19 Child

Ben and Cameron sat in a restaurant, waiting. Cam was a bit taller than Ben, but 2 years younger. Ben was his personal aid.

A waiter came over and bowed.

"Have you chosen yet? Can I bring you something to drink?" Cameron leaned towards Ben and whispered in his ear. He sat unpatiently on his chair. He wiggled forwards and backwards and fidgeted with his fingers.

"Cameron'll have fries with ketchup and chicken nuggets and I... take the trout with salt potatoes and lettuce and carrots. And just water, please, for us", Ben said.

"But Beeeeeen", Cameron said. "I want juice!" Ben turned and smiled excusingly.

"No, you can't have juice. You just had a lollipop, you can't have more sugar now", he said.

"But I want juice!", Cam squealed. "Please!"

"Just water, please", Ben said to the waiter. He nodded and took a note on his block, then left. Cam squealed a bit more, then drew circles on the table with his fingers. The waiter returned with the water and placed it in front of them. Ben thanked him. Cam tugged his sleeve.

"I wanna play something", he said.

"Sure. What shall it be?", Ben asked.

"Memory." Ben smiled and pulled a small box out of his pocket. He opened it and mixed the 24 cards.

"You can start." Cam beamed and turned over two cards. One showed a cat, the other one a cow. He shut them and giggled. Ben revealed a fish and the other cat. Cam laughed and turned over the two cats.

"Yay! I got a pair!", he smiled.

"Wow. So quickly", Ben admired him.

They played two rounds of memory before their food came. Cam seemed to have forgotten about his juice and ate happily.

"Don't rush it. We've got time", Ben said and handed him a tissue. "Here. You have ketchup on your cheek." Cam wiped it away and continued eating. Ben enjoyed his meal, too. The trout was delicious.

Cam yawned. He had finished his fries and drank the last drop of water.

"Can we go home now?", he asked, yawning again.

"Wait a bit, will you? I need to pay first...", Ben said. Cam's eyelids were falling and he started to doze off. He slid down the chair and his head rested on Ben's shoulder. He smiled and patted his hair. He looked peaceful. A look you do not often see on an adult's face. But Cameron was no adult. He was a four-year-old child in the body of an 30-year-old man. Ben patted him and smiled again. He waved at the waiter and paid. Then he tapped Cam slightly on the shoulder, waking him up.

"Come on, we can go now", he said. Cam rubbed his eyes and stood up. Ben supported him and they left.