Chapter 5: Rice Cake in a Fruit Basket

The sun already hid its grandeur on the horizon the moment that they arrived at Zeronis place.

"Here we are." He pulled over his car in front of his house while Maria had a quick survey of the surrounding. "It's nothing much."

"Uhuh. If this is your definition of 'nothing much' then I'm lower than a pauper." Maria commented.

Zeronis let a chuckle, getting off the car and rounded to Maria's side, and opened the door for her.

"Thanks." She murmured.

"Let's head inside. I'm sure you're already hungry."

"Oh, just a bit. I think I'll end up eating a whole person if I don't eat food in the next minute." She shrugged her shoulders.

"I bet." Zeronis agreed. "Welcome."

Maria was very sure that they entered a quite huge estate and should get used to seeing large mansions. However, getting inside one with an invitation hits different. Most especially if the invitee was very keen on keeping her occupied.

"I didn't let them greet us by the door. My date seems to dislike attention from people."

"Wow. You know me very well." Maria added in sarcasm. "Whose them by the way?"

"The people taking care of the house." Zeronis simply said. " Right this way. I think it's roast for dinner. Do you have any preferences?"

"Anything's good for me as long as it's not moving or wriggling on my plate." Maria let him grab her wrist and guided her in the direction where the dinner was waiting.

It was a wide hallway with a large array of old paintings handed on the gray granite wall. She wasn't a Connoisseurship in art, but she assessed that the collections were of high value.

"You love art." She stated rather than inquired.

"Not really." He answered.

"Oh, these paintings happen to catch your attention by their colors?"

Zeronis chuckled at that and shook his head. "I don't collect old stuff. Those are...are my sister's."

Maria once again made a once over to the painting they passed by. "She has an exquisite taste," she murmured.

"Ah, she would love to hear that. Too bad she can't join us," he said.

"There's always be next time." She said.

Zeronis turned in her direction and regarded her for quite a while. "I hope so."

She sensed that he truly wants that to happen in the future and yet, it felt like a wish that was either hard to grand or just impossible to happen. Maybe because there will be no dinner together in the same mansion next time. She wasn't even supposed to make an acquaintance when she came to visit Aberdeen. Her job was too risky to involve someone like Zeronis into her world. But for now, she'll allow it until her trip ends.

"There you are. I thought I cooked in vain!"

Maria and Zeronis's attentions then went into a woman on her apron. Her wide smile on her face immediately lightened the atmosphere that Maria mirrored it with her own lips.

"Evening Juana." Zeronis politely greeted the woman who hugged him in response.

"My little muchacho! It's been long, te extraño! (I miss you)"

Maria can't help the grin on her face, seeing Zeronis like a little boy on Juana's arms.

"Juana, I have a guest and she's famished." He said.

"Oh, lo siento mucho! Who is this bonita?! Come, come!"

"Pido disculpas por las molestias (I apologize for the inconvenience)," Maria said which surprised both Zeronis and Juana.

"You're no trouble, mija." Juana said after a while. " I like this niña. You found the perfect girl, muchacho.

"Alright. Let's not scared her, Juana. I barely made her come here without losing any limbs." Zeronis aired.

"She strong woman, eh? Perfect! She can straighten you up and make you visit us often! Come, come. I cooked delicious cuisine. You gonna love it, mija." Juana grabbed Maria's arm and guided her inside the dining hall.

Maria turned to Zeronis who chuckled at Juana's liveliness. She raised her brows to him which was only answered with a shrug of his shoulders. Clearly, Zeronis has been lenient to his work that they can even dare to approach him like that.

"I hope you like a roasted lamp, mija." Juana went on and Maria felt like she was back in the home where her grandmama will always welcome her with open arms as Juana did.

"Oi, Ramon! You're not done with the candles?! Ayayay!" Juana let go of Maria and went to the man who quickly set up the table. Maria covered her mouth to cover her amusement at the busy bodies in the dining hall.

"Yeah, It's always chaotic like this." Zeronis remarked when he noticed Maria's expression.

"If I didn't know it better, I would think that they are attempting to set up a romantic dinner date. Oh, are those rose petals on the floor? In heart shape?" Maria teased Zeronis who was the next one to cover his face and shook his head.

"Perhaps they didn't get the memo that I'm not proposing tonight." He said.

Maria chuckled at that and shook her head while she still eyed the people setting the table.

"Maybe you should interfere before Juana beat that man," Maria said.

"It's her son. They're actually a whole family taking care of this place. Yeah, I think Ramon needs help. I should probably get the butler to arrange the meal next time." Zeronis said. "Oops. The sleeper is out. I heard it's Latina's ultimate weapon. Excuse me."

"Mama! Hold yourself together. Sir Villan is here and the guest! Ah!" Ramon screamed in fright when Juana whacked his head with a sleeper.

Maria burst into laughter when Zeronis got an unintentional hit from Juana in an attempt to play peacemaker.

"Look, mama! You're beating our employer! He will fire us!" Ramon hid behind the chair.

"You ruin the setup that I plan! I instructed for a romantic atmosphere! This is not romantic!"

"Juana, it's alright. We don't want to make the guest wait any longer." Zeronis appeased.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for this muchacho. My son is still lacking." Juana said.

"It's nothing. Now, call out for the food." Zeronis said patiently.

"Right away." Juana escaped to the kitchen along with her two daughters who giggled at their brother's situation.

"The candles." Ramon muttered.

"Take them away, Ramon." Zeronis instructed.

"Right. Sorry for that." Ramon quickly nabbed all the candles off the table and escape through the door.

Zeronis let a heaved sigh and turned to Maria. "That wasn't part of the plan."

"I can see that." Maria agreed.

"Let's just have dinner. I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

"I enjoyed the show very well, If I'm not hungry, I would just grab a seat and continue to watch you guys."

"You haven't met the whole family just yet." Zeronis cued after he guided her to her seat.

"Must be fun to be around them." She said.

"Yeah. It's been quite a while since I saw them. I don't really come here often." He said.

"Where will you go if not your home? Your family should be missing you a lot." Maria raised with subtle motive to know him a little better more than he showed her.

There was only a slight curve on his lips as he lingers his eyes on her.

Maria saw that he wasn't really looking at her but at intangible things and it felt a little heavy on her. Sometimes, she hated how her empathy would kick in She absorbed emotions like a sponge and it burdened her on most days.

"If a home is where family is, then...I got nothing," he said and the moment of silence of the dining hall made Maria fidget in discomfort. She wasn't actually good with comforting words. If only she can recall few popular quotes for a situation like that moment. However, she might sound petty for saying those not coming from her heart.

Zeronis made mention of having a sister but Maria felt like it was a taboo topic to bring up. So, she looked at the fruit basket in front of them. It didn't actually goes along the dining theme. Clearly, Juana barely had any idea of how the english dinner table works. But despite such ability for a wealthy person, Zeronis kept them to work in that place.

She didn't have all the story in hand, but there was certainty that Zeronis possessed more than just generosity. There was kindness. Tolerance. Patience. And many yet undiscovered traits.

The same traits saved her once and will forever be grateful until the day she die.

"Do you know the story of a fruit basket?" Maria smiled at the one in front of them. "It's a popular game among children. One kid was pranked to be a rice cake instead of being one of the fruits. He sat in the chair, smiling at the rowdiness of the kids exchanging seats when their assigned fruits were called out. He had no idea that he was being played. This kid is innocent and he waited and waited for long. As if he won't be called anymore as the game was almost coming to an end."

Maria lifted her eyes to Zeronis, not expecting to have his eyes focused on her, waiting for her to continue. At the door, Juana and her daughters stood in waiting, intending to let her continue. She fought the urge to succumb to awkwardness and averted her eyes to the basket on the table.

"Just before the game ends, rice cake was called out. The kid, smiled widely and jumped gleefully to his playmates. And in that game, there was only laughters." Maria met Zeronis eyes this time. "This life is the game that all of us are playing. It won't end without laughters. Someone will always call out for the rice cake and put them on the basket." Maria ended the story.

"It's the grandmama for me. For you, sir, they're just around," she added.

Maria had no idea if she made sense. It was what her grandmother would always tell her and it somehow came out naturally for her at that very moment.

Zeronis' lips curved into something she was familiar.

"That is a touching story, mija. Oh, muchacho! Where have you found this angel!" Juana approached Zeronis and kissed his head earnestly.

"Juana, the food."Zeronis laughed.

"Right. Right. Put them on the table, girls. Quickly." Juana instructed her children.

"Eat well, mija. You too, muchacho." Juana sternly said before she left with her children.

"Oh, mama. Don't cry." one of Juana's daughter remarked as they exited from the dining hall and disappeared to the kitchen again.

"Dig in." Zeronis invited.

"Finally. Don't make me talk like that ever again. I know I'm not good with it." Maira picked up her silvers and began to eat. Her mouth appreciated the juiciness of the roast lamp along with potato with it.

Zeronis only shook his head in amusement. "I need that."

Maria busied herself with eating rather than test herself on how long she can hold his gaze on her without blushing.