Alleviate

14| catorze

I've had to re-upload this chapter because I had only posted a half complete draft. I apologise.

-x-

"So, do you want to go out for dinner, or stay at home and have Lucia rustle up something delicious?" Eve asked.

"I don't know, that's entirely upto you," Athelio answered with a genuine smile. He sat next to her, and held her fingers, playfully stroking them. "You have lovely hands, Eve."

"Thank you. I've always felt that I got them from my father," she answered happily, smiling back at him.

Lucia went upto her and gave her the coffee, while Athelio had asked her where I was. Lucia said I was helping her neaten the kitchen. Generally, everyday, Lucia finishes and goes home before noon, but today she had stayed the whole day. When I asked her why she had stayed for so long, she answered with a twinkle in her eye, "to keep you company, Camilla. I wouldn't leave you here alone."

I was cleaning the kitchen, while Lucia was cleaning the utensils. We worked in silence, while we heard the voices of Athelio and Eve. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I heard laughs and happy voices. Life here happened on a very different wavelength, from back in Villa Mimosa. Two friends together on a couch laughing and enjoying each other's company, was still unlike what I've ever known. Anika and I would prefer to sit in silence together, although we did talk, life there did not allow or tolerate joyous moments or laughter.

By the time we were done, Eve came over to the kitchen with a glass of wine in her hand and talked to Lucia. She asked Lucia whether she could make Lasanha com carne moída e queijo for dinner, which she said was one of her favourites. The name sounded familiar to me but I had never tasted it in my life.

Athelio and Eve had gone upstairs to his room, which was on the floor above the one which my room was located on. It was just Lucia and I alone again in the kitchen. But Lucia's presence was soothing, I could see why Athelio would find a companion and a motherly figure in her.

"So these are the ingredients that I will need for this," she said, jotting down a shopping list on a small piece of paper. "I'll need baked corn, olives, legumes and some cheese."

She folded the piece of paper twice, grabbed her little purse and walked towards the back door. She looked at me. "Well aren't you coming along? Let's go get the ingredients for Madam's dish."

"Right, one minute," I said as I quickly slid on my slippers. I hurriedly followed her as she already started walking towards the front gate. I could hear Shasta's whimpers as I walked next to Lucia.

We went to the little market not too far from Athelio's house. The trip there was like a little outing for me, I had my eyes peeled to take in what I could of my surroundings. The streets were quiet, only rustles of the wind grazed the footpath along with a few fallen leaves of October. the streetlights were glowing proudly, and Lucia kept telling me about her experiences around these parts of town— each street had a different story.

We came to a little poster and CD shop, and she stopped to gesture to it. "When Athelio was 17, I still remember the fight he had with Reina just outside this shop."

"Reina?"

"Yes." Lucia laughed a little, "she was a feisty Cuban, and Athelio's first girlfriend. Lord knows how my silly Athelio had landed such a great girl like her."

Because of his capacity of compassion, I wanted to answer. But that would say too much, it would be too far. I still didn't know him that well, and she would find it strange if I started to speak like that of someone I barely knew, much less someone who was almost seven years elder to me.