Chapter 12. Garden Work

Leaving the shower with a towel wrapped around his body, instructed by Father David, he held his bundle of used clothes and went down to his room to change. Finding the spare clothes left inside his closet.

His room was mostly the same except for the small bag of candy placed on top of his desk. The same candy that was given to him the day before from Maya. 

Finding the clothes similar to the ones given before he quickly donned them and rushed up the stairs once more. Seeing Maya in the garden lovingly tending to her plants, Charon faked a cough to get her attention. 

Finally noticing his presence she beckoned him over with a jerk of her chin. 

Holding a plant in a strange position she gestured for Charon to hold it in a similar faction. "Here, hold this."

Giving the plant to Charon, Maya dashed over to where the materials they had bought the day before were lying and picked up a small piece of chicken wire. Placing it around the plant she made careful consideration for the plant. 

Stepping away she gave Charon a signal to step back as well. Removing his hands from the plant he watched as the chicken wire held up the plant in perfect position for it to grow. 

"Wonderful!" Maya exclaimed. She motioned for Charon to follow and let him know that they were gonna do this to all the plants that she deemed fit. 

Unable to escape this responsibility the young boy followed the nun around the garden tending and giving care to the plants. They did the same process of holding up the plants and placing chicken wire around them to aid in the growth of a dozen different plants. 

When they were finally done Maya pointed out that the two had to put up precautionary preventatives around the toxic and or dangerous plants. Learning from yesterday Maya had realized that if a young child or even an adult were to walk in and unknowingly made contact with them she would be responsible for the damages born of her ignorance. 

Digging holes at four corners of each dangerous plant they placed wooden pens and securely wrapped them in chicken wire while placing dangerous signs around. 

After a couple of hours of menial tasks in the garden, the two were finally finished working in the garden and walked back inside the house to take a much-needed break from their work. 

"Damn, what caused you two to look like a pair of honeyed pigs on a hot Sunday morning?" Diane asked in a joking demeanor noticing the two sweating profusely and downing jugs of water in the kitchen. 

Between breaks from chugging water Maya finally answered her. 

"Working in the garden, duh. A farmer's life is no joke."

Rolling her eyes Diane brushed past the two for the kitchen cabinet. 

"And where do you think you're going Di?"

"Mrs. Delores needs help at the bar again," Diane responded as she grabbed a spare apron from the cabinet. 

"Ugh, she needs to start paying you for that. She calls you way too much, she has to start hiring more for the bar."

"No, it's fine. I like working the bar anyways, it gives me something to busy myself with."

Diane skirted around a kitchen counter towards the door taking a deep breath and addressing the two, "Mia's gonna stop by and it'd be nice if you two would join her, as bodyguards, and because it looks like you need a drink."

She addressed the final comment to Maya, gave a quick wink to Charon, and turned around in her neat bartending attire waving goodbye. 

With the fiery nun out of the kitchen, the two quenched their thirst and looked at each other. Wordlessly Maya looked at Charon with a questioning eyebrow and received a reluctant nod of Charon's head. 

"That settles it then, go take a quick shower and meet me up here in thirty minutes." 

"Okay"

Speedwalking out the door the two went to get ready to visit the bar. 

Thirty minutes later the two met at the double doors of the church in clean clothes and Maya in fresh makeup. Seemingly satisfied at their appearance for the night, Maya nodded and opened the door gesturing for Charon to go first. 

Taking the lead Charon and Maya walked to the town. 

Arriving at the outskirts of town Charon didn't see any of the families he saw out in the middle of the day instead he saw the numerous street lamps illuminating the path heading towards downtown. 

After another couple minutes of walking the two started to see the lingering sights of Ramona Village's nightlife. 

Following Maya, Charon saw men and women hand in hand walking down the street drinking and laughing. 

Charon had seen most of this before when he lived on the streets but didn't dare to go near. He rarely ventured into this half of the village's night scene. As a street rat, and a very young one, he was particular about staying around the back alleys where the nighttime bars and restaurants would toss their leftovers for the night. 

Looking back at the memories he shivered remembering some of the more gruesome details of the nightlife, shaking his head he pushed all those thoughts away and focused on the building in front of them.

Maya was leading them into a small towards a small two-story building with a giant sign on the front. Unable to read Charon judged the building off the large leaf painted on the front, and as they headed closer he was sure that was where they were heading.

The tavern had windows showing vibrant activity inside them and moving shadows illuminated by lanterns inside. As they moved right below the sign and into the door he was greeted with a crowd of laughter and talk. 

Maya held his hand and moved the two expertly between the crowded tables and multitude of bodies. 

Startled by a shout next to him for more beer Charon flinched at the sound but was unable to glance at the man because they were moving once more towards the bar table. The numerous sounds began to overstimulate his senses.

Slipping between bodies they finally ended up at the long bar where Diane was currently working shuffling back and forth with drinks in her hand as she made new ones. Charon watched the red-headed nun as she seemed to move with ease as if she had four hands instead of two.

 He was getting dizzy just staring at her fluid hand movements.

"Di!" Maya said with a slightly raised voice trying to catch her attention. 

Turning her head at Maya's voice, Charon could see it visibly brighten seeing the two.

"There's a table over there in the corner with your names on it." Giving a wink to Maya as she slid a brightly colored drink over the flat of the bar she gave a quick pat of the head to the young boy. "Mia's already here and so is Danny."

Rolling her eyes at the name she picked up the drink taking a quick sip before nodding her head at Diane, "Thank you Di, I'll do what I can to keep that man off of Mia." she said with a shake of her head. 

Once more leading Charon by the hand Maya led the two to a corner booth where the vibrant Mia was already sitting with a drink in her hands. 

"Maya!" Mia exclaimed in delight as she stretched her arms in a greeting hug to her twin sister. Charon was motioned to take a seat next to the two sisters and was handed a small menu of the tavern.

"Take a look and tell me what you'd like!" The twin sisters said in unison.