Chapter 770: Fire & Ice Cafe
Monday, March 27th, Afternoon
The day is long, but most days were long in the last three years. The students, he would hear, have changed, but the Immortal Bard stated that students didn't change. Back then, they were only boys in school, and now there's the added issue of co-ed education. So, he was not only a teacher but sometimes felt like a referee.
Lucas Scott walked into the Fire & Ice Cafe, something he would've never done in his youth, and sat at the counter. The younger child of the owner, a young woman, and one of his past students walked over and put a napkin in front of him.
"The usual, Mr. Scott?" Eilish Sheridan asked.
"You don't have to call me Mister Scott anymore, Eilish," Lucas said.
Eilish shook her head, "No, I can't, Mr. Scott, it doesn't feel right," she said.
"It feels weird?" Lucas asked.
"Sorry," Eilish said, "So, do you want your usual?"
"Yes, please," Lucas said.
"Coming up," Eilish said, turned around, and went about what she needed to do.
I still hear your voice when you sleep next to me
I still feel your touch in my dreams
Forgive me my weakness but I don't know why
Without you, it's hard to survive
Lucas put his elbow down on the counter and rested his chin on his hand. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the cafe. Lucas had grown up in a cafe, so the sounds and smells were familiar and comforting. There was an underlying sound of music in the cafe. It was a slow acoustic version of Everytime We Touch. The usually upbeat song had a slow, mournful sound. He heard the mug of coffee placed in front of him. The music takes him back to three years ago when the world changed.
"Lucas, please do not sleep at the counter," an older woman's voice echoed in his ears. Lucas opened his eyes and turned toward the direction of the voice. Kady Sheridan, the owner of the cafe and Eilish's mom, was looking at him.
"I wasn't sleeping, but listening to the music," Lucas said.
"Mhmm," Kady said.
"Don't believe me?" Lucas asked.
"I have two sons, so I know what BS smells like," Kady said.
Lucas nodded, "I might be tired, but I was listening to the song," he said.
"It's a good song," Kady said, nodding, and looked out the window. "Peyton, teach you that one?"
"Which one?" Lucas asked.
'Cause everytime we touch, I get this feeling
And everytime we kiss, I swear I could fly
Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last
Need you by my side
"Listening to music with your eyes closed," Kady said.
Lucas nodded, "Yeah, we would sit and listen to music, sometimes with wine. She would bring home all sorts of music and play it for us after the kids went to bed," he said.
"Do you miss it?" Kady asked.
Lucas nodded, "Listening to music?" he asked.
"Yeah, listening to music," Kady said.
"There are many things I miss, Kady," Lucas said.
"That's to be expected," Kady said.
"The road does end," Lucas said.
"Sooner for some, later for others," Kady said.
"Yeah, but what do you do if you think you see the end of the road?" Lucas asked.
"Living like you're dying," Kady said.
"Country Music?" Lucas asked.
"Wisdom comes from many places," Kady said.
"True," Lucas said.
Kady nodded and looked Lucas over. "What's wrong, Lucas? Are you feeling okay?" she asked.
Lucas sighed, "Well, Kady, there is," he said.
Kady nodded, "How bad?" she asked.
'Cause everytime we touch, I feel the static
And everytime we kiss, I reach for the sky
Can't you hear my heart beat so, I can't let you go
Want you in my life
"My heart has gotten worse, and on the eleventh, I'm going to have surgery," Lucas said.
"Is it bad?" Kady asked.
Lucas nodded, "Yeah, major surgery," he said.
"Do the kids know?" Kady asked.
Lucas shook his head, "The girls know, I'm not sure about Keith," he said.
"Why not Keith?" Kady asked.
"Candi is supposed to talk to him and explain everything to him in only the way she can," Lucas said.
"Keith's back home, why wait?" Kady asked.
Lucas grunted, "Candi wants him to have a few days with Nomi and Ellis before he gets the bad news," he said.
"Are you sure that's smart?" Kady asked.
"I don't know," Lucas said.
"That's fair," Kady said.
"Also, we don't know what Keith went through," Lucas said.
Your arms are my castle, your heart is my sky
They wipe away tears that I cry
The good and the bad times, we've been through them all
You make me rise when I fall
Kady nodded, "That makes sense, but wasn't the soldier killed a friend of Keith's?" she asked.
Lucas nodded, "Yeah, supposedly, he was in his position when the firing started," he said.
"Oh, poor little lamb," Kady said.
"Well, we're all lost little lambs who have lost their way," Lucas said.
"I guess you heard that from your daughter-in-law," Kady said.
"She belonged to a society that sang," Lucas said.
"Well, you quoted The Whiffenpoof Song," Kady said.
'Cause everytime we touch, I get this feeling
And everytime we kiss, I swear I could fly
Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last
Need you by my side
"I don't think Izzy was a Whiffenpoof," Lucas said.
"Hopefully, she wasn't one of them, Skull and Bones," Kady said.
Lucas shrugged, "I don't know," he said.
"It would explain a lot," Kady said.
"Yeah," Lucas said.
"Well, drink your coffee before it goes cold," Kady said.
Lucas nodded, smiled, and picked up his coffee.
'Cause everytime we touch, I feel the static
And everytime we kiss, I reach for the sky
Can't you hear my heart beat so, I can't let you go
Want you in my life