With a big piece of sandwich in front of her, Farah couldn't help but drool.
"Mmm, what a good smell! Thank you for the food!" She reaches out to grab it, only to be stopped by her mother slapping her hand away with a pair of furrowed brows.
"Wait for other people to have their food before you start eating, it's uncultured not to." Barbara can't help but sigh at the sight of her daughter's lack of manners. There she goes again, pouting and crossing her arms. Barbara glances at her husband, signaling him to comfort their child.
'Oh, boy. Again, huh. Totally didn't see that coming.' David made a mocking remark in his head and went to comfort Farah.
"Hey, let's look at it this way. If you wait, you'll be able to eat with everyone. I can share some of my food for you to try, don't tell mom." David winked and sat up straight.
Barbara could guess what David whispered to their child, but she cannot say anything or all of David's efforts would have been wasted. She can only sigh and wait for her food.
Or she can start gossiping.
"Say, have you two heard? There's some rumors going around about Frank and Fred." With a little bit of force and sparkles in her eyes, Barbara leans over the table and brings up the newest, hottest topic going around in the market right now.
"What? That they aren't real brothers? That's just a baseless rumor." David replies with his outdated information, incurring a sigh from his wife.
"No, no. That was from like five years ago, forget it already. This one is about how they're actually studying fighting under Uriah! Ever since our house was invaded, people have become more conscious of that religious zealot. He's this close to opening a church." With slight disdain and disgust on her face, she imagined scenes of Uriah as a priest.
"That sounds reasonable, that man has immense skills, and he does work for the brothers." David mods in approval of this rumor. It also explains the brothers' teamwork despite working in a field and not hunting or butchering.
"Uriah? Is that the cool grandpa with a really big scythe?" Farah recalls the fight and try to remember all the people in it. Of all of them, the large brown-haired man with an even larger scythe was the only one she didn't recognize.
"That's right, Farah. Have you met him before?" David asks in surprise.
"Ah, no, he was the only one I didn't know so I guessed it was him." Farah clears up the confusion and gets patted on the head by both her parents.
"Isn't our little Farah such a smart kid?" David makes eye contact with his wife and asked.
"Totally. She deserves a reward, remind me to visit the candy store."
"Yay! I mean- yay, I can't wait." Farah remembered that she shouldn't shout outside, or her mother might not bring her to the candy store, so she whispered her celebration.
Barbara nods in approval.
"Anyways, that Uriah. Since he's teaching the brothers, do you think he'll turn them religious? They're young and ripe for converting. There's no way he's just doing it for the money." Barbara gets back on topic and proposes her own theory of what is happening with a serious face.
"Let's not think about it too much since it's their lives. Besides, why he even is in our village is more worrying. With his skills, why would he come to live in this run-down village in a forest? Is he escaping from something or someone? If he is, that could bring threats to us. Let's think of a way to handle that instead of religion or whatever." David puts aside Barbara's theory and proposes his own, asking everyone to find a way to resolve it if it turns out to be true.
"We can all unite and fight them off like last time!" Farah spoke after a small while. She can't and doesn't want to think of some complicated plan so this is what she came up with. Let's just let the situation decide by then, she thought.
"No, no. Farah, we may not be able to fight them. Remember, it's the thing that THAT Uriah is escaping from. Let's not try to fight them directly. It's cruel but I think we should just give him up and run away to a random country if that ever happens. It's the best strategy I could think of. What about you, Barb?" David proposes an idea he had already thought of the day after the fight with the pack of beasts.
"...Hmph. No comment." Barbara turns her head away and closes her eyes. It seems that she is sulking about something.
"...Okay? I'll just... oh, is it about me shooting down your topic? Sorry about that! What can I do to make up to you?" David has a revelation about his wife's temper. He waits to see if his attempt at calming her pays off.
While waiting, however, the rest of the dishes came out of the kitchen. Bill sees the tense mood at the table and swiftly left after serving the dishes.
Barbara's dish is a simple bowl of salad, containing various local vegetables put together and sprinkled with salt and vinegar.
David's dish is one much richer in calories. There's a serving of mashed potatoes, some fried minced beef, boiled vegetables, and a sunny-side-up egg. This amount of food is enough for Farah to eat for two meals.
"They're here! They smell so good! I can eat now, right?" Farah looks at her mother with a look full of expectations. Her eyes sparkling, nose twitching, and her mouth drooling. This reminds her father of hunting dogs he trained in the past.
'What a cute little thing.'
"Paw." David shows Farah his right palm with a slight smile.
"I'm not a dog!" Farah slaps David's hand away, turns around and puffs her cheek in an exaggerated manner. Barbara lets out a small laugh at this sight. How could she stay angry at her silly family?
"Everyone, let's just eat."
David tries to stop his laugh from coming out.
Farah turns back to look at David and pokes him in the waist.
They both slowly calmed down and said "Okay!"
Then the family started eating their meals.
Farah's sandwich was a little dry, but it doesn't take away too much from the taste. Every time she chewed on it, a buttery smell seeps out and fills her mouth with the aroma. Along came the sweetness of the onion, the slightly sour pickle taste, the richness of the meat juice, and the salty cheese that brings it all together into something that could only be described as delicious. As for the texture, the bread and the vegetables make a contrast between softness and crispiness, combined with the chewy meat that spews out juice, this creates a very satisfying sensation in her mouth, causing her to smile widely and savor every bite of this sandwich.
Barbara's salad was simple but satisfying. It has the refreshing taste of fresh vegetables and the slight sting of the vinegar put in. But that sting is soothed by the slight salty flavor that cleanses her palette. She eats her food gracefully while looking at her husband and child indulge in their meals, occasionally giving them a reminder on proper etiquette though she doesn't think they will listen.
David takes a bite of each component of his meal and experiment to see what kind of taste each combination creates. The grainy texture and saltiness of mashed potatoes combined with the softness and sweetness of the boiled vegetable creates an indescribable sensation that is on the pleasant side. The uncooked egg yolk combined with the minced beef creates an addicting, raw scent that leaves him hungry for more. He tries many more delicious combinations until he was satisfied. Of course, this was all done under Barbara's watch. But this shouldn't go against etiquette, right? It was then that he remembered.
"Farah, since we're outside, do you want to go tell your friends about this morning? We can meet again at home."
"Om nom nom, thaf's a goobf, gulp, idea. I want to do that." Farah answers her father with food still in her mouth. Inside, however, she is celebrating about how she will have more time to play with her friends, as it is still early in the morning. She still remembers not to be too loud, or her mom won't take her to the candy shop!
"Don't speak while chewing!" an aggressive whisper came from Barbara as warning.
"Ah, sorry, sorry! I'll fix that!"
Seeing the kid shaking and panicking like a small animal gives Barbara a little bit of joy, just a little bit. As Barbara doesn't want her daughter to panic any longer, she reassured her daughter that she will bring her to the candy store still, and that she shouldn't make mistakes anymore. Getting back on the topic, she said, "Why don't we go to the candy shop first then you go meet with your friends? You can also give them some that way."
"That's a great idea, Thanks, mommy." Farah thanks her dearest mother in a soft, polite voice.
"That's going out of your pocket." David mouths the sentence and points at his wife as she made an arbitrary financial decision.
"Of course, it will." Barbara mouthed a reply and shot David a mean look, "Don't even think about a second child this week."
The parents stare at each other for a while after that, blushed, laughed and got back to the meal, confusing Farah on what just happened. She eventually ignored it and went on as normal.
"Barb, I'll pay this time. Bill, give me the bill!" David called his friend over to calculate the price and collect the money like when he goes to drink.
Bill walks over silently. "That'd be thirty-five Reinosian dollars."
"Alright, here you go." David hands over four ten-dollar bills. "Keep the change."
"...You had five dollars on the tab." Bill petrifies his regular customer and debtor David and left.
"..."
"..."
"...Alright, let's go." David speaks with a calm face, but a shaky voice.
"Go on, choose some for you and your friends." the three have arrived in the candy store, the father still silent.
The store stands out from the rest of the village, for the candies in the jar are colorful and are organized by color. It looked just like rainbow to Farah and other kids alike, A place of their dreams, perhaps. A clerk tending to the store sees the family and comes out to greet them.
"Hello and welcome to my shop! Do you require any assistance?" The shop clerk is very enthusiastic as he bows and asks with vigor.
"A recommendation, huh? Say, what do you recommend for sharing with friends?" Barbara asks in her daughter's place. Since she's never bought candy to share with friends, she needs help.
"Ah, friends! Of course! I have two suggestions. First, we have the Sparkling Stars, perfect for starting conversations. It has a star shape as you can see, and the candy itself uses a recently developed recipe that makes the candy go "Pop!" in your mouth! It's a sensation quite hard to explain, so I'll give you three a free sample. Let's walk over to the second one while you eat." As he says that, the clerk hands Barbara three pieces of the Sparkling Stars.
"Thank you. Farah, Dave, let's try it out." She hands them one piece of candy each and tries the remaining one.
The clerk was right, the sensation is hard to describe. It is like a chain of small explosions are happening in her mouth, each explosion sending a wave of sugary sweetness throughout her mouth and whenever she tries to pinpoint where the star is, it bounces with the force of the explosion and goes all around her mouth. This continues on for a little while, even after they have arrived at the jar containing the second type of candy.
"It's delicious. Thank you for your patience." Barbara compliments the taste of the candy after savoring the sweet and slightly sour aftertaste.
"It's good, it's great! I love it!" Farah says with sparkles in her eyes. Perhaps it is the same sparkle people see when they imagine the Sparkling Star in their mouths.
"...It's good. Thank you." David says in a quiet voice though there is joy in his eyes. He is hiding his joy for the others might think his abrupt mood change was from the candy.
"No problem! Let's get to the second one. This one's an oldie but a goodie, the milk candy. Need I explain more? Everybody has had at least one." The clerk made his pitch and waited for the family to pick one of the candies.
"Mom, dad, what do you think? I'm thinking of the stars."
"...I think we should ask for the prices first and make a comparation."
"Dave, if we know the price, won't that affect our decision? Let's go with what we think the kids will enjoy most. Besides, it's not your money. Also, I vote the stars too."
"...Fine, I agree too. Though it's not like my vote mattered."
"How many people are there again, Farah?"
"Uhh... I don't remember... Let me count. One minute."
"Take your time."
"Dave, you don't have to hide your emotions. I know you're not down anymore."
"...But people would think I like candies despite being a grown man!"
"Nothing wrong with that."
"Mom, dad, there's twenty!"
"Have fun, Farah. See you at home." as the Aodhs walked out the store, they waved towards the clerk and said farewells among themselves as they are about to go in different directions.
"See you. Don't get lost." David expresses his worries and bids Farah farewell along with Barbara.
"I won't! I'll see you two as soon as I'm done! Bye!" Farah energetically waves towards the departing figure of her parents. It's about time she went to the gang. This will take some time.