Dinner with Ralph

After returning home, I freshened up to get rid of all of the sweat and dirt off of my body. I cleaned the grime off of my clothes and prepared myself. I had to at least look presentable. Without wasting time, I went out and walked towards the meeting point. It would be impolite to be late. Ralph must be getting off early as this is usually the restaurant's busiest time. From afar, I could see the young orc standing near the entrance. 

"Sorry for making you wait," I said.

"No no you're on time. I just left slightly earlier. Let's go," he said.

As I could guess, he did not live anywhere near the center of the tribe. His house was located on the outskirts of the city. Even though our residence was also near the border, we lived in a relatively luxurious area. As we walked further away from the center, the houses kept getting more shabby and broken down. At some point, the roads went from stone to dirt tracks. The orcs were also skinnier and less powerful. Some of them looked like they could tumble over if the wind was too strong. This felt similar to my old village. Even if the people were struggling, they had a different sort of solidarity. That was something that could only be created through hardship.

"We're here," he said with a warm smile.

His house was built using old wood planks. Some panels were even falling apart. The roof were made out of rusted metal sheets. He opened the door and let me in.

"Dad, Luke is here," he yelled.

The sound of footsteps gradually got closer to us. An orc emerged from behind a wall. He was tall but very skinny. His hands were rough and were covered in dirt, so I guessed that he worked in the fields.

"I'm sorry, I did not have time to shower and am still dirty," he said with an embarrassed face.

"No sir it's fine," I said with a smile.

"Are you sure that you'll be able to eat around me?" he asked

"Mister, don't be ridiculous. My father was a blacksmith and his hands were always covered in soot when we were eating," I replied.

"Come into the dining area," he said while guiding me through the house.

The inside was just as old as the outside, but it had everything a family might need. The interior was cozy and clean.

"Sarah come and eat something," the father said.

A little orc ran into the dining area and began jumping. She was still a toddler. Her face wore a large smile as she hugged her brother. My heart felt heavy because this was exactly how Lucie acted around me.

"Hewo who are you?" she asked.

"I am a friend of your big brother," I said with a warm smile.

"Will you come play fairy with me?" she asked with a sad face.

"After you eat, we'll play fairy," I replied.

We sat around the table and his father brought out giant pots of food. They were not well off, so this meal must have left a large dent in their finances. 

"Won't your mother eat with us?" I asked Ralph.

I was taken aback as his eyes began tearing up. His sister started crying out loud. I did not know what I said wrong.

"I'm sorry if I said something rude," I said.

"No you did not say anything wrong. It's just that their mother is severely ill and she is bedridden. You can go see her after dinner," the father said.

"When will treatment be over?" I asked.

"There is no treatment. The local doctor told us that the illness is incurable and that she will die within a year. The doctors in the city center charge a lot, so Ralph and I have been working as much as possible to cover the cost," he said.

I now understood why such a young orc was working in a restaurant. After the emotional moment, Ralph's father served us the food. The mouth-watering aroma brought me to heaven. I took a large bite and as expected, the taste was something else. The flavor was like an orchestra and everything was synchronized.

"This is delicious!" I exclaimed.

"I'm glad to see that you like my cooking," the father said.

"Thank you for helping my son. I know that the consequences must have been great. You beat up an aristocrat's son after all," he added.

"Consequences?" I asked.

"Didn't the aristocrat punish you?" Ralph asked.

I began laughing before realizing that they were serious. I explained what had happened and the fight with Dino.

"OH I HEARD ABOUT THE FIGHT," Ralph said.

"I did not know who beat Dino though. So it was you! I was busy at the restaurant, so I could not watch the battle. Damn it, now I wish that I did," he added.

"I can't believe that an aristocrat lost his position," the father said.

"You went through a lot of trouble, so thank you once again," he added.

This moment reminded me of the dinners I had with my father and Lucie. A feeling of nostalgia engulfed my being. After the wonderful meal, Ralph brought me to his mother's room. He knocked on the door before opening it.

"Mom this is Luke. It's the friend that I was telling you about."

Ralph's mother was frail and looked like she was at death's door. Her skin was covered in wrinkles and she could not even speak. Her body was drained of blood and she was nothing but bones. She had lost most of her hair and her scalp was visible. Her face was gaunt and her eye sockets were visibly protruding. She could only slightly move her lips to smile. I could see through her smile that she was thanking me. Ralph could not control his emotions and began crying. I also could not stop myself from shedding tears. Even though my mother had died at my sister's birth, I understood Ralph's pain.