The Last Genie: A Novella

Chapter 13

After everyone had taken their seats at the table, Grace closed her eyes to say a quick, well, grace, while Kari reached for the fried chicken.

Ithel shot Kari an ugly look, and she said, "What? She doesn't mind."

Ithel didn't say anything, but much too Grace's pleasure, he also didn't reach for any food until she had opened her eyes.

While Grace was getting her food, a question kept racing through her mind. She didn't know how Ithel would take it, but finally, the question just burst out of her.

"Do you believe in God?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Ithel said, "Yes," and Grace's heart swelled with joy. But, then she realized, he may believe in some ancient god or gods not the god she believed in. So, after thinking over how best to frame the question, she asked, "What god do you believe in?"

"I don't follow any religion, but I've seen enough that I can't explain to know that there is some force out there."

Grace wasn't sure how she felt about that answer. Even though, she was a Christian, she did believe in the universal nature of God and was happy that at least Ithel believed in something. But, she wanted a better understanding of what Ithel believed in. So, she asked, "Do you believe in Heaven?"

Kari interjected, "God Grace. It isn't Sunday. Can't we talk about something else?"

Grace was about to apologize, when Ithel said, "I don't know, but I hope so," ignoring Kari's comments.

That joyful feeling returned to Grace's heart and a small smile crept onto her face, but Kari tired of all this religious talk, said, "So Ron, do you have any food allergies?"

Ithel said, "No," as Grace thought, "That's an odd question."

"You're lucky," said Kari as she stuck a forkful of food in her mouth. "This girl I work with is allergic to gluten, dairy, and peanuts."

"That's unfortunate," said Ithel.

Then, Kari launched into a story about someone having an allergic reaction at her café.

While Kari was detailing how stressful the experience was for her, Grace looked over at Ithel and hoped Kari wasn't boring him.

After Kari finished her story, she said, "That was great," and stood up.

Grace said, "Where are you going?" while trying to hide her irritation that Kari had gotten up while her and Ithel were still eating.

"I'm going to meet up with someone for a drink."

"Now?"

"Yeah." This wasn't exactly true. Kari did have plans to meet up with Brandon to discuss their plan later that night, but she really just wanted to give Grace and Ithel some alone time.

"Who are you meeting?"

"Just someone from work."

Grace wondered briefly why Kari didn't tell her who she was meeting, but quickly let it go because she was more concerned about her night with Ithel. So, she just said, "Have fun."

Kari said, "You too," and shot Grace a look that let Grace know the type of fun she expected her to have.

Grace felt a little heat rise to her cheeks, and she quickly looked down at her plate.

Shortly after Kari left, Ithel finished his food and said, "That was delicious."

Grace smiled and said, "Thanks."

"Are you done?"

"I am."

Ithel reached for her plate, but Grace quickly said, "You don't have to do that."