Apocrypha

Chapter 15

"When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

LATE SEPTEMBER ARRIVED and the air only grew colder by the day. The house in the woods only grew busier. At times, the residents began to grow lonely as they rarely had time to interact with one another.

Kari commanded that people begin to take more breaks. She declared that Saturday would become the day when people can relax. Gabriel and Lysander decided that would be the daythey would head into town for their date.

The pair biked to the front of a diner, named Diner of Eden. They parked their bikes and entered the establishment. A smell of greasy food wafted over Gabriel.

The inside of the diner was large with booths near the windows and a bar in front of them. An older woman wearing a light blue skirt, and a white apron walked up to them.

"I knew I'd be seeing you here one day." The woman said. Gabriel noticed how red her lipstick was. The bird's nest on her head was certainly a choice in hairstyle.

"Could we get a table for two?" Lysander asked.

"Well of course, sugar." The woman, whose name tag read Calpurnia, said. She led them to a booth that was in the direct line of the kitchen window. The cooks could be seen walking behind and working.

Calpurnia brought two menus, laminated in plastic and slightly stained. They both glanced at the menu. It was silent between them. Only the noises of fellow patrons talking and eating were heard.

"Have you picked?" Lysander asked, setting down his closed menu.

"Yeah." Gabriel replied. Lysander called Calpurnia over.

"Can I get the hot-cakes meal?" Lysander said.

"How would you like the eggs?" She asked as she scribbled down on her notepad.

"Sunny side up."

"And you, dear? What would you like?" She then asked Gabriel. Now that he was in her restaurant, she can confirm that his hair is a bright blonde. It did indeed resemble a halo.

"Could I get the same, but could the side of toast be French toast, please?" Gabriel said. The woman nodded and wrote it down. She went to the kitchen window and gave the order.

"You're going to love the food here. This is one of those places I come to only for special occasions." Lysander said,

"When was the last time you came here?"

"It was the day after we returned. I needed something to remind me of Verona."

Gabriel leaned closer across the table. "And you didn't invite me? How rude."

"Well, I didn't know if you liked me at the time," Lysander chuckled.

The men discussed the hectic nature of the house and all the chores they've done. Gabriel signaled to his hands, which were slowly starting to become rougher as he did more manual labor.

Calpurnia returned after 15 minutes with the men's food. She also placed two mugs of coffee and a small bowl with cream and sugar packets.

"Eat up, boys." She said.

"Hey! Calpurnia! Could you give us your opinion?" A man near Gabriel's booth yelled.

"Not now, Gratiano. I'm working." She replied, an annoyed twitch on her face.

"Cloten here believes that FEMA is the one causing all the disasters like the Bay Earthquake of '55 that took out half the city." Gratiano said.

The man across from him crossed his arms and looked away. "Well, how did they predict it was going to happen, huh? Didn't the 52nd President, Israel Barrington, warn California of the earthquake three days before it struck?" Cloten smugly said.