CHAPTER TWENTY ONE – THE FOOD
"We didn't..." she began. But didn't finish. Couldn't.
He looked up from his tomato soup. Eyebrow cocked. She stirred her soup. With her spoon. In a mug. His in a bowl.
"Y'know...right?"
He grinned. At a slant. "What?"
She used her hands. Adding motions. To try and help. Get the point across. "Y'know...um...we didn't do 'it' right?"
"Have sex?" He was blunt. And loud.
Lara looked around. For little fingers. Little eyes. Little ears. Before crouching down. Licking her lip. Questioning.
"No." He said. Turning back to his soup. Unwanted. "I don't think we did." Trailing his spoon. Through the skin.
"Good." She leaned back. Then realized. And second-guessed. "I mean –uh- not good like in 'good that we didn't." she was frantic. "But good as in...'good that...we didn't...'" she was at a loss.
He was just lost. Smiling awkwardly.
"Nevermind." She threw her hands up. Turned to the hologram. And turned it off. Jimmy Neutron blinking. Before dying away to black. She turned back.
"So..."
He looked up again.
She just smiled. Nervous. Frazzled. Weird.
"Where did you grow up?"
He shrugged. Pushing the soup away. "I don't know."
She blinked.
"What's your earliest memory?"
He thought for a moment. "Seeing Agatha...can we not talk about my past?" He asked.
And she leaned back. Before nodding. Wanting to know more. Suddenly. More than ever. "Sure...wha-whatever you want."
He was sort of shamed. Now. And looked down at the counter. Dark. And blue. It seemed to bade his eyes. "It's just that, every question you ask, I won't know the answer to..."
"Okay..." she comforted.
Conversation died quickly. After that.
Both breathing. Separately.
His stomach growled. And his hand went down. A grimace on his face.
"Are you sure you're not hungry?"
The grimace faded for a moment. As he talked. "I don't know, what does 'hungry' feel like?"
She tried to explain. "It feels like you're empty. Like your stomach's about the size of a walnut. And it hurts. Does it hurt?"
He nodded.
She pushed the soup back in front of him. "Then you have to eat."
He picked up the spoon. And sipped a bit. Before putting it back down. "It hurts to eat."
"It's cause you're starving." She concluded. "You're stomach's just not use to food."
"Here." She stood. Went to the cupboard. And pulled out some instant-meals. "Go get your coat."
"Where are we going?"
"We're going to go for a walk. The sunshine and exercise will get rid of your hunger pains."
He wanted to object. But he didn't. He just got up. And followed her directions.
"What about Agatha?" He asked. Slipping his arms into his coat.
"I'll leave her a note. She'll be alright." Lara came out of the kitchen. Carrying the instant-meals in a small knapsack.
She reached into the closet. Past Catcher. To grab her coat. But stopped. And sniffed.
Her face twisted. As she sniffed again.
He looked at her. Sniffed. And his face twisted too.
"What is that?" She asked.
He shrugged. And sniffed.
She came closer to him. Sniffing. Until finding the spot.
She reached into his coat pocket. And drew out some wadded napkins. Hard. Crumbling. And rank.
"Geeze, what are these from?" She held them away from her. They stunk that bad.
He remembered. But shrugged. Like he didn't.
They were from the dinner. At the restaurant. The war of the milk bubbles.
She smiled. Because she knew it too. She'd seen them. Mopping. And stuffing.
"Go ahead and get another coat. That one stinks." She said. As she went to the kitchen. To throw the napkins away.
He unshouldered his coat. And picked another one. A green sweatshirt. With a hood. From somewhere in the back. And put it on.
She came back. About to open the door. When she looked at him. The green sweatshirt. Brought out the green. In his other eye.
And she couldn't help. But smile.
Then she pulled herself out of it. Shaking her head.
"Well then..." she covered.
She allowed him to go first. And shut the door quietly behind her. He'd stopped at the top of the steps. Waiting for her.
"Let's go..."
She said.
"...milk boy."
"We didn't..." she began. But didn't finish. Couldn't.
He looked up from his tomato soup. Eyebrow cocked. She stirred her soup. With her spoon. In a mug. His in a bowl.
"Y'know...right?"
He grinned. At a slant. "What?"
She used her hands. Adding motions. To try and help. Get the point across. "Y'know...um...we didn't do 'it' right?"
"Have sex?" He was blunt. And loud.
Lara looked around. For little fingers. Little eyes. Little ears. Before crouching down. Licking her lip. Questioning.
"No." He said. Turning back to his soup. Unwanted. "I don't think we did." Trailing his spoon. Through the skin.
"Good." She leaned back. Then realized. And second-guessed. "I mean –uh- not good like in 'good that we didn't." she was frantic. "But good as in...'good that...we didn't...'" she was at a loss.
He was just lost. Smiling awkwardly.
"Nevermind." She threw her hands up. Turned to the hologram. And turned it off. Jimmy Neutron blinking. Before dying away to black. She turned back.
"So..."
He looked up again.
She just smiled. Nervous. Frazzled. Weird.
"Where did you grow up?"
He shrugged. Pushing the soup away. "I don't know."
She blinked.
"What's your earliest memory?"
He thought for a moment. "Seeing Agatha...can we not talk about my past?" He asked.
And she leaned back. Before nodding. Wanting to know more. Suddenly. More than ever. "Sure...wha-whatever you want."
He was sort of shamed. Now. And looked down at the counter. Dark. And blue. It seemed to bade his eyes. "It's just that, every question you ask, I won't know the answer to..."
"Okay..." she comforted.
Conversation died quickly. After that.
Both breathing. Separately.
His stomach growled. And his hand went down. A grimace on his face.
"Are you sure you're not hungry?"
The grimace faded for a moment. As he talked. "I don't know, what does 'hungry' feel like?"
She tried to explain. "It feels like you're empty. Like your stomach's about the size of a walnut. And it hurts. Does it hurt?"
He nodded.
She pushed the soup back in front of him. "Then you have to eat."
He picked up the spoon. And sipped a bit. Before putting it back down. "It hurts to eat."
"It's cause you're starving." She concluded. "You're stomach's just not use to food."
"Here." She stood. Went to the cupboard. And pulled out some instant-meals. "Go get your coat."
"Where are we going?"
"We're going to go for a walk. The sunshine and exercise will get rid of your hunger pains."
He wanted to object. But he didn't. He just got up. And followed her directions.
"What about Agatha?" He asked. Slipping his arms into his coat.
"I'll leave her a note. She'll be alright." Lara came out of the kitchen. Carrying the instant-meals in a small knapsack.
She reached into the closet. Past Catcher. To grab her coat. But stopped. And sniffed.
Her face twisted. As she sniffed again.
He looked at her. Sniffed. And his face twisted too.
"What is that?" She asked.
He shrugged. And sniffed.
She came closer to him. Sniffing. Until finding the spot.
She reached into his coat pocket. And drew out some wadded napkins. Hard. Crumbling. And rank.
"Geeze, what are these from?" She held them away from her. They stunk that bad.
He remembered. But shrugged. Like he didn't.
They were from the dinner. At the restaurant. The war of the milk bubbles.
She smiled. Because she knew it too. She'd seen them. Mopping. And stuffing.
"Go ahead and get another coat. That one stinks." She said. As she went to the kitchen. To throw the napkins away.
He unshouldered his coat. And picked another one. A green sweatshirt. With a hood. From somewhere in the back. And put it on.
She came back. About to open the door. When she looked at him. The green sweatshirt. Brought out the green. In his other eye.
And she couldn't help. But smile.
Then she pulled herself out of it. Shaking her head.
"Well then..." she covered.
She allowed him to go first. And shut the door quietly behind her. He'd stopped at the top of the steps. Waiting for her.
"Let's go..."
She said.
"...milk boy."