the food court, the smells from the various foods captivated Cain’s attention and appetite. He looked over the selections and decided he was too hungry to care about Al’bah’s strange behavior anymore. He wanted to have a roast beef sandwich, he wanted to let go of all these bags for a moment, and he wanted to get off his aching feet.
“Al’bah?” Cain looked over at her admiring a shoe she picked out. “You hungry?”
“Huh?” Al’bah looked up. “Oh! Well, um…yes, but perhaps I can cook for you when we get back?”
“You can cook? Why on Earth would you ever have a need to cook?”
Al’bah glanced uncomfortably at the mob seated at the tables, eating food from the various providers. “Cain, I may not have cooked before, but this does not mean I do not know how. Cooking and food is life. Physical creatures may need to learn such things, but spiritual creatures are created with such knowledge. Besides, this place makes me so uncomfortable—it is a sickly perversion of communion. There is no harmony here, just chaos.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he grumbled. “I had to pull you away from your grand observations before, but now you want to leave? You weren’t so uncomfortable earlier, and besides, I don’t have much food at home anyway.”
“There were not as many people here earlier, and they were not engaged in this…this…oh! Cain, can we go, please?”
Cain stared at Al’bah, who had since dismissed her shoe. She looked uncomfortable, almost panicked, desperate to leave at all costs. His attention then turned to the mob seated at the center of the food court. There they were, the usual slop and the usual slobs, all sitting and eating. But once he looked and really observed the scene before him, he felt repulsed by it as well. There was no specific reason, but the place felt wrong to him. “Fine, okay. Let’s go.” He sighed.
Right, now I need to get groceries! What a day this turned out to be, Cain thought as he pulled out of the parking lot and started to think about where he could pick up some food. Well, there is Walmart. It’s not too far off and—
“Big, big, biiiiiiig human,” Al’bah chortled, pointing at the cop who glared at them both.
NO! No way, I am NOT taking her to Walmart!
He noticed a small market and pulled in, hoping they had what Al’bah had in mind to cook. “Okay, let’s try to make this quick,” Cain muttered as they walked in.
“Aaah! I know that smell!” Al’bah exclaimed as soon as she entered the doors.
Thankfully, the grocery run was as short as the clothing run was long. “Roast beef, potato, flour, egg, salt and spice, milk and honey, and various green of the Earth,” Al’bah said happily as she set the basket down at the checkout.
“Well look at you! Aren’t you the most beautiful young lady,” the checkout cashier said, an elderly woman that was perhaps in Webster’s as the picture definition of “grandmother.” “You don’t see too many your age that are willing to cook for the one you love.”
“He is mine,” Al’bah said quietly, with an uncertain look on her face.
“Well now, of course he is!” The lady beamed. “You take care of him now, you hear?”
Cain smirked, seeing Al’bah feel just a small amount of the immense awkwardness that plagued him all day.
Afterward, while driving home, Cain shot a glance at Al’bah looking out at the window on her side, her knees drawn up to her chin, humming slightly. He turned his attention back to the road and all the money he spent on clothes. He sighed, trying to forget all the annoying quirks he had to endure about Al’bah, when he felt her shift toward him.
“Cain, I thank you again for all those clothes,” Al’bah said while caressing his body. “And I am sorry. I know I caused you undue stresses. I quite forget myself when I am surrounded by something new, and I did not mean to bring excessive attention to us, to you.”
Cain scoffed. “The way you
“Al’bah?” Cain looked over at her admiring a shoe she picked out. “You hungry?”
“Huh?” Al’bah looked up. “Oh! Well, um…yes, but perhaps I can cook for you when we get back?”
“You can cook? Why on Earth would you ever have a need to cook?”
Al’bah glanced uncomfortably at the mob seated at the tables, eating food from the various providers. “Cain, I may not have cooked before, but this does not mean I do not know how. Cooking and food is life. Physical creatures may need to learn such things, but spiritual creatures are created with such knowledge. Besides, this place makes me so uncomfortable—it is a sickly perversion of communion. There is no harmony here, just chaos.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he grumbled. “I had to pull you away from your grand observations before, but now you want to leave? You weren’t so uncomfortable earlier, and besides, I don’t have much food at home anyway.”
“There were not as many people here earlier, and they were not engaged in this…this…oh! Cain, can we go, please?”
Cain stared at Al’bah, who had since dismissed her shoe. She looked uncomfortable, almost panicked, desperate to leave at all costs. His attention then turned to the mob seated at the center of the food court. There they were, the usual slop and the usual slobs, all sitting and eating. But once he looked and really observed the scene before him, he felt repulsed by it as well. There was no specific reason, but the place felt wrong to him. “Fine, okay. Let’s go.” He sighed.
Right, now I need to get groceries! What a day this turned out to be, Cain thought as he pulled out of the parking lot and started to think about where he could pick up some food. Well, there is Walmart. It’s not too far off and—
“Big, big, biiiiiiig human,” Al’bah chortled, pointing at the cop who glared at them both.
NO! No way, I am NOT taking her to Walmart!
He noticed a small market and pulled in, hoping they had what Al’bah had in mind to cook. “Okay, let’s try to make this quick,” Cain muttered as they walked in.
“Aaah! I know that smell!” Al’bah exclaimed as soon as she entered the doors.
Thankfully, the grocery run was as short as the clothing run was long. “Roast beef, potato, flour, egg, salt and spice, milk and honey, and various green of the Earth,” Al’bah said happily as she set the basket down at the checkout.
“Well look at you! Aren’t you the most beautiful young lady,” the checkout cashier said, an elderly woman that was perhaps in Webster’s as the picture definition of “grandmother.” “You don’t see too many your age that are willing to cook for the one you love.”
“He is mine,” Al’bah said quietly, with an uncertain look on her face.
“Well now, of course he is!” The lady beamed. “You take care of him now, you hear?”
Cain smirked, seeing Al’bah feel just a small amount of the immense awkwardness that plagued him all day.
Afterward, while driving home, Cain shot a glance at Al’bah looking out at the window on her side, her knees drawn up to her chin, humming slightly. He turned his attention back to the road and all the money he spent on clothes. He sighed, trying to forget all the annoying quirks he had to endure about Al’bah, when he felt her shift toward him.
“Cain, I thank you again for all those clothes,” Al’bah said while caressing his body. “And I am sorry. I know I caused you undue stresses. I quite forget myself when I am surrounded by something new, and I did not mean to bring excessive attention to us, to you.”
Cain scoffed. “The way you
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