Chapter 58: Lunch at Inacio's

Jake and the girls walked down towards the main roads of District 1.

The streets surrounding the station were quiet, with only a handful of people returning to their homes or walking around.

'Seems like everyone is still working.' Jake thought as he knew it would be much busier when the main work shifts would end.

Jake still felt it was better as with no major distractions they could take in the atmosphere and sights in front of them.

Finally, after almost 15 minutes, the distant sounds of heavy traffic, the bustling populace and the lively CBD felt closer than ever.

Jake could feel the nervousness and excitement of the two girls surrounding him and let out a soft chuckle.

They were the ones who were the most eager to explore the station yet Jake had to be the one to lead them through.

As they exited the quiet street and onto the main roads, the trio were blasted by bright lights, everywhere. High-rise buildings, malls, and businesses were filled with billboards, advertisements and lights which brightened the atmosphere.

"It reminds me of Times Square." Aria was the first to speak as she thought of Earth.

New York City, almost completely destroyed by the Thraxian Invaders was rebuilt from the ground up by the GOE to the way it was pre-invasion.

It was also a place of importance as the home of the previous Governing Body, the United Nations which in its last stages had helped lead the creation of the GOE.

The last Victory Day Parade Aria had attended, was held in New York. She remembered, the cheering crowds, the bustling city and the massive warships both in the water and floating above the city.

She remembered the distinct look of pride on her father's face, the pride of being human, surviving and thriving against insurmountable odds and hope for the future.

"Jake, can we head there first?" Lyra pointed to the large mall which featured advertisements of many top fashion brands from Earth.

"Let's go." Jake replied as they headed towards the large mall.

"Hey Aria, pick some things for everyone." Jake spoke to his sister as they stood outside the G&W store, the most popular women's fashion store on Earth.

Aria raised an eyebrow at Jake "You sure you want us to shop at this one? It's G&W and if we are buying for everyone it might be too much." Aria spoke in concern as maybe Jake did not understand the cost of women's fashion.

"I know how much it costs, think of it as a gift for everyone. We've earned a lot these past few months so we should be allowed to spend it too." Jake smiled and reassured his sister.

Inwardly, Jake had already been informed of the jaw-dropping prices of G&W products by the Atlas during his research of the station.

Jake could only ignore the advice of the Atlas as it reminded him that it was a massive waste of money and instead thought of the smiles he would get from them.

(You know you could have gone somewhere else.) The Atlas spoke as Aria and Lyra excitedly walked into the store.

'I know it's not sensible, but at least they'll be happy and make a few memories. I don't know how things will be in the future, so why not spend the present without regrets.'

(I am sorry, Jake.) The Atlas spoke in a soft tone.

'Hmm, what for Atlas?' Jake curiously asked unaware of why the Atlas had apologised.

(It's nothing Jake, ignore it.) The Atlas swiftly retorted and Jake huffed before letting it go.

'Fine, keep your secrets.' Jake spoke before sitting at a nearby cafe and ordering a few drinks.

2 hours later, two teenage girls could be seen both carrying a large amount of bags in both of their hands.

They smiled as they left the store and spotted Jake waiting for them.

"Had fun?" Jake asked as he took the bags from their hands, placing them into the drone on the ground next to them.

"Yes!" Lyra spoke excitedly as she spoke about the outfits she purchased.

"You should have come inside with us Jake. It would be nice to have a boy's opinion." Aria spoke to Jake, a hint of disappointment in her tone.

"My bad Aria, I'll come inside with you two next time." Jake apologised as Aria smirked and poked his forehead.

"It's a promise." She smiled and spoke.

After Jake had loaded the rest of the clothes into the drone, he gave it his ship's location before it flew away.

'At least I don't have to walk around carrying things.' Jake sighed in relief as he followed the girls to their next location.

The girls had gotten hungry, the proof being Lyra's stomach which growled much to her embarrassment and the siblings' amusement.

Jake led the two to a restaurant on the third floor of the mall.

The restaurant looked normal and was located a distance away from the more popular restaurants in the central food court.

"You sure about this place Jake?" Aria asked with a hint of doubt at the average-looking restaurant with a few customers.

"Trust me Aria it will be good." Jake spoke confidently.

Although Aria had had reasonable doubts, the Atlas had informed Jake that the food here was most likely the best in the entire system.

That type of praise had won Jake over and he decided to give them a try.

As they entered the restaurant, they were immediately greeted by a young man in his early 20s who seemed bored out of his mind.

He wore a light red outfit along with a small black hat on his head. The man seemed to be scrolling the Inter-Solar net before finally noticing the 3 teenagers walking up to him.

"Hi, welcome to Inacio's, table for 3?" The young man gave a professional welcome.

"Yes, could we get a veranda seat?" Jake asked the waiter.

"Of course, follow me please, I shall be your waiter for today." The man spoke as he gestured them through.

"Jake." Jake reached his hand out.

"Allan, nice to meet you, Jake." Allan shook Jake's hand before they walked through the restaurant.

Jake noticed that the interior of the restaurant had an Italian theme, with its decor and lighting. The interior was larger than Jake had expected with the seating capacity cable of seating a good amount of patrons.

However, the number of customers was rather sparse and Jake wondered how management had kept themselves afloat.

Allan led the trio out of the restaurant towards the veranda, a nice large deck with multiple tables and chairs placed on it.

"Your table." Allan gestured the three to one next to the railing of the deck.

As they sat and got comfortable, Allan brought out the menu for them to view.

"You want to get pasta or..." Aria was momentarily distracted as the menu suddenly increased.

"What the?" Jake spoke as the menu size increased and instead of just Italian food, a wide range of dishes from around Earth appeared.

"Haha, yeah it's a gag we do for new customers, we're not only Italian, we serve almost every cuisine from Earth, Chinese, Japanese, English, American, Indian, etc." Allan gave a short chuckle before explaining the menu.

"Ahh, I see. Does it take longer than if I order two different cuisines?" Aria asked as she looked at the menu.

"No, the food takes as long as it says on the menu, no matter what. Our chefs can prepare everything on the menu to perfection." Allan spoke, pride in his tone.

"Then what would you recommend? Any favourites or chef recommendations?" Aria asked.

"I would recommend the Peking Duck, Lahori Karahi and my family's Alfredo pasta." Allan spoke.

Aria and Lyra ordered an Alfredo while Jake ordered the Karahi and the Peking duck, Jake knew the pasta would not fill their stomachs and didn't mind sharing his food with the two.

After ordering their food and drinks, Jake decided to speak with Allan and get a little more information on the restaurant.

"You guys are family-owned?" Jake asked.

"Yes, Inacio's was started by my ancestor, Vincent Inacio in 2047. He served during the Thraxian War and learned the cultures and cuisines of many people from around the world.

He was an excellent cook and after serving he decided to establish a restaurant. Inacio's is now present in almost every State on Earth and Sol." Allan spoke.

"Why aren't you guys more popular then, with such a legacy and successful franchise, I thought you guys would be flooded with customers." Jake asked Allan who seemed to sigh and have a downward mood at Jake's words.

"Yeah, I know, it's all because of a will. My ancestor Vincent had said to establish a restaurant in the Carter System before he passed.

Since then when Mir station officially formed, one of my great, great something  grandparents established the restaurant and every 5-10 years a different member of the family would run it here." Allan spoke of the restaurant's history before another waiter approached their table.

"Your drinks." The waiter, a bald 40-something man with a moustache spoke before placing them onto the table.

"Thank you, John." Allan spoke as the waiter served the drinks and left.

"Your Alfredo's will arrive soon, the Peking and Karahi will take a little while longer." Allan spoke before heading off after being called to the kitchen.

"This place seems good." Aria spoke as she gazed at the view.

"Yeah, but I can't wait for my food." Lyra pouted as she slowly sipped her drink.

Jake ruffled her hair before taking a sip of his drink "I'm sure it will be worth the wait."