More than candy

We entered this cute little diner a couple blocks away from the zoo. Nova chatted my ear off the whole way inside. I asked her earlier on if I could invite Razi to go with us today. So, I told her what I would like, and she volunteered to go and order for us. I decided to call him while she was doing that. I went to a secluded spot and dialed his number.

"Dad? Is that you? Did you get lost going to buy the milk? You were supposed to be back about 18 years ago. Should I send an Uber?!" Ah, lovely abandonment sarcasm. That's my boy.

"Dad can't pick up the phone right now. Can I take a message?"

"Yeah. Can you give the freak on the other end of the call happy birthday wishes from me?" He continued nonchalantly.

"Sure. But said freak wants to know if you will join our zoo group?" I heard the little bell chime indicating someone else came into the diner. But this place is local, so I chose not to pay it any mind. Then came a dramatic gasp in my ear.

"Wait, hold up! Why is this not what we started with?! Animals!! Tell that freak I am running to my car as we speak." Says the raspy, increasingly panting voice from the screen. Causing me to laugh.

"Will do, bubba." I get the feeling someone is looking at me. But get distracted by the sound of an engine starting so suddenly.

"Don't you even dare think about hanging up on me, Ro! I transferred the call so I can hear you from the ceiling of my car. But my radio is trash and you know I despise quiet drives! It's like Monday morning without coffee. Or Garfield without lasagna."

"Not a fan of coffee or lasagna, bubba." I point out and roll my eyes.

"And you have the nerve to call yourself Italian. It should be illegal for you to say anything against pasta. It's like one of the only major yet true stereotypes towards Italians!"

"Only part. I'm also part Mexican." I correct even though he has a valid point.

"You're also part just about any race I can name, Ro. We share a small part of the same race for crying out loud! Same for you and Nova. Yet I can also honestly say your part Russian!" Another valid point.

"I'm reminded of this every time I have to check off the box that says 'other'." We both had to laugh at the awkwardness of that sentiment. I'm still feeling eyes on me though. I look up and see Nova scrolling through her phone next to the line. Odd, it's not her. But I'm distracted again.

"Yet you are still so picky in the most random and un-pickiest of ways! It's quite disturbing, Ro." I hear him chuckle to himself.

"Good thing I don't aim for classiness then." I arch a brow and lean against the wall casually.

"Atta girl! Just one of the reasons I tolerate your beautiful self." He woops on his end.

"Love you too, bubba." I roll my eyes and grin at this lovable gay dork.

"I know your smiling so my mission here is done. I'll be at the zoo in ten!"

"Alright, we'll meet you there. Just grabbing a quick bite to eat."

"Love and kisses! See you soon!" He ends with an extravagant MWAH sound. I chuckle as I hang up the phone. The difference between Nova and Razi is that knowing him he will be there in half the time he said he would, not triple.

Now I know you're probably confused about my ethnicity. I guess my family tree must've involved a crapload of diverse hook ups. Not that I would know for sure. But it motivated me to learn a lot of different languages. Being fluent in more than one comes in handy if you ever want to travel to a variety of countries with separate native tongue. It expands your horizons. Not to mention it's just cool to know multiple languages.

I lean back up to relieve the pressure of my body against the wall. But as I go to walk forward towards the direction of the line to get to Nova, I accidentally bump into someone. This person stumbled and started to fall backwards not expecting the impact. I instinctively held their waist to try and help steady them. I let go once this person regained balance.

"You okay, Angel?" I asked after giving her a second to compose herself. She looked up at me seeming flushed. Probably a little embarrassed because of me. I did almost knock her over.

"Y-yeah, I'm f-fine. Thanks..." She stumbles over her own words becoming even redder in the face.

I took a moment to study her appearance. She was small, has wavy blonde shoulder-length hair, light freckles scattered along her nose and cheeks, her eyes look like they are a very light grey, she's wearing a light blue spring dress with a floral design, and white sandals.

"Cute dress." Suits her well. She gives off an immediate vibe of pure innocence.

"U-um... t-thank you." Her cheeks become even darker. I nod. She looks like she still wants to speak, so I wait patiently. "W-what's your n-name?" Internal eye roll. I hate answering this question.

"Bliss. You?" I turn the question around out of curiosity.

"I-I'm Melody. N-nice to meet y-you." She sticks out her hand shyly and seems unsure of herself doing so. She turned her head away to hide her face, but she's still staring at me.

"You too, Angel." I grab her hand and give it a squeeze before shaking. I'm sure amusement is showing in my eyes again. But this girl is adorable, my goodness.

She smiles timidly and starts rubbing her neck with her free hand. Then I hear someone running in our direction. I already know who it is. Want to take a guess?

"B, I got our order!! Awe, whose this adorable new friend you've made?" She hurriedly hands me the tray and engulfs Melody in a tight hug. Mama bear found a new cub.

"Nova, let her breathe." I grin at them both. Melody looks surprised and Nova pouts at me.

"Fine, fine! I'm sorry. What's your name, sugar?" Nova let's her go and stands next to me facing her.

"Uh... M-melody. Nice to m-meet you." She repeats looking between Nova and me. She starts fiddling with her hands. She switched from seeming flustered to a little uncomfortable. This is normal behavior for Nova. She has a huge soft spot for anything cute. But if you're not used to her, she can be a lot a bit overwhelming. In a sweet way, but still.

"This is Nova." I introduce her while she squeals excitedly. Knowing her she probably just found about a dozen cute things just now and is unable to form words yet. Melody giggles after the shock wears off. Which, in turn, cause me to smile. And then chuckle in Nova's direction as she gushes more.

"Will you come eat with us, sugar?! We're about to head to the zoo for B's birthday!" She finally finds her voice and asks in a hopeful tone. Melody's eyes widen.

"The zoo! So are we!" A wide smile appears on her lips. And she points to a young boy eating waffles at a nearby table. Must be her little brother. He looks up at all of us with syrup dripping down his chin and smiles happily. Only kids can make that cute. Then there are untouched blueberry pancakes next to him which must be Melody's.

"Oh, my goodness!! How precious!!!" Nova ran off to no doubt clean him off and squeeze the life out of him. She loves kids, I dare say more than candy. That's high praise coming from her.

I can feel eyes watching me again and I look over to see Angel staring at me. So, I stay quiet and wait for her to say something. But she doesn't, she just stays assessing me. I don't think she even knows I'm aware of it. She seems to be in deep thought. Then her face starts heating up. Is she not feeling well? Hmmm. Only one way to find out.

"Angel?" No response. "Angel?" I gently squeeze her shoulder. She startles slightly and flushes again. "Certain you're okay, Angel?" I say out of concern. She glances up at me through her lashes and gives me a nervous smile while rubbing her neck again.

"Y-yeah... you're really p-pretty. A-am I allowed t-to ask about the s-scar though? I-if not, t-that's fine! No p-pressure!" She asks and then backs out half-heartedly. She starts fidgeting with her necklace nervously. I chuckle bittersweetly. I have a lot of old scars on my body, but the most obvious one is the one that spreads along my face. It starts on the side of my face just next to my eye and goes down past my mouth just barely missing contact. I used to hate it, now I simply ignore its existence.

"You're adorable, Angel. Let's go save the kid." Is my attempt to avoid the question all around. She was quick to catch on as she looked over at her brother laughing with Nova. She smiled at me brightly and nodded in comfort. Then we both headed over to their table. Seems Nova decided we're joining these poor innocent souls.

Along the way on the short walk to the table Angel told me that her brother's name is Lucas, he is five, and he's deaf so he mostly communicates through sign. I reassured her that Nova and I can both understand and translate, which she seemed thankful and relieved about. Apparently, he is good at reading lip movement. If he looks at someone's mouth as they're talking, he should usually be able to understand what they are saying without translation. But then again, I repeat, the kid is five years old.

This is going to be an eventful day. My plan was to sit on the couch, wear pj's, and hug my laptop. I feel for the animal's sanity. But I've lost mine a while ago. Sleep would be great. I sat down with the tray.