Description
A Greater Society - Chapter 24: Looking Forward
by Ratte
Story
Work from there was awkward. I tried my best to distract myself with whatever lay ahead of me, picking neatly through forms and details, bits of math here and there. Riv quietly filled out some forms of his own I prepared the previous evening, occasionally asking me questions about some of the parts. His questions seemed less genuine inquiry and more a means to check up on me. I'm sure the matter from earlier had him worried, but I answered his questions and did what I could to quell his little fears.
The coming and going of the staffmembers irritated me, but I kept my nose in my work. Whenever I saw them looking over to my boy I shot them a glare. They seemed to get the message once they noticed, picking up their pace and moving elsewhere in the house. I needed to make up for some lost time and did not have the patience for their petty nonsense.
Noon soon arrived and I broke from my desk. I did promise to eat lunch with Riv and I was not about to go against that just for some papers I could do later. Taking his little hand we went onward into the hall, an unexpected smell tickling our noses as we did. It was strong and savory, and just a little bit familiar.
We arrived to the lounge to see Daniel standing behind the stove, moving something around in a sizzling pan just in front of him.
"Daniel?" I asked, confused by the sight.
"Ah, there y'are," he said, looking back to us. "I didn't mean to make you so upset this morning so I thought I'd try to make it up to ya. I hope you don't mind if I use your pans."
"N-No, not at all," I said. "Um, when did you get...whatever it is you're making?"
"Just earlier today," he said, flipping something over in the pan. "You were pretty deep in your work so might not've noticed my passing through. Didn't want to bug ya so I didn't say anything."
Most of the morning after the one matter was a blur of text as far as I could remember, aside from Riv's occasional question.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--"
"Just let me take care o'ya," Daniel reassured, pressing something in the pan. "I've no reason to be upset about anything, so I'm not. Just hope you can say the same."
He stepped aside to the counter where lay a cutting board with some sliced vegetables-- a tomato, a white onion, and some romaine lettuce. Next to those were some slices of cheese, which he took and placed carefully into the pan.
"These'll be done real soon," he said, reaching elsewhere for some round buns. "You can take a seat in the meantime."
As he took a serrated knife to the buns we did as he suggested. He placed them on their own plates, two halves each, and scooped the contents from the pan onto the bottom half.
"Not sure what kind of condiments you'd like so I just got some of the big four," he pointed back to our table. "You can put whatever you'd like on 'em."
I turned my head. Behind us was a set of condiments: a bottle of ketchup, a jar of coarse mustard, a jar of mayonnaise, and a bottle of a sweet barbecue sauce. What could--
"Alright, here you go," he said, putting plates in front of us. "I can make more if you want it, just gotta let me know. Hopefully you'll like it, but it's rare I hear complaints about cheeseburgers."
He grabbed his own plate and sat down with us, grabbing the barbecue sauce from the table and pouring a liberal amount on his top bun.
"And, might I add-- you both look like you could use it," he said, looking up at us and winking.
I looked down to my gaunt frame, placing my hand on my stomach. The little boy beside me looked at the food before him, eyes as wide as ever with an inquisitive stare and a little grin. It was hard to keep a straight face at that.
I took off his top bun and had him choose some condiments. He eagerly picked the ketchup and coarse mustard, so I applied what seemed to be an adequate amount for the large sandwich. Once finished I replaced the bun and topped my own with ketchup and mayonnaise. By now Daniel had already dug in, Riv doing the same, so I carefully picked up the sandwich and took a hefty bite.
The inside was still pink and dripping with flavorful juices. Every other time I remembered having one of these they had been cooked completely through.
"Pink in a beef patty is fine so long as you get the whole thing to the right temperature," Daniel said, taking notice of my interest. "I have a thermometer for these things, too, so don't worry about it too much."
"Oh, no, I've just never had these prepared this way before," I said, swallowing my bite. "I was just surprised is all."
"Well, if you find it objectionable down the line I can certainly make note of it for the future," he said, taking another bite. "Personally I like my beef cooked no further than medium rare, but I've no problem making yours differently if you'd like."
"No, please, they're very good this way," I reassured, biting into the sandwich a second time. "I actually wish I'd tried something like this a long time ago."
"Heh, alright, I'll keep this in mind. How 'bout you, kid?"
With his mouth full Riv gave Daniel a big, but thankfully closed smile.
"Good, that makes cooking that much easier," he chuckled.
We both continued to tear into our lunches, mouths too full to talk much from there on. Once we were finished Daniel elected to take and wash our dishes as part of his "apology" as he'd described it. I wasn't about to argue, so Riv and I thanked him for the lunch and headed back to the lobby. It had been a while since I ate something quite that dense and filling, giving my head a bit of a foggy buzz. Riv seemed to nod off at his table, so it wasn't just me.
"Would you like me to take you upstairs to lie down?" I asked. "You did wake up quite early this morning and all that food is bound to make you sleepy."
Riv yawned and slowly nodded his head. I set aside my work and left my desk, taking his little hand. He hopped off his seat and we walked down the hall, passing another staffmember and their awkward look. I took him upstairs to his room, leading him to his futon and pulling back the comforter. He quickly took the invitation to lie down, rubbing the side of his face against his pillow. I softly chuckled, grabbing his comforter and tucking the boy in before petting his head.
"Sleep as long as you need," I whispered. "Daniel will be upstairs before too long if you need anyone, just right next door. If you're still asleep come dinnertime I'll come wake you up to eat, okay?"
He nodded, his eyes closed and drifting to sleep.
I quietly rose to my feet and left his room, pulling his door closed. Before I made it far back down the hall Daniel was already on his way upstairs.
"Ah, Daniel," I said quietly. "I went to go lay Riv down for a nap. If it isn't too much trouble, could you keep an eye on him when he gets up? Assuming he doesn't just come downstairs, I mean."
"That's not a problem," he said. "I'm guessing the food knocked him out?"
"Most likely," I slightly laughed. "He was also up earlier than usual this morning which probably didn't help."
Daniel just smiled and shrugged.
"Either way, I don't mind taking care of your kid while you're working," he said. "I've not got much else to do for the next few weeks from the sounds of it."
"Well, alright," I said. "If he does get up within a reasonable time, would you mind running a simple errand for me?"
"Sure, what do ya need?"
"Um, well...when my house was broken into not long ago, someone broke a leg on Riv's table and stole his folding chair. While the leg was easily replaced, the chair wasn't, so I was wondering if you could go to the carpentry shop and place an order for me if it's still open by then."
"Yeah, I can do that. Is there anything special about it I should remember?"
"No, I think they should still have the previous order on file. If not, just ask for a simple wooden folding chair. Average adult size. If you say it's for this house they will likely know who it's for."
I opened my wallet to hand Daniel the amount I remembered paying last time, plus a bit extra.
"I can't afford to tip very much, but I hope this will suffice," I said as he stowed the money in his wallet. "And here, for your troub--"
He put up his hand as I tried to offer him a few more bills, refusing.
"I don't mind doing this, Reverend," he said in a low voice. "I'm not after your money over a few simple chores or errands. Please put that away."
I felt my ears creep back as I slowly returned the bills to my wallet.
"I would like to ask something of you for down the line, though," he started. "Once the infirmary is finished and I've everything put away, I'll need to take everyone's initial records so I have somewhere to start. I'm sure you're not looking forward to it, but yes, that includes you. Riv, too. I assure you this is just standard protocol so I know how best to take care o'ya."
"...U-Um--"
"Records are kept in a locked cabinet and are completely confidential," he said firmly. "Whatever you share with me, stays with me. Understand?"
"...Y...Yes."
With one of his big arms he pulled me in for a hug, patting my back before letting me get back to my work. Those gestures would...take some getting used to.
---
The afternoon resumed as one might expect, filled with work and not much else. Riv woke up after only a couple hours, he and Daniel spending time down in the lobby with schoolwork and reading. Before long Daniel headed out to place the order I requested, leaving Riv with me in the lobby. For once the staff did well to leave us be, or at least I didn't notice them during the nurse's short absence.
"Alrighty, that's done," he said as he returned. "They said it should be done by mid next week. They're happy to hear from ya, by the way."
I smiled nervously and tugged at my collar. I'd hoped I hadn't left a sour taste in their mouths after the last time I was there, with that big altercation. They were nice people and I didn't want to burden them with a battle that wasn't theirs to fight...though without them there's no telling what could have happened.
"They told me a little bit about you, too, if you don't mind."
"...Me?"
"Something about a riot, maybe only about a week ago," he said, looking between both of us. "They said you got assaulted in town and ran to them, nearly passing out on their main floor."
I looked away with my ears fallen and scratched my upper arm, my nails digging into the fabric of my overshirt.
"They also said that you left as fast as you could the moment you realized they knew where you lived, so you could protect your little boy over there. A couple workers said you stopped at nothing to get back inside, pushing past the remains of an angry mob just to check on him."
I was tense and puzzled, unsure how to feel about these interpretations.
"I guess that explains the split lip, then," he shrugged. "They were happy to hear from you again. One of your friends there said it might be a while before he comes back here due to a sudden surge of work and wanted me to pass it along."
"...Oh, um, that's fine," I said, my ears slowly coming forward again.
"Well, anyway, I'll leave ya be so you can take care of your work," he said, patting Riv on the head. "Got a few hours yet before dinner. I'd like to make something so you don't have to worry about it; catch up on lost time."
"You don't have--"
"I don't have to, but I'd like to," he laughed, walking toward the hallway. "I'm gonna go figure out what I'd like to order so I have that on hand for when my medical garage is built. I'll see you again in just a little bit, so try not to miss me too much."
With a little smile I rolled my eyes as he headed back upstairs.
---
When the day was finally over I packed up my assignments in Monday's pickup folder, setting it aside on my desk. Ulimi also came by to quickly grab his finished work, my remembering too late that I could have asked Daniel to deliver it for me. I guess it was all the same in the end and it was nice to see him if only for a few minutes. He was busy and we exchanged only a few words before he left again-- I guess there had been a bit of a surge in work for everyone lately.
With everything taken care of Riv and I headed down the hall and to the lounge as the night staff came in, keeping their distance the closer we got to the lounge. When we arrived I noticed Daniel looking back through the doorway at them quite intently. I guess he, too, noticed their odd curiosity about us.
From the dutch oven wafted a deep, savory scent reminiscent of home which filled the room when he lifted the lid.
"It's kinda cold today," he observed, looking out the small window, "so I thought some chili might be nice. Helps me use up more of the ground beef and cheese, too. If you like sour cream with it I also recently picked up a jar."
"That sounds very nice," I replied, looking at the grey sky. "Were we still...doing that event tomorrow?"
Daniel dipped the ladle into the dutch oven and scooped three generous helpings of the hot chili into their own bowls.
"Of course, I didn't forget," he answered, topping each with some cheese. "The weather should be decent tomorrow from what I heard, though maybe a little on the, heh, chilly side."
I groaned. Riv giggled.
Placing each bowl on the table he turned back around to retrieve the jar of sour cream.
"Just be sure to have a jacket with you is all," he laughed, putting the jar in the middle of the table.
"What's tomorrow?" Riv asked, poking his spoon at the melting cheese.
"We're going to take you outside to the back yard," I said. "It'll be all three of us."
His pale eyes lit up and his ears stood at attention. Despite his being here for months now he'd never been to the expansive back yard, only seen it from his window. The most he'd been to was the clothesline just outside the back of the house. I couldn't stand seeing him look out his window so wistfully to a place he shouldn't be barred from to begin with, a place where he could finally release some of his restless energy.
With the little boy finally given something to look forward to the three of us dug in, enjoying Daniel's home cooking.
---
Hey, I’m moving tomorrow (saturday) so if you’d like to help with that or support my work in general I’d really appreciate it. Art is my income and support through Patreon and Ko-fi allows me to make more of the content you enjoy.
Tarov
MemberLe funy chaper
Fat man feeds borger to tiny man
and I actually laughed out loud at the chilly pun (I suppose my palate for humor is not too refined)
Login to respond »