Nothing to lose

Chapter 20: Mia

"Hey, can you send this over to the little lady by the window?" One of the baristas asked me and pointed.

I followed their finger and spotted the same little girl from the day before, sitting at that same table by the window.

I hadn't seen her walk-in, or I would have stopped by and said hello.

"Yes. No problem." I told him, carrying the tray with a cup of green tea and a glazed donut on the side.

She didn't have her homework laid out in front of her today, and she appeared to be skateboard less too. She did have her sketchpad, though.

"Hey there!" I chirped. "It's good to see you again."

She lifted her head, giving me a toothy grin, showcasing those dimples. If she had siblings, they must be as adorable as she is.

"Hi Mia!" she said excitedly.

I placed the tray on the table as she moved her sketch pad over to make room. I slid the green tea in front of her along with the donut.

My eyebrows furrowed. "I don't remember telling you my name," I said to her.

Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second, but then she looked at my shirt and silently pointed to it with her pencil.

My eyes followed her gaze. Name tag. I palmed my forehead.

"I'm so stupid, of course. My name is right there." I thumbed my name tag. "But still, let me formally introduce myself." I stuck my hand out to her. "Hi, I'm Mia, and you are?"

She shook my hand. "I'm Ella." She squinted her eyes at me, searching for something in mine.

"Umm..." I began, but then her eyes softened as she slumped down into her chair. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was disappointed, but I didn't know why. "So, what are you working on today?" I asked, bypassing that slightly odd exchange we just shared.

She slid her sketchbook over to me before taking a cautious sip of her tea.

This place looked familiar. But it wasn't somewhere I'd been physically, but maybe I've glimpsed it on TV or in pictures. It was a field of Tulips. Everything was in black and white at the moment, but her attention to detail brought it all to life without colors. She had drawn it so well that it would be solid competition against an actual black and white photo. This kid has some serious talent.

"Wow," I said under my breath in amazement.

Ella cleared her throat. "Thanks. I think I'm almost done with it." She tilted her head to look at it from my angle. "Yup. Just a few more additions."

I shook my head in astonishment. "I think I would rather suck at math if it meant that I could have a talent like this." I doubled-tapped her sketchpad with my pointer finger.

Ella giggled. "I don't know. Math is pretty handy. Maybe even handier than drawing." She sighed, biting her bottom lip.

"But drawings, art in general, makes you feel something. It teleports you to different places and moments in time. Trust me, I'd take those experiences overmastering calculus any day," I told her. I didn't want her to believe that her talent had no value. Her talent was a gift.

Her lips curved up into a beautiful smile, then they slowly parted to show those pearly whites. "Thank you," she paused. "Hey, your shift is almost over, right?"

I nodded.

"Do you think we could chat for a little?" Her cinnamon eyes sparkled. "I mean, you don't have to..." She shook her head rapidly, forcing her dark locks to follow the movement. "But I thought it would be nice to have some company until my dad comes to pick me up." Her eyes flickered back and forth from me to her green tea. Then she began to twirl the mug in her hands nervously.