After a cringe-worthy moment in the lobby, Louis and I finally got into the car to go to the soup kitchen. Mason's crustiness was putting a damper on everyone around him, it wasn't just me. I sighed and glanced at the clock on the dashboard, it showed half past seven in the morning. It was quite a lot of stomach so early in the morning. Mason was a lot to stomach.
Louis had been quiet, focusing on his driving and I shifted my eyes on the passing scenery to distract myself from my thoughts.
I narrowed my eyes when a street sign caught my attention, reading Morston Quarter. I frowned when my eyes fell on rundown metal barracks with clothing lines outside, and children running around, dressed in tattered clothing on the brink of falling apart. I glanced at Loius, who looked at me from the corner of his eyes.
" Morston Slums." Louis sighed " I grew up among these barracks. My parents died of typhoid fever when I was young so I was raised by the community. I was lucky. Not everyone is" I was speechless. I had no idea that there was more to Morston than I had already seen. From what I've seen Morston was a wealthy town, filled with luxurious houses, and prestigious academies. For a moment I thought I was seeing things again.
" Welcome to the dark side, Miss" Louis chuckled as he pulled in front of the soup kitchen.
" I'll be here at four o'clock to collect you," Louis said as he leaned over me to open the door.
" Thank you" I mumbled as I stepped out of the car, to face the soup kitchen that was pertinently named soup kitchen with hands underneath joined in prayer.
Louis put the car in drive and left me staring at the shabby build. I was reeling trying to come to terms with things. This will be my life for the year. I sighed and slowly moved my steps to walk inside.
What I was greeted with was yet another shock, to me at least. I wasn't used to grubby floors, sticky tables, and dirty dishes everywhere you looked. It was obvious that whoever ran the soup kitchen needed help. A lot of help.
" Hello," I shyly said as I walked towards the kitchen door.
A woman poked her head out and smiled " Hello" she hurriedly stepped out of the kitchen wiping her hands on her apron.
" I'm Ellie, the cook and the only person in this place" She reached her hand for me to take.
" I'm Lily. I was sent here by Mr Kinnaird " I introduced myself, shaking her hand.
" Ah, yes! Mr. Kinnaird called early this morning to tell me that you were coming. Such a lovely man" Ellie smiled as she moved her feet towards the kitchen and I followed, a little unsure of what to do with myself. I didn't know much about cooking and what I knew involved bread and a slice of ham or cheese.
" You look worried," Ellie turned on the tap to wash some pans " Don't be.You will be fine. It's not that hard, just a lot to do and not many to do it." Ellie added with her head down focusing on scrubbing the pans.
" What do I do?" There was so much to do, I didn't even know where to begin.
" Well, we need to clean this place up. Do you mind collecting all the dirty dishes in the hall? In the corner, there is a trolley. It should make things easier for you." Ellie instructed pointing at the trolley " Put on an apron. You don't want to ruin your lovely clothes." Ellie added with a smile and I nodded.
" Does anyone else help you ?" I asked, mostly because I was worried. There was no way that and Ellie could clean the entire place on our own and get lunch ready.
" Yes. There is a boy and girl from the Quarter that come and help once in a while." Ellie rushed through the kitchen trying to get things done.
I nodded, putting the apron on and pushed the trolley towards the hall, and slowly began collecting the plates and cutlery piled up on the tables. Mason's words rang in my mind and realised that he wasn't saying I was selfish, just plain ignorant of the outside world. Indeed I spent most of my time living in my world where I picked and chose what to see. Happy things, pretty things that didn't hurt my eye or my brain.
After a couple of rounds going in and out of the kitchen, I finally managed to clear all the tables and break a sweat. It was harder than I thought. When the front door opened again, I raised my eyes to see who was coming and froze in my spot when my eyes fell on David and Laira. I couldn't believe my eyes that they were there and nor could they, because they stopped walking altogether and just stared at me. They were just as surprised as I was.
" David, Laira" I exclaimed after a few moments of silence while David awkwardly smiled and Laira hid behind him.
" Hi, Lily" David's voice paltered, downcast.
" What are you doing here?" I asked, surprised to see them there. They lived in an expensive house on the beachfront. No child from wealthy families would willingly set foot in a place like a soup kitchen.
" We live here," David replied with a heavy sigh as if he had been caught in a lie.
" Oh," I breathed the words and craned my neck to look at Laira. Her shyness was adorable and I wanted nothing more than to poke into that little head of hers. I was curious.
l shrugged, not caring whether they were rich or poor. It didn't matter, they were nice to me and that was what mattered.
" There is lots to do. So we best get on with it, then" I giggled and turned on my heels trying to dispel the awkwardness in the air. They didn't seem at ease at all now that I knew that they were from the slums.