Miss Sol led me to an open-air café in a line of shops near the train station. I knew about it since I've lived in these parts before, but I've never approached it because it looked way out of my price range. There were circular white tables cleaned to an impeccable polish that stood on golden ornamental legs that shined. Each table was seated with two chairs that looked like vintage metal garden chairs that were coloured gold with pure white cushions to sit on and a large white parasol standing to the side, covering the table in the shade.
"Are you sure about this place, Miss Sol?" I asked her. She looked at me quizzingly. "I'm sure you have money, but it looks like this place is really expensive." She may be wealthy, but I'm still concerned about what state her wallet will be in after our dinner is over.
"Of course," she eases my worries with a blinding smile. "It's actually more reasonable than you'd expect. So please, don't worry about it."
"Alright then..." My stomach made its presence known again. I could almost hear its demonic voice, demanding to be fed. No matter how hard I try, it cannot be silenced without nourishment.
"You do seem to be quite hungry. You should take greater care with your diet to ensure you don't rebound," Sol tells me. Did she actually believe that? Maybe she just thinks I have anorexia and is being gentle. I don't think she realized that when I told her that I didn't have any money, that I literally had no money. Not even a cent. She must think that I left the wallet I don't have at the home I don't have. Miss Sol opened the intricately bound menu. Just looking at it made my penniless head spin. I open my menu and nearly swoon.
WHY DOES EVERYTHING ON THIS MENU COST MORE THAN MY RENT?
There was a very clear difference between Miss Sol's standard of living and my own. The prices on the menu made me believe that the chair I was sitting on actually is gold. The chair's probably more than my rent, too.
"As long as we're here," Sol looks up from the menu to me. "I thought we'd get a full course meal. Do you mind, or would it be better to refrain?"
I shake my head vigorously. "The whole diet thing was a whim. I'm quitting."
"I see," she says with a giggle. "I think that's a fine idea, myself." Miss Sol summoned the waiter and ordered a full course meal for the both of us. "No wine, please. You don't drink, do you, Seraph?"
"I'm not old enough to drink..." How old does she think I am? Do I really look that old?
"Oh, that's right. The age is most important, after all..." What is she talking about? Is this girl not actually in high school? She's wearing a uniform, though. Is she a call girl? "Oh, well... Ah, here are the soft drinks. Which would you prefer?" She hands me the menu. I have no idea what any of these drinks are, so I just point to a random one and Sol orders the same. The fancy waiter whose suit probably cost more than my life took our orders and left. Sol turned her eyes down to the table. "That really is the most important... but I need to be precise..." She whispered something to herself that my garbage hearing couldn't pick up, then turned her eyes back to me. "I will ask you plainly. How old are you, Seraph?"
"How old am I?" I repeat back to her, making sure I heard right.
"Yes." She stared into my eyes as if this question was of the utmost importance. I rarely, if ever, looked into anyone's eyes. Depending on the height difference, I only ever looked at a person's chin, one of their ears or right above them. But, for a quick second, the determination in her eyes forced me to look straight into them, creeping me out and sending chills down my spine.
"I'm fifteen. Turning sixteen. This year, not next." I answered as precisely and as clearly as I could, seeing how much my answer meant to her. Her eyes sparkled, and she let out a little celebratory gasp at my answer.
"So you're entering your first year of high school, correct?" she eagerly asked me.
"Second, actually," I tell her, slightly embarrassed and crushing her enthusiasm. "I, um... I skipped a grade..."
Sol let out a small sigh, and her shoulders sank. "I see. The same as me, then..." She became depressed. I'm sorry, Miss Sol. I don't know why that was important to you, but I ruined your hopes. I'm sorry. She fell silent, deep in thought. "I'm currently attending Vincennes Private Girls Academy."
Wow. That's cool, but I sure don't care. That would also explain why she thought this place had reasonable prices and her polite manner. I may live under a boulder, but even I know about Vincennes. It's famous all over the country. It's a charm school in an age where charm schools don't exist. It is an all-girls boarding school set out in the mountains near here, a thirty-minute bus ride from the train station. The locals always said that 'it's where the nobles live,' half in awe and half sarcastically. But if I recall correctly, the students weren't allowed out during the spring break. Wait a fuckin' minute...
"So... those people earlier," I try to confirm my suspicions. "Were they... like... the school security, or something? They were just... trying to bring you back to school grounds because you were truanting?"
"Yes!" she says, visibly impressed by my common sense and basic reasoning. "I'm a bit of a delinquent, you see," she giggled. Really? Her? If she's a delinquent, then how do the other girls act? "Well, that's just a joke. But I do sneak past Vincennes security and go wandering around at night."
Bitch, what?
"Is that a joke too?"
"No. That part is true." She said it so matter-of-factly. Did she not know how stupid that was? Is she dumb? She's dumb. She's dumber than me. "... Though it sometimes gets me into trouble." Oh? Does it now? Who woulda thunk it? Not you, clearly. "Is this city considered relatively unsafe?" Is she seriously asking that? I'm gonna give her the benefit of the doubt and say she's serious.
"Miss Sol..." I ignore my discomfort to stare her straight in the eyes. She's taken aback by my sudden change in attitude and seems a little frightened. Good. She needs to learn. "Any place is unsafe for a pretty girl to go wandering around alone at night." I can not believe she was serious about the wandering. I shake my head with a 'tch, tch, tch.' Look at her now, turning red in the face. Good. Be ashamed of your dangerous actions. For shame.
"U-Um, Seraph, if I may?" Sol spoke through her embarrassment and asked me another question. "What school do you currently attend?"
"Oh, I, uh..." Now it was my turn to be ashamed. Karma works fast. I stammered for a moment before letting out a resigned sigh. "I'm not currently in school at the moment."
"Oh, how wonderful!" Oi. Don't enjoy my hardships so openly. You're gonna make me cry. "I can't believe someone of good character who could start at a new school this year would fall into our laps so easily!"
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Ah... I'm so sorry," A self-conscious smile appeared on her lips. "That was insensitive of me." Oh, so she knew. "This is the reason I asked you here, so allow me to explain it to you." This girl's manners is raising more question than they're answering. What, is she gonna ask me to enrol in Vincennes? That's a funny thought, but there's no way that'll happen. I mean, what are the odds? "...But first." She looked off in another direction and smiled brightly. "It looks like the hors d'oeuvres have arrived. Why don't we eat?"
The conversation left my mind and became a distant blur as I filled up my stomach for the first time in ages. I never thought I'd have an actual meal, and I wasn't sure if I would ever get one again, so I wanted to replenish myself as much as I could here. I scoff everything off of my plate.
"We're sorry for the wait," the fancy waiter said. "Here is the -" I don't care what it is. Gimme. Feed me. If it's on the plate, I'll consume it. Hurry up and put it down and let me feast. The waiter couldn't leave soon enough as I took up my fork and started eating whatever this was. I couldn't taste a thing. It could taste like a rotting pig carcass, or it could taste like Heaven on Earth. I didn't care, though. I didn't enjoy it. It was filling, so I ate it. Simple.
"S-Seraph, you really should eat a bit more slowly. I'm afraid you might choke." I think Miss Sol said something to me, but I couldn't care less. I kept eating. Then I heard Miss Sol's unmistakable playful giggle. I didn't care. I just kept eating. I'll never get this chance again, so I'll indulge myself in the present and eat. I don't care if I'm being rude. I'm starving. Just let me eat.
We were eating dessert (something called 'dulce') and drinking something (I think it was espresso). I've eaten more in this meal than I have in my entire life. I felt wonderfully full.
"Thank you, Miss Sol. I needed that." I'm truly thankful. I'll never forget this debt I owe you.
"What?" She was visibly confused. "Needed... what?" I ignore her and lean back on my chair to rest my stomach. Everything was right with the world now that I had been fed. Just then, I felt a rustle in my pocket. I pulled it out. It was a beat-up sheet of newsprint. "Is that a newspaper?"
Shut up Sol, I'm reading the paper. I opened it with a rustle. It was just one page, but it was the one page I wanted. It had the winning numbers on it. I checked the lottery numbers. Group 10, number 177013. I know I didn't win, but I paid 3 dollars for the thing, so I'm checking anyway. I trace the numbers in the paper starting from top to bottom. The 200 million dollar prize belonged to whoever got the number 177013. Congrats, stranger... wait. Haven't I seen that number somewhere else? Like two seconds ago? On my lottery ticket? I turn my eyes back to my ticket. The number was... 177013. Huh. That's a funny coincidence. But there's no way I'd win the jackpot. I mean, what are the odds? It wasn't all about the number, after all. There was also the group. The group number that won the jackpot was group 10, whereas the group on my ticket was group 10... Huh. That's funny. They're the same group. But you see, there was also the date. This paper was probably from last year or something. See? This paper is from March 31, 2021. Today's date, however, is March 31, 2021... Huh...
"Seraph? Is everything okay? You've gone pale. Was it something in the food?"
"Sorry, sorry," I try to get my thoughts in order. There's no way I hit the jackpot on the lottery. "Miss Sol, could you do me a favour real quick?"
"What did you need?" She asked, a little concerned for my wellbeing.
"Could you check this for me? And don't react." I handed her the worn down lottery ticket and the newspaper.
"Oh..." Sol was a little surprised when I gave her the lottery ticket, but she compared them for me anyway. She had a poker face on the entire time, heeding my request. "This is amazing. This is a winning lottery ticket, Seraph."
"Huh..."
Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait.
Did I seriously just win the lottery? Doesn't this story have an unlucky tag or something? But I just hit the jackpot on the lottery! That's as lucky as it gets! What's gonna happen to my money? Am I going to die before I cash it in? Am I going to get robbed? I can't let any of that happen. I gotta cash this in before anything terrible happens.
"Sorry, Miss Sol, but I have to go cash this in. I'll be right back." So as to not raise any suspicion, I calmly leave the café. As soon as I'm outside, however, I make a break for it. I need to get to the bank as quickly as possible and as safe as possible. Don't get hit by any cars. Don't get robbed by anybody. Right now, everyone and everything is after my money. I'm not letting this unlucky tag get in the way of me and my fortune!
177013... The cursed numbers, why must you do this.
Every time... every time. I think my eye is going to start twitching.
Bear with it