Chapter Two
The Difference Between a House and a Home
Richard quickly learned that Lythia had been right, and he should have gone to the grocery store and picked up some food. After he had gotten out of the shower and dressed, he had gone into the kitchen to see what he could make for his two guests. There really wasn't anything to make them though, as all he really had left was some left over spaghetti that he had been planning to stretch out over a few days. It really wasn't the best, but it would have to do for now; so he quickly heated up two bowls and then brought it out to Lythia and Daiya in the living room.
He found both girls sitting a little over a foot away from the TV and had their eyes glued to it, watching some Soap Opera that had horrible acting and an even worse storyline. They didn't even notice that Richard had gotten out of the shower until he offered them their food, and Lythia barely took her eyes off the TV to accept it; which was funny, considering how she had complained so loudly that she was hungry earlier.
Daiya took hers with a little more grace, and even got up off the floor and moved over to sit on the edge of his bed. She looked at him for a moment before digging into her food, and Richard got the feeling that she wanted to say something about the decision he had made. She didn't though, and he was grateful for that. He was still asking himself questions internally about it, and he really didn't want to add more to it in that moment. How long that would last was anyone's guess though.
“This is good. Thank you,” Daiya said and nodded softly, using her fork to lift the spaghetti to her mouth. Not knowing how to eat it in a better way, she ended up slopping some of the sauce over her chin and lips, causing Richard to laugh softly at her.
He hadn't even thought that they might not have eaten something like this before.
“Here, let me show you how to eat it,” he offered, and held his hand out. Daiya gave him the bowl and then watched intently as he rolled the noodles up with the fork. “If you do it like that you shouldn't hit yourself in the face with it.”
“Let me try it,” she said and he handed the bowl back to her. Daiya copied his technique almost perfectly, but yet again the ends of the noodles hit her chin and splattered tomato sauce on her skin. “Perhaps it is a skill I must practice.”
Richard just smiled and bit back his words, not wanting to say that there was no need to practice with them leaving the next day. “You'll get it.”
“Richard!” Lythia suddenly yelled loudly, and the neighbours upstairs banged on the floor loudly in response. “Make those people come back!”
“What people?” he asked, gesturing with his hand for Lythia to be more quiet.
“The ones in the magical box! That woman might be carrying the child of one of three men, but she disappeared before she could tell them which of them was the father! Tell them to come back, now!” she demanded and pointed to the screen as a commercial for face cream came on.
Richard groaned and hung his head, rubbing his eyes with both of his hands. This was just too unreal. “I can't make them come back,” he then answered, and immediately Lythia growled at him.
