had found a conversation
in which they could actively participate (Except for Tai, that is,
who had some how manage to stumble into Joe and Izzy's rousing
discourse on the benefits of a free-trade agreement between
industrialized and developing nations.) But as soon as Davis
spoke, everything came to a crashing halt, with everyone gaping
at him in horror. Matt let out what appeared to be a yelp of
fear, and sat, frozen.
Sora recovered first. "What could you have possibly
been thinking?" she shouted.
"I d-don't believe that was the most advisable of
actions," Izzy sputtered.
"Are you out of your mind, goggle boy?" Yolei chimed in.
"Davis, your sister is even scarier than Yo-" Matt elbowed
Tai, who stopped short, and whimpered. Fortunately for him,
though, Yolei seemed too angry to notice.
"Hey will everybody just relax?" Davis held up his
hands. "I mean, sure, June's a stalker-" Matt nodded furiously
at this, "and she can sometimes drive me crazy. But come on!
She's my sister. I totally trust her."
Ken looked at Davis, uncertainty clouding his features.
"If you say she's trustworthy...." He paused for a moment, before
reaching a conclusion. "Then I believe you. This may not seem
like a very good idea to us, but we all know Davis would never
do anything that would put Chibimon in danger."
The others reluctantly grunted their assent, and slowly
went back to their previous conversations, shaking their heads.
"I still think his goggles are restricting blood flow
to his brain," muttered Yolei.
*****
[end part 3]
By: Evangeline Henri
Chapter 3: Trouble With The French Language
**
Davis squinted at the menu, bewildered. Although he
tried his best to figure out what was being offered, he was
completely lost. What did any of it mean? The letters
didn't even look like real writing; it seemed as though a
child had scribbled down random characters and fancied them
words. He looked around, hoping he wasn't the only one having
trouble, but everyone else seemed to be doing just fine. "I
have no clue what any of this means!"
Yolei sighed. "Hopeless! Utterly hopeless! First
of all," she snapped, "you're holding the menu upside-down!"
The table roared with laughter as Davis slumped down
low in his chair. Thanks a lot, lambkins. "I knew that!" he
cried, wishing he could escape. "I was just kidding, you guys!"
"Need some help?" Ken asked.
Mortified, Davis nodded.
Ken scooted his chair around closer. "Let's have a look
here." He bent closer to examine the righted menu. "Don't worry,
Davis; it was in French."
"Yeah, but he still had it upside-down." Apparently,
Yolei was not going to let him forget this easily.
"Ignore them," Ken said, and Davis realized that he
really didn't care what they said. "Hmm.... 'Coq au Vin.'
That's chicken in a wine sauce. And 'Canard Orange' is orange
duck."
Davis was well aware of how close he and Ken were
sitting. How couldn't he have been? Sharing a menu, heads
bent over it and nearly touching- none of this escaped him.
He could smell the scent of Ken's shampoo. Raspberries.
"Smells- I mean, sounds delicious, Ken."
"Does it?" There was a small smile tugging at the
corner of Ken's lips, as if he knew exactly to what Davis had
accidentally referred.
Davis blushed. Had he really been so obvious? He nodded.
"Wonderful."
"Thank you." Turning the page of the menu, Ken's knuckles
brushed against Davis' fingers. He held his hand there for a
moment, before dropping it to the side.
"Let's tackle the pasta entrees, shall we?"
Davis nodded. Suddenly, he found that he wasn't as hungry
as he thought he was.
*****
Although Davis had hoped fervently that that last
interlude had gone unobserved, such things rarely do. That
little moment, so fresh in both his and Ken's mind, was currently
burning in a third one- TK's. His face was painted by jealousy,
which deepened every time that Davis glanced at Ken for a half-second.
He savaged the napkin clutched in his hands, wringing it.
Matt, removed by both age and by passion, had seen all.
He nudged Tai. "Looks like we have quite the love triangle going
on down there."
"Ah, the emotional turmoil of youth," Tai said sagely.
"How very wise of you."
"TK, what's wrong?" Kari, a true child of light, had also
noticed his unhappiness. "You have the strangest look on your face."
"Oh, it's nothing, really." He tried to smile for her,
tried to keep up whatever façade that he had been so successful
with before. All his efforts failed utterly, though, when he saw
Davis touch Ken's arm briefly.
She gave him a puzzled grin. "Well, if you ever want to
talk about anything, I'll always be willing to listen."
TK smiled wanly.
"I'm starving!" said Yolei. "I feel like I could eat
every last thing on here!"
Davis smirked, but visibly restrained himself when
she shot him a murderous look. "Watch it, goggle boy!"
As if trained to arrive at the moment when catastrophe
seemed most imminent, the waiter bustled over. He loomed above
the table, tall and thin with the curling mustache and haughty
expression that waiters at French restaurants seemed to be born
with. "Are we ready to order?" He sniffed.
Everyone nodded his or her acquiescence, and the waiter went down
the row. He nodded once or twice at a person's order, all the
while scribbling in his little spiral-bound notebook.
It was soon Davis' turn. "And for you, monsieur?"
"I'd like the rabbit with raspberry sauce, please," he
said haltingly.
Ken smiled like a proud parent. "The same for me."
The waiter nodded, then turned his icy gaze to TK. "And you?"
"Um...." TK stammered. He had been so caught up in
watching Ken and Davis that he had never even opened his menu.
Now, he scanned it frantically, searching for a dish that he
recognized. Nothing.
Blah blah, blah... escargot... blah, blah blah...
Escargot? Vaguely, he remembered hearing something
about it in a foreign film in French class. Although he had been
half-asleep at the time, there was something about the escargot
dish that had resonated in his mind. But what could it have
possibly been? Try as he might, TK couldn't recall what escargot
was. He had always had trouble with the French language; it was
never his strongest subject. All of those deathly boring classes
with Mrs.(Beastly) Priestly had finally come back to haunt him.
Everyone was staring at him, though. Twelve pairs of eyes.
They were all staring, criticizing his inability to choose. And
beneath those looks, everyone was laughing at him. Davis was
even snickering into his hand at TK's plight, though Ken looked
marginally sympathetic.
It seemed as if escargot was his only option.
Kari nudged him. "TK, the waiter needs your order."
"The escargot," he said quickly, the words tumbling out
of his mouth.
"That's... all, monsieur?" TK nodded. The waiter opened
his mouth, but clamped it shut again. "As you wish... monsieur."
He moved on to Kari.
When he had finished, the waiter gave a highly exaggerated
bow, and then scurried away, muttering under his breath in French.
"Hey, TK," Matt called. "Do you even know what escargot is?"
"Of course I-" TK stopped. "No."
"Snails, steamed and served in a garlic butter sauce," Izzy
said, smacking his lips. "Delicious!"
"You're kidding, right?"
"'Fraid not," said Matt apologetically.
A wave of nausea spread over TK. No wonder he had
remembered what escargot was! He had managed to select the
worst, most putrid item on the menu.
"Dude, you ordered snails!" Davis cackled.
Yolei glared at him. "Davis, can you do the entire human
race a favor and try for like, five seconds, not to be such a
cretin? It's not as if you wouldn't have done the exact same
thing, or even worse, if Ken hadn't taken pity on your ignorance."
"Yeah, Davis," Kari agreed. "Be a little nicer."
"Sure, Kari, if you say so! I'll be so good that you won't
even recognize me! I'll change my name to Saint Davis and move to
India to help, like orphans and puppies and stuff," he gushed.
TK winced. How could Davis be so patronizing to her?
Didn't he see the glances that Ken was trying so hard to disguise?
How could TK be the only one who had caught them all? How could
he be so blind as to go after her, when Ken was right there?
"That's better," said Kari, mollified. Testing her powers,
she added, "And apologize to TK. He didn't deserve that."
"Yes'm. Sorry TR," he spat, not looking his rival in the
face.
Cody tried to steer the conversation into safer waters.
"So, Davis, who's watching the digimon while we're away?"
"My sister, June."
All conversation stopped. The party had been bustling
on at a relatively nice tempo; each person had found a conversation
in which they could actively participate (Except for Tai, that is,
who had some how manage to stumble into Joe and Izzy's rousing
discourse on the benefits of a free-trade agreement between
industrialized and developing nations.) But as soon as Davis
spoke, everything came to a crashing halt, with everyone gaping
at him in horror. Matt let out what appeared to be a yelp of
fear, and sat, frozen.
Sora recovered first. "What could you have possibly
been thinking?" she shouted.
"I d-don't believe that was the most advisable of
actions," Izzy sputtered.
"Are you out of your mind, goggle boy?" Yolei chimed in.
"Davis, your sister is even scarier than Yo-" Matt elbowed
Tai, who stopped short, and whimpered. Fortunately for him,
though, Yolei seemed too angry to notice.
"Hey will everybody just relax?" Davis held up his
hands. "I mean, sure, June's a stalker-" Matt nodded furiously
at this, "and she can sometimes drive me crazy. But come on!
She's my sister. I totally trust her."
Ken looked at Davis, uncertainty clouding his features.
"If you say she's trustworthy...." He paused for a moment, before
reaching a conclusion. "Then I believe you. This may not seem
like a very good idea to us, but we all know Davis would never
do anything that would put Chibimon in danger."
The others reluctantly grunted their assent, and slowly
went back to their previous conversations, shaking their heads.
"I still think his goggles are restricting blood flow
to his brain," muttered Yolei.
*****
[end part 3]
