I Caught Myself
SEVEN
"Brendan, May's here!" Delia yelled from outside Brendan's room, knocking wildly. Brendan groaned. This wasn't the first time his mom woke him up with uppercut hits and combos to his wooden door. He scratched his lower back and jumped up from bed, running a hand through his grayish white hair. He slipped his sweatband on and opened the door.
"What is it, mom?" Brendan asked. Delia smiled.
"May's here. She said you told her that you'd tour her around town today,"
Brendan was taken back to what his mother said. He remembered that he did tell May that he'd take her to see town that day. He nodded his head. "Mom, tell her that I'll only be a few minutes. I have to take a shower and change, so…"
"Okay, okay. She's still sipping coffee downstairs. You hurry up, my boy," Delia explained, smiling sweetly at her son. He nodded his head and closed the door behind him. Delia shook her head and smiled.
"He's growing up," she uttered, before she disappeared downstairs.
Delia walked slowly, wiping her hands on the apron tied around her waist. She spotted May seated on the sofa, flipping the pages of a photo album. She crept closer to her and sat on the empty seat beside her.
She glanced at the photo she was marveling at. It was of Brendan in his boyhood. He was wearing the Christmas sweater his grandma knit for him before the Holidays. Delia smiled.
"His grandma knit him that sweater," She said, a dainty finger pointed at the dressed young boy.
May smiled, strangely, she was blushing. "It looks great on him,"
"I know," Delia smiled, a short sigh followed. "He grew up so fast,"
May giggled a little. After a few minutes, Brendan was already stepping down the stairs and marveling at them. He smiled. "May, you ready to go?"
May looked up from the photo album and nodded. "Yeah,"
Brendan nodded in agreement. Delia smiled. "Now you two. Be home before dark, okay?"
"I always get home before dark, mom," Brendan answered, opening the door. May excused herself from Delia and rested the picture album on the empty space she was once seated. May bid goodbye to Delia and followed Brendan outside.
May found Brendan stretching his arms outside. She studied him before she decided that she wanted to talk to this guy. "So, Brendan, where are we going?"
Brendan turned around to look at her. A question mark appeared in his mind as he thought. "I don't know. You wanna head over to the café for some breakfast first?"
May nodded her head. "Sure, I haven't had any breakfast. Mom's on a high fiber diet,"
Brendan laughed. "Okay, my treat."
May smiled at this statement, following Brendan to the path towards this so-called café.
The whole walk towards the café had been silent. Brendan hadn't said a word to her, and May just followed him quietly, watching his every move. There were only a few people that they met with on the way, but both of them ignored the people.
Brendan stopped walking in front of a small building beside the road. A sign read "L'amore Café." The name came strange to May, like it was in another language. And it was. Brendan took hold of the door and pulled it, letting May enter first. She smiled and took his offer, entering the cozy little building.
Inside, there were people at colored glass tables talking and sipping coffee. Some of them were eating breakfast, while others were still ordering. Brendan followed May into the café, his eyes roaming around the room. Brendan smiled to himself, leading May towards a table at the far corner of the small building. It stood beside a window which had the view of the path they took to get there.
May admired the trail, ignoring the man dressed in the café waiters' uniform. He placed a laminated piece of paper in front of Brendan. Brendan smiled and took it, taking a peek at the food and prices. The waiter gave May a menu as well. He placed it in front of her. May turned around and took it, reading the same things Brendan was reading.
"I'll have your special omelet, Freddie. And a brewed coffee," Brendan ordered, handing the waiter the menu. The waiter nodded.
"I should have known, Brendan. That's your usual order," He smiled. May looked at them for a few moments, and the thought that they were friends established in her brain. Freddie turned to May and looked at Brendan with a sheepish smile on his face. Brendan took this as a sign, and he shook his head madly. Freddie cocked an eyebrow and faced May once more.
"What will you have, Miss?" Freddie asked, his notepad out and ready. May looked at him.
"Actually, I think I'll have what Brendan's having. The special omelet. But make the brewed coffee Oran juice, please." May answered, resting the menu on the table. Freddie nodded and took both of the menus. He retreated to the kitchen and left Brendan and May alone.
May eventually got bored of watching the lonely trail and decided to examine the people in the café. She noticed that most of them were couples, young and old, some in their late twenties. She smiled.
"What are you smiling at?" Brendan asked, trying to look at what May was gazing at. May giggled and waved her hand at a couple feeding each other with the use of a spoon. Brendan raised an eyebrow at her.
"So they're feeding each other. What's the big deal?" Brendan asked.
"You're a guy, I don't expect you to get it." May answered, wrapping her arms around herself. Brendan turned his head to look at her.
"Come on. You can make me get it."
May returned his stare and smiled. "Have you ever felt like that for anyone?"
Brendan glanced over his shoulder and found the couple again. Then he returned his sights back to May and shook his head. "No."
May frowned. Brendan noticed this and decided to return the question. "Have you?"
May quietly looked at Brendan and nodded her head. "It was eight years ago. Christmas. I wasn't adopted yet back then, and me and one of my orphanage friends went caroling to see if we could get anything. We went caroling to the Lilycove Department Store, and this guy…he gave us profit. He had the smile that melted my heart, and the ruby red eyes that simply dazzled me,"
Brendan's eyes widened in shock.