Chapter 28 Meeting

• Lucas peeled his eyes off the little girl in front of him and asked the one beside him,
• “Is that Nica?”
• “Yes, she wants the ball. She wants the ball. Give it.” Abbey said.
• Just then, Nica crossed the distance between them and stood in front of Lucas and Abbey, arms crossed.
• “Abbey, the chaperone said not to talk to strangers. She said not to talk to strangers.”
• “No Nica. He took the ball.” Abbey said pointing at Lucas who immediately defended himself.
• “No, you threw the ball at me.” He looked at Nica and said, “I didn’t take her ball.”
• Lucas’s anger all warded off seeing the two little girls with pigtail hairstyles and overall Jean and turtleneck shirts. Their bickering not only rid off his anger it also melted his heart.
• “Hear it? You threw the ball at him, Abbey.” Nica continued.
• Abbey stooped her head in defeat, saying, “It was a mistake. But he still took it.”
• Now they both stared pointedly at Lucas who was looking at them with soft eyes.
• “I was just about giving it back. Here take it.” He handed them the ball and Nica caught a whiz of it and stuffed it under her armpits.
• “Are you a good uncle?” Nica asked, smiling as she held the ball. “You’re good uncle?” She added.
• Grinning, Lucas hunkered to their level, running his hands through their hair.
• “There are many good uncles out there. So maybe I’m one of them.” He bored his eyes on their faces as his heart danced against his chest.
• “But the chaperone said to not talk to strangers because uncles are not good. But you’re good.” Nica spat, basking on Lucas’s hand that is ruffling her hair.
• “No, little one. Not all uncles are bad.” He assured them and both girls giggled.
• “Then I like you because you’re a good uncle. Fine uncle.” Nica began touching Lucas’s stubbled chin.
• “You like me?” He asked and they both nodded.
• “I like you.” Nica said once more before facing Abbey and asked, “You like him, Abbey?”
• “Yes, I like him too. He’s a good uncle. Fine uncle.” Abbey spat.
• Lucas planted soft smooches on their foreheads, grinning sheepishly.
• “I like you both too. Where are your parents?” he asked darting his eyes around.
• “It's a chaperone.” They screeched their response unanimously.
• “Chaperone?” Lucas asked, quite confused.
• “Yes…fine Chaperone.” Abbey admitted.
• “Where is she…?”
• Lucas heard someone calling out to the girls before he could finish his question and the girls turned toward the direction of the voice.
• There stood a lady somewhere in her late twenties with blonde hair and tanned skin. She trailed toward them and clamped her hands on the kid’s shoulders.
• “Sorry, Mister. I know they might have hassled you.” She said, hurriedly.
• “No…not at all. I was actually enjoying their company.” Lucas proclaimed, with soft smile on his lips.
• “Oh, I see. I’m glad you enjoyed it.” She said, blushing.
• “They’re cute kids. Are they twins?” he asked, raising his brows.
• “No, they are not.” The lady said. “We have to go now. Bye.”
• She didn’t give Lucas the chance to question further as she dragged the kids away.
• However, the girls turned and waved goodbye to Lucas.
• “Bye, good uncle.”
• “Fine uncle.” They unanimously said before sliding their eyes forward.
• Hands-on hip, Lucas intriguingly stared at the receding figure. He can’t tell but all the anger he was feeling a while ago just faded and it seems the girls are a good antidote for his anger.
• Pew pew…
• Lucas heard the honking of a car horn so he turned and saw Ethan blaring his horn and Adriano’s car was right behind him.
• “Jump in man let’s go grab some coffee or hot chocolate!!” Ethan said in a high-pitched voice.
• Shaking his head and rolling his eyes, Lucas took one last glance at the direction the girls trod before entering the car.
• “Chocolate then!” He whispered under his breath.
• Igniting his car, they all drove to the famous cave restaurant in town owned by Mr. Monson although very few people knew about it.
• The trio arrived at the cave restaurant a while later and alighted from the car, slamming their door shut behind them.
• Lucas’s eyes trailed to the name of the restaurant, ‘Anything For Macalista.’ Sighting the name made Lucas’s stomach churn because it reminds him of Sia.
• ‘Sia Macalista.’ He called out inwardly, but peeling his eyes off of the board the name is imprinted on was hard.
• He feels strange…so strange about the name but he really can’t lay a finger on it.
• ‘Anything For Macalista.’ He read aloud inwardly. Though he knows Sia isn’t the only person with that last name but seeing it alone makes him feel weird.
• “Woo-hoo!!” Adriano blew a whistle with his hand and exclaimed when he inched closer to Ethan and Lucas. “The façade looks incredible I wonder what the interior will look like…let’s find out.”
• The restaurant was built with light brown Terracotta bricks and the patio was decked with dark turquoise tables and chairs and scented flowers. String lights and chandeliers were fitted on the wall but because it was still day, so the lights were all off.
• “But how come I’ve never heard about this amazing place before? All my stay in Florida?” Adriano asked, still marveling at the beauty of the cave restaurant.
• However, Ethan was the one that suggested they should head to the restaurant, though he hasn’t been there before.
• “I told you I just saw it on the papers, I haven’t been here but from the looks of it the food here will be amazing too,” Ethan responded.
• Adriano looked up at the name and blurted, “Anything For Macalista.” Shrugging. “Let me assume we are the Macalista, so anything for us then. Let’s trail in.” He peeled off his shades as they trod inside. Moreover, the knots rolling in Lucas’s stomach couldn’t stop.
• They settled in the middle of the hall before placing their order. Lucas ordered hot chocolate whereas Ethan and Adriano ordered coffee.
• While slurping their drink they made small talk in which Lucas made little contributions until Adriano blurted out a question.
• “Dude I saw you looking at someone back there, who was it? A cute chick?”
• Hearing that, Lucas’ mind drove back to the two little girls, Abbey and Nica, and then a grin splayed on his face.
• “Not a chick. Just two little girls that I came across. They’re cute.” Lucas said, still grinning.
• “Little girls. It seems you like them. I can tell.” Ethan chimed in, ogling at Lucas who looked at him from his cup of hot chocolate before downing some quantity.
• “I do. I actually do. I’ve not been too close to kids before but today I experienced firsthand how sweet it is to spend time with them. Those little creatures have no single worry in this world.” Lucas babbled, writhing his head.
• “That’s why they are called kids…’cause they simply have nothing to worry about. Nothing about money, men, women, contracts, and stuff hassling their minds.” Adriano said and let out a soft chuckle.
• “Just wish I can have one…” Said Lucas, shrugging.
• “Nothing’s keeping you, dude. You can have kids. You have a fiancée right?” Adriano babbled and Ethan chortled when Danika flashed his mind. They already know Lucas would never want to have kids with Danika so Adriano was merely trying to pull his legs.
• “Never. Jeezzz…if I’m asked to choose between having kids with Danika or nothing. Then I’m seriously going to be without one. Danika can never be the mother of my unborn kids. At all.”
• Adriano and Ethan erupted into laughter, yelling unanimously.
• “Or nothing, please dude.”
• Then Ethan added, “we wouldn’t want another version of saucy Danika.”
• Lucas shrugged, taking a sip from his cup.
• They all diverted into business topics and its rudiments and they spent an hour broaching on it until tiredness starts to creep in. Then they decided to head back to their respective homes.
• Adriano drove off first after fist-bumping Ethan and Lucas and then Lucas slid into Ethan’s passenger seat. Afterward, they drove off from the restaurant.
• They got to a crossroad of which they’d divert to the right. As Ethan swirled his steering to the right a woman covered with a small shawl dashed into the road making Ethan screech to a sudden halt.
• He almost hit the woman but was able to stop on time. The woman raised her wobbling head and bashed her eyes at their windshield, waving her trembling hands whilst mouthing ‘sorry and thank you,’ to them.
• Ethan whose heart was rapidly hammering against the wall of his chest didn’t see the wave the woman gave. However, Lucas felt something uncanny about the woman.
• When she turned her eyes to wave her hand, his eyes met with hers and he felt a slight sense of familiarity.
• ‘Is that…Ms. Celine? Sia’s Ms. Celine?’ He thought.
• However, before he finished gathering his thoughts together the woman was already out of sight.
• ‘It can’t be her right? This woman’s skin is darker than Celine’s. I’m sure it can’t be her.’ He said, dismissing his thoughts.
• Now looking at Ethan, Lucas saw he was still dazed by the near accident thus he offered to drive. After switching sides, Lucas began driving back home.