Chapter 12: Lupus in fabula

Chapter 12:

Lupus in fabula

Luca walked side-by-side with Felix as the pair entered the orphanage. As they walked through the doorway, they were greeted by Heidi, who had cut her hair shorter, up to her shoulders. The ends of her hair were curled in a cute fashion, and Luca thought her hair was adorable.

"Heidi, did you cut your hair recently? It looks nice." Luca said as they stopped by the desk to say hi.

"I'm so happy!" Heidi smiled in response, "My hair gets too frizzy during the summer, so this year I decided to cut it short. I'm glad I did." She lifted the ends of her brown hair, happy to be complimented.

Neither Luca nor Heidi saw Felix's face, but he was frowning, as if he were unhappy about something. As Luca turned after speaking to Heidi, there was no trace of a frown on his face, and instead he was quick to propose to have Luca set down his things in his new room. They said a hasty goodbye and lugged Luca's things, walking down the familiar halls to the boys' dormitory.

The summer heat was not as strong in Leighwye, and Luca was able to enjoy the temperate weather. The room that Luca had tried to stay in previously had been cleaned out for him, and now there was a single mattress laid on top of a single bed frame made of solid wood. As Luca placed his duffle bag on the freshly made bed, he touched the wood of the mattress frame and asked.

"Hey, Felix. Is this a new bed? The frame looks too new to be one of the old ones." Looking at the bed, it seemed heavy, far heavier than a regular steel bed. It was strange, but Luca brushed it off as he stared towards Felix, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Felix smiled, "We expanded the budget and purchased some updated furniture from a wholesale dealer just out of town. That's one of the beds we updated."

The rest of the room had been recently updated as well. The single window was covered with a set of beige curtains, and below the window was a single wooden desk, decorated with a lamp and a cup full of various pens and pencils. Next to the desk on the right was a small, narrow bookshelf. It would have enough room to store Luca's law textbooks.

"You didn't have to go to all this trouble, Felix." Luca felt embarrassed, seeing the room had nearly been completely redecorated for him. The furniture looked new, clean, and even the bedding had been arranged. It was as if he had only left home for a short time and returned to his bedroom, rather than staying in the church's accommodations.

"You'll be here with us for a while, so Ms. Lowell wanted to make sure you were comfortable." Felix responded nonchalantly, as if the room had been casually prepared. "Don't worry too much about the room. Mine was updated too. Let's go see it." Felix grabbed Luca gently by the shoulder and led him out of the room just as Luca had finished setting down his bag. Luca's phone was still in the front pocket of the duffle bag, the screen flashing, signifying a message had been sent. He did not see the phone, however, and instead followed Felix without a worry as Felix looked over his shoulder at the duffle bag, a smug smile on his face as he turned back forward, his expression softening quickly.

Felix steered Luca gently towards his own room with an excited tone, walking the pair through the door as they stepped through the doorway into Felix's room. He had not lied, but the room was still just as plain as before, if not updated with furniture in better condition.

The bed, Luca noticed, had changed. There was no longer the aged bunk bed, but a new full-sized bed, large enough to accommodate two people if they were to lay side by side. While the room was not large, it was large enough to comfortably accommodate the bed and his other furniture.

"Wow, Felix! When did you get this?" Luca walked to the left side of the room, where the bed had been pushed against the wall. He patted the fluffy blue duvet with his hand, enjoying the soft fabric. "I never expected you to indulge like the rest of us." The smile on Luca's face was full of laughter.

Seeing Luca's expression, Felix could only laugh along in response, "I had planned to buy a smaller bed, but they ran out of stock." He explained in a gentle voice. "So they gave Ms. Lowell and I a deal on full sized beds for the last few staff rooms. Do you like it?"

"It's nice! It seems like you've been able to update the orphanage a lot since you've started to take over." Luca paused before he asked, "You must be applying for a lot of grants, aren't you?"

"Ms. Lowell has been taking care of applying for those with Heidi's help, though our sponsors have done most of the work." Felix walked next to Luca, standing by the bedside as he smoothly changed the subject. "Nevermind that. Why don't we get you settled in and then we can go into town together? I was going to meet Margo. Do you want to come?"

"That'd be great! Do you think she'd mind if I came along?" Luca had a good relationship with Margo, but he did not want to intrude.

Felix tapped on his keyboard before there was a quiet ding sound from his phone. With a laugh, he pulled up Margo's chat and showed Felix. "See, she's excited to see you again."

On the phone screen, there was a short message from Margo. With a quick glance, Luca could see the short message she left.

Sure. Tell him he's paying then. It was definitely Margo.

After arranging their things, Luca and Felix walked to the church car, preparing to meet Margo at the local diner.

…

"About time you two got here." Margo said as she stood up from the booth she had reserved, waving her hand as her gaze moved to Felix. "I'm starving. Let's get something to eat."

She wore a white tank-top and jean shorts, her outfit simple but stylish, and very much like the city-loving Margo. Her hair was dyed a vibrant shade of red and tied back behind her head in a tall ponytail, leaving her side-swept bangs to rest across her forehead. Though she looked different than before, there was nothing different about her personality.

"I'll sit in the booth." Luca said, moving to the booth's seat as he slid down towards the window, leaving room for Felix to sit next to him, as if it were natural.

A smile grew on Felix's face as he moved to sit next to Luca, his eyes moving to Margo who had quickly sat down, holding the large, laminated menu in her hands. "Did you order a drink yet?"

Margo shook her head. "No, I wanted to make sure you two showed up before I ordered anything." She waved her hand as she said, "You know how broke I am."

Luca laughed, "I understand that. Don't worry, I can cover this."

Felix passed Luca a menu, "Why don't you order a drink?"

Felix effectively cut off the other man before he could get another word in, leaving him to browse the drink menu as a tall, lanky female waitress walked to their table with a smile as she said, "Welcome to Howey's. Oh my, if it isn't Father Felix! What are you doing in town?"

Luca and Felix smiled towards the woman, Felix responding with a laugh, "We are showing Luca here around town. He grew up in the orphanage with me almost ten years ago. Do you remember him, Tammy?"

Tammy squinted her eyes, "It's a shame I don't remember such a cute face!" She patted her apron, her face full of smiles, "Enough from me, you must be busy with all your work." Tammy, the waitress, waved her hand gently, "What can I start you all off with today, dears?"

Margo did not wait as she shot out, "How about a coffee?"

It was not late in the day, so Luca said after Margo, "Can I have a lemonade please?" He had a soft spot for sour things.

"A water, please." Felix said plainly, leaving Tammy to tell them their drinks would only be a minute before she walked off to the kitchen to prepare them with some pep in her step.

"Hey, Felix, why did she call you 'Father' just now? I know you're just finishing up your training, but-" He paused, staring at the other man with an expression of perplexion.

Felix smiled, "It's because the church has been more active in community involvement, and now that Father Michael is directing more duties to me, I want to take care of everyone just like he did." His smile was bright as it was as when he was a child, innocent and pure, like a puddle of warm water.

Luca laughed in response, "You're a good person, Felix. It's no surprise the people here love you too." As he laughed, out of view Margo fought the urge to roll her eyes, her slitted gaze falling on Felix, who looked at Luca the entire time they spoke, ignoring her existence entirely.

Margo continued to speak to Luca as they waited for their drinks, returning Felix's silent treatment. "So, you're back for the summer, huh? What made you want to come all the way out here?" She smiled as she said, her gaze drifting over to Felix, "Weren't you going to go abroad again?"

Felix frowned at Margo, but Luca did not see it. "I was going to, but Felix gave me a call at the right time and here I am." Luca laughed as he added, "I'll most likely be staying around the orphanage until my law classes start in September."

"You'll probably be around until they finish the construction then." Margo said as she stared out the tall window, squinting as she stared in the distance at the construction equipment that was fast at work. "You probably saw it on your way into town, didn't you?"

Luca, matching Margo's gaze outside, stared out for a moment before he asked, "Yeah, what's up with that? They weren't working on anything in the winter. What are they building?"

Hearing Luca's question, Felix was the first to respond, "It seems there has been an increase in wild animal attacks, so the city has started to build a fence around the front border of town to keep us safe. One person hurt is too many, after all."

Margo smiled as she stared at Felix, "Of course you would know." She turned to Luca and added, "An older gentleman was attacked by something, most likely a bear or a wolf. He had to fight it away with his cane."

Luca was alarmed, "Is he alright? That had to be terrifying."

Felix shook his head, "Don't worry, he was rescued by Paul from the hardware store. He's still recovering in the hospital."

As the conversation fell into a lull, the waitress delivered their drinks, placing a hot cup of unsweetened black coffee in front of Margo before placing Felix and Luca's cold drinks on the table.

"We ready to order?" The woman said warmly.

The group ordered their lunch succinctly. Felix and Luca both ordered a veggie burger and chips, while Margo was the adventurous one and ordered a salad with a side of pita. With their orders in, the waitress walked off again after writing down their orders in her notepad. As the waitress walked past the bathroom, Luca suddenly had the urge to go.

"I'm going to use the restroom. Be right back." Luca patted Felix's arm in an intimate fashion, motioning for him to stand so he could leave the booth. Felix obliged with a smile, standing to the side as Luca stood up to go to the restroom, leaving Felix to sit back down on the booth's seat with a small frown on his face.

As Luca walked to the restroom, Margo's smile gradually faded from her face as she leaned in closer to Felix from across the table, speaking in a lower voice. "I thought you would have left him at the orphanage, but nevermind that. I took care of those things you asked me to do. Here's the invoice." Margo reached into her leather designer purse and grabbed out a small stack of papers. Various information was written on the sheets, filling up the pages with narrow letters and figures.

Felix wordlessly took the papers and quickly scanned them over with his eyes before he tucked the pages into his shirt. "You've done well, Margo. Everything should be completed soon." Felix smiled, "Now all that's left is keeping him here. I don't think that will be difficult."

Margo sighed, stirring her milky coffee with a frown as she said, "That's for you to deal with. I've already held up my end of the bargain." She lowered her voice as she added, "I even got you those pills. It was hard to convince the pharmacist, but I hope you got them by now."

"I did. They were what I needed. Thank you, Margo."

Margo laughed sarcastically, "Doing all of this just for him… You're insane, Felix, utterly insane."

Felix nodded wordlessly, resting his chin under his hand as he stared at the door to the bathroom, where Luca stepped out. "We'll discuss that later. Luca's coming back."

Margo's still expression changed to a soft smile as she set her purse down next to her, her eyes moving to Luca, who had already begun to walk to the table to join Felix and Margo again.

"Sorry, the hand dryer stopped working." Luca laughed, shaking the excess water off of his hands as he slid into the booth after Felix stood up, allowing the other man to slide into his seat in the small booth before he sat down next to him, locking him in the seat.

While waiting for their food, the group caught up with each other on their future wishes and goals, now being adults, they were in the position to start achieving their dreams. They no longer were waiting at the orphanage, they could now spread their wings and fly.

Margo was excited about her goals and spoke first to Luca, who had only heard snippets of her future goals. "Well, my goal is to move out of town and live in New York. There's a ton of jobs there, so I'm not too worried about finding anything, so long as I can even live in the city, I'm content." Margo said with an idealistic light. Having lived in the city, Luca understood just how expensive city living could be, but he said nothing, not wanting to discourage her dreams. "What about you, Mr. Attorney?"

Luca laughed, "I would like to be a child's rights advocate. When I think of what others did for me, it makes me want to give back and help others like us." Luca sipped his lemonade. "Maybe I can make a difference in their lives?"

"That's a great path, Luca." Felix responded warmly.

"This priest here will most likely stay in town, won't you, Felix." Margo said with a note of sarcasm, mocking Felix.

Felix did not seem to mind. "I will go where the Lord asks of me. For now, he has sent me here to help with the orphanage, unlike Margo, who has not come to volunteer as she said she would." He shot back with a smile, angering Margo as he took a sip of his water.

"I have a busy schedule right now, alright? Tell Ms. Lowell I'll be over in the near future!" She said with a slap on the table, rocking her coffee cup slightly.

Felix jokingly rolled his eyes and Luca laughed, angering Margo more. It was not until their food was delivered to their table that they began to quiet down and dig into their greasy diner food. Neither of the three were particularly picky, having been happy to have enough to eat at the orphanage, and they slowly ate their oversized servings until nothing was left except for two pieces of pita on Margo's plate.

"Are you gonna to eat that?" Luca still had room to eat, and he could not help but stare at Margo's uneaten pita, his mouth watering.

Margo sighed aloud, rolling her eyes as she pushed the plate forward. "If I ate like you, I'd weigh far more than I do now."

Luca took the pita from the plate and took a bite, adding seriously, "You're already slim enough, Margo. Make sure you eat enough."

Margo didn't respond, sipping at her black coffee as her eyes trailed over to Felix, who had passed a napkin to Luca to catch the falling crumbs from his chin. She lightly shook her head and said nothing, putting her cup down as she smoothly changed the subject until all the plates were cleared by their waitress.

"I'll go settle the bill." Felix prepared to stand up, but his arm was tugged on by Luca, who frowned.

"Hey, I said it was my treat. Let me take care of it. Besides, you're a priest, it's not like you're rolling in money." Luca did not hold back, attempting to stand again before Felix quickly walked to the counter ahead of him, flagging down their waitress to settle the check. Luca waved his fist, wanting to curse him out, but Margo stopped him.

"Don't feel bad for him, he's doing just fine. If anything, you should worry about yourself." She pushed a loose hair behind her ear, her gaze heavy on Luca's innocent face.

Luca sighed, feeling what Margo said was a bit strange. "Felix's like a brother to me. Sometimes I want to take care of him too, you know." He said to Margo, sighing. "He treats me like a kid sometimes, I swear." He then looked up with a smile and added, "At least I don't have to worry about how you treat me, Margo."

Margo smiled, chuckling to herself, "Of course."

She watched Felix return with the check, hiding the receipt from Luca, who had attempted to jump up and grab it from Felix's outstretched hand but failed. The two nagged at each other jokingly, but watching the two, the pit in Margo's stomach only grew, and she found the taste of bitter bile infiltrating her mouth at each passing moment.

"Hey, I'm going to use the bathroom and head out after." She grabbed her designer handbag, her tailored red fingernails clutching the bag with a heavy grasp as she stood up. "You two go on without me, alright? We'll plan to meet up again sometime soon." She smiled, standing next to the table.

"Of course! Don't be a stranger, Margo. See you later!" Luca waved as they left the diner. Felix smiled and waved, his smile not reaching his eyes as his gaze fell on Margo one more time, making the young woman fall stiff.

The three parted ways, leaving Margo to take her own car back as Luca and Felix loaded into Felix's car, preparing to return to the orphanage for the night.

…