Chapter 13. Delores Oak tavern

Holding the tavern's menu in his hands Charon looked at it confusingly. There were crude drawings on the menu of what the dishes and drinks looked like but he could not read the menu. 

Tightening his lips he chalked it up to another thing to blame for being a nobody.

Looking back up from the menu he could see the two sisters talking in familiar terms with drinks in their hands. 

Taking another sip of her vibrant drink Maya asked Mia, "So has Danny come to visit you yet?" 

Giving a mischievous sideways glance at her sister Mia took a second before answering, coughing to clear her voice. "Maybe." 

Rolling her eyes Maya rubbed her brows before taking a third, much larger sip of her drink. "Don't let that man get to you Mia, he's simply just trying to busy himself with a nice girl like you. He knows you're a nun and yet he still hasn't stopped."

"Yeah, but, I know he's not trying to 'get at me'. Danny's just friendly, he thinks of me as his best friend." Mia responded.

Maya gave her a look of indifference before turning to Charon, "What do you want Charon?" 

Looking at the two with a slightly open mouth he turned the menu in his hands to face them before pointing to the words. "...I...can't read." 

Suddenly the two girls stopped sipping their drinks as their eyebrows shot up and an awkward smile crossed the two's faces. 

"Oh shoot." Mia muttered.

"I'm so sorry, here lemme see it." Maya immediately said in an apologetic tone. "Sorry, I forgot you might not have the same knowledge as the other kids."

Slightly nodding his head Charon felt a pang in his heart at the words. 

'I'm not like other kids.' he felt the words pierce his very being. 

Maya began to explain to Charon what each item was and what was in them. She pointed out some drinks that she thought a kid would like. After several minutes of the exchange, Maya finally got an order out of Charon. 

He wanted a small steak with a side of vegetables and a bubbly soda.

Mia affirmed to him that this was a very good choice and told him she was getting the same thing but with a different drink. 

Looking around the tavern Maya clicked her tongue in annoyance. "So Danny can't leave you alone when he's not needed but the instant we want something he just disappears!"

"Give him a second, sis. The Oak Tavern is busy today, Danny's probably just busy going around serving the customers." She said in a small voice as she defended Danny.

"And this is why I think Mrs. Delores needs to hire more people for the tavern. Using her own children to work is understandable but the business is more than what they can handle and they don't even pay Diane for her services!"

Just as Maya finished complaining a tall young man with a mop of auburn hair dressed in the tavern's waiter attire walked towards their table.

Out of breath, he stopped next to the two girls with a small notebook in hand, a pen in the other, and a flat piece of plastic stuffed under his armpit.

Sending a charming smile to Mia's direction he turned and gave a less personal one to Maya, "Hello Maya, nice to see you here." Glancing across the booth he saw a child with dark brown hair almost covering his eyes wearing modest children's clothing. Sparing a glance at the two girls he asked in a joking tone, "Someone at the church had a secret love child?" Giving a dramatic gasp and covering his mouth her continued, "Don't tell me that cranky grandma Isha had a child this late!"

Maya sent a quick elbow to the gut of the young man standing next to her causing him to slightly buckle at the impact and give a sound of surprise.

"Hello to you too, Danny," she said pretending nothing happened. 

Still reeling from the nun's warning elbow hit Mia gasped for concern at the young man. Giving a light slap to her sister's shoulder, "Did you really have to do that Maya? And Danny please don't make jokes about Sister Isha, you know what she'll do if she hears them."

Finally recovering from the elbow Danny straightened once more. "My bad, I should have kept my mouth shut."

"Mhm," Maya mumbled in agreement.

Mia spoke up this time with a hand towards Charon at the other side of the table. "This is Charon! He's gonna be a new part of the church and basically my little brother so you better be nice to him, Danny!"

Extending a closed fist to Charon, Danny greeted him. "What's up, my man. My name's Daniel but you can call me Danny, everybody does anyway."

At the sudden closed fist coming towards him Charon flinched back instinctively causing a concerned reaction from the three. 

Retracting his fist a regretfully saddened expression was painted over Danny's previously cheerful face. "oh no, i-i'm so sorry." He apologized quickly. 

Charon watching the closed fist retreat from him looked at the two sisters with concern in his eyes. 

"Oh, Charon..." Looking at her sister, Mia quickly brought her hand up and insisted Maya do the same. "Charon, look."

Taking their closed fists and making them hit each other in a non-aggressive manner the nun explained to the young boy what a fist bump was. 

"You see, he's not trying to hit you. He's trying to say hi."

After watching the nun explain what Danny had tried to do he looked at the young man who was still standing in awkward shock and lowered his head in front of him. 

"I'm sorry, Danny-" He tried to apologize.

"No, no. I'm sorry kid, I didn't mean to make you startled. I should be the one apologizing."

"Why don't you two try again? Huh, Charon?"

Lifting his head Charon carefully lifted his small closed fist towards the young man. Flinching at the young boy's movement Danny pretended to imitate what Charon had done seconds ago before erupting in light laughter. 

"I'm joking man, here" Danny lifted his fist carefully and bumped the boy's. 

"Looks like you two are even now!" Mia exclaimed as the three young adults chuckled at the comment.