Chapter Eight
It was 8:00pm by the time the reminiscing was over. Milo's cat was meowing
loudly.
"Must be past Fluffy's feeding time." Milo stated the obvious. Then his own stomach rumbled noisily. He blushed and smiled sheepishly.
"Guess you are just as hungry as your cat." Astrid teased playfully. Milo chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yeah, I guess." He said. He stood up and made his way to the kitchen but stopped. Summoning all the courage he could muster, he turned to face Astrid. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" She didn't answer at first and Milo was sure she was going to say no. She got up and walked towards the door but to his surprise turned around and smiled.
"I'll be back; I need to let my father know that I'll be having dinner with a friend tonight." And then she went to do just that. Milo just stood there dumbfounded. A lot of things went through his mind at once. Most of them were questions. But one stood out from them all.
"Is that all I will ever be; just a friend?"
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Milo made some sandwiches while Astrid prepared a light salad. They listened to classical music on Milo's phonograph as they worked. It wasn't long before dinner was ready and they enjoyed it greatly despite it being only a small meal. They were quiet as they cleaned up the tiny kitchen. All you could hear was the music flowing through the room. That is, until Milo broke the silence between them.
"Have you ever been offered a chance to do something great, but you passed on it instead?" When Astrid just looked at him questionably he continued. "Before I left Atlantis, Kida told me to stay and help her return the city to it's former glory. But I turned down her offer. I guess it was because I was afraid."
"Afraid of what?" asked Astrid.
"Mostly change. Not to mention the responsibility of being the one to teach a whole civilization traditions from over a hundred years ago." Milo sighed. "I just didn't think I could handle it. I thought it best to stick with the place I felt most comfortable with. So I chose to...to..."
"To come back to D.C." Astrid finished for him. "What ever happened to the journal?"
"I gave it to Kida, so she could be the one to resurrect Atlantis's culture. Turns out when she returned from the crystal, she remembered the city's past knowledge. She was crowned Queen and the rest is history. Astrid, I'm afraid I made a terrible mistake."
"I don't understand. What mistake?" she asked.
"I should have stayed in Atlantis. There I was a hero. I could put my skills to good use. And people actually took me seriously. Here I'm just a joke. The clumsy janitor who can't catch a break." Astrid laid her hands on his shoulders and massaged them gently.
"Don't beat yourself up, Milo. Just remember; when one door closes two more open. You will have plenty of chances to turn your life around. And I'll be right here to help get you through it. You won't have to go it alone. I promise." Milo turned and smiled at her.
"Thank's, Astrid."