6. End of Semester Party

85 1 0
                                    

"Before you go, can I have a word with you?" Maria stopped Louis at the bottom of the stairs. Paul was standing next to her.

"Of course" Louis gulped heavily. She sounded so serious.

"You'll get him back in a second" Paul addressed the other guys.

"We wait right here, Tommy" Jonah smiled encouragingly at him.

Still absolutely anxious, Louis followed Maria and Paul into the kitchen and just waited for them to talk. What could they possibly want from him? Did he screw up and they would kick him out now too? Where would he go then? He had nowhere to go.

"You need to breathe, Louis. I can feel your nerves clearly. We're not bearing bad news" Maria tried to calm him down.

"No?" Louis looked up at her in surprise.

"No, Louis. We just wanna talk" Maria smiled friendly at him.

"About what?" Louis wondered befuddled.

"Your semester is over now and I know you've been worried about being able to pay for the rest of your uni time. We're here to offer you a solution" Maria came to the point and that was not what Louis had been expecting.

"What kind of a solution? I won't accept you paying the fee for me. I just can't ...".

"We know that, Louis" Paul cut him off. This was the first time Louis had ever heard him talk. The first time he has ever really seen him. "So, we thought about something else. Many of the other people living here feel exactly like you. They feel bad for not paying anything or contributing anything to the living conditions here. That's why they start working to give us something back, which isn't necessary but they still do. And we know with uni and life it's not easy to find a good job, that actually pays enough. So, we cooperate with a youth centre nearby. They love to have young people working there and helping troubled children. We thought that might be something for you. They could use someone with a sense for music".

For a moment, Louis was only openly staring at Paul, unable to process what he had just told him. This was too good to be true. This offer was perfect for Louis, who always wanted to help.

"What exactly would I be doing? I barely started uni and I have no experience in working with kids" Louis found his voice back.

"I talked to the owner yesterday and she told me the kids are asking for piano lessons or guitar lessons or even singing lessons. They'll take everything you're ready to give them" Maria let him know with a smile present in her voice.

"How do you know I'm even made for that? What if I'm shit at dealing with children? I swear all the time" Louis doubted if they had really thought this through.

"And? It's their free time and they have a tough life outside of that youth centre already. A bit of carefree banter and someone who cares about them is truly enough. And if they learn something through this that's even better" Maria countered in a soft voice.

"And if the lessons don't work you can simply help them with their homework and it's enough. Violetta and Nikki will be happy with anything you can contribute" Paul added nonchalantly.

"And they are the owners, right?" Louis checked to make sure he was following correctly.

"Exactly. And good friends of ours. They like to help our kids just as much as we like to help their kids. It's a teamwork and like this, our kids learn to stand on their own" Maria confirmed with a nod.

Louis pondered on that idea for a second but there really wasn't anything that spoke against it. "When am I supposed to meet them or introduce myself or whatever?".

House of LoveWhere stories live. Discover now