“It’s time for lunch,”
“I am not really that hungry right now.”
“Dear, you have to eat.” I roll my eyes slightly, I do not feel like eating, in fact it is the last thing I want to do right now. I do not respond to Maggie I just gaze wide-eyed at her, I can see that she has a little frustration on her face.
“Come on Miss, I have made your favorite.” How does she know my favorite I do not even know that? I give up and follow her into the kitchen were Michael is sitting smugly.
“Now take a seat dear, I will dish out.”
I walk over and sit next to Michael, I am a little unsure of how to act around him. Maggie hands over two plates filled with salad and then she gives us a huge platter filled with roast chicken and bread.
“Wow Maggie this all looks great,” I say trying to make her feel good.
“Now help yourselves and Miss Hart make sure you take a big helping, you are skin and bone.”
I smile and she heads out into the hallway. Michael turns to me as he takes a huge piece of chicken and several pieces of bread,
“Bon appetite!” I smile and begin to take mine. As we sit in the oversized Condo and eat the over-delicious food Michael talks like there is no tomorrow. Going on about the weather and the latest movies that are on the cinema and he even says that we should go see a movie sometime. I begin to think that perhaps I have led him on. However I change my mind and instead, I choose to believe that I have just became friendly with him and that I have acted in a way a friend would. Therefore, I agree that we should see a movie. Once dinner is, over I try to back into my room but Michael is having none of it.
“Alanna, why don’t we bring the cinema here?” He says holding up a few DVD’s. I do not want be rude and at the same time I do not really feel like sitting in my room all night alone. Therefore, I say,
“Why not, I will go ask Maggie if she has any popcorn.” I walk along the hallway and into the room that Maggie uses for relaxing when she is not cooking. “Maggie do we have any popcorn?”
“Yes, I believe we have, I will go make it for you okay?”
“Thanks,” I walk back along to the lounge and I see that Michael has about twenty DVD’s all lined out onto one of the sofas.
“What kind of movies do you like?”
“Anything you choose,”
“I never thought I would see the day a girl lets the bloke choose the movie!” I smile and sit on one of the armchairs.
“You know I feel guilty about choosing the movie, can’t you at least tell me what ones you like?”
“I like old movies, but if you don’t then it is fine.”
“Okay, old movie it is.” He picks up Gone with the Wind, a choice that I would never have expected him to make. He sits on the chair right next to me; Maggie comes in with the popcorn. She has put the popcorn in one big bowl so it looks like we have to share and I feel a little bummed by that. Sharing food is mainly what couples do and I feel that if I were to share this popcorn with Michael then maybe I will be leading him on further. Therefore, I ask Maggie if she could put the popcorn in a separate bowl and to my relief Michael agrees. We watch the movie for about an hour in silence, but then I see Michael look over as if he has something he needs to say to me.
“Alanna what would you be doing if you hadn’t met Adrian?” I am taken back by his words I do not really know how to answer him.
“I guess I would be at college and studying for finals and graduating on time with honors.”
“Alanna what is it that you want to do with your life?” Michael says turning fully around in his chair so that now; all that he can see is him.
“I would like to help children who are underprivileged; I would love it if one day I could own a private orphanage, so that I could at least make it a kind of happy experience for children that are suffering.”
“You are amazing you know that.”
“No I don’t think so,”
“You are, who else do you know cares about stuff like that?”
“There are many people who care about others.”
“Who, not your friend Sophie, all she cares about his herself.”
“Hey she is still my friend don’t be slating her.”
“I am not I am just saying that no young beautiful girl like you cares about stuff like that, you are a one-off Alanna.”
“I just have guilt inside about my childhood and how good it was, if I could just make one child have the same happiness as I did growing up.”
“Alanna is that how you have a special bond with Adrian?”
“No I don’t love Adrian because he has had a bad upbringing; I love him because he is real. He is not some shallow person that only cares about himself. He’s not like anyone I know I think that’s the connection I share with him.”