Ladies who Lunch (6-23-9) #3

Darkness Odigaunt wonders if the cookies were still hidden in here for class. "Jaina, I thought about what you said, about baby books... What do you like to read?"

 

Lisbeth Dollinger ladles steaming soup into a bowl. She carries it to the table and sets it beside Jaina, with a spoon and napkin to follow. She listens closely to the conversation. "I am sorry, sister. A moment? Jaina, darling, did you hear Elise's question?" She returns to the fridge to get the milk.

 

Elise Capalini smiles as Sister Lis bustles around, and hopes she means to join them. She watches Jaina eat and is comforted that the girl has been safe here over night. She checks her PDA again, but still no word from Deb. Troubling.

 

Jaina Lefevre actually waits to swallow before speaking, eyes flickering to Sister D's and then down to the table. "Uh...'vanced mek-nyzed warfare 'n crypto-graffy an' diplo-massy." (Advanced Mechanized Warfare, Cryptography and Diplomacy). She looks over at Elise and then down at the table. "He was tall an' had darker skin and black hair and I dunno his name but th' lady wif him was called Huntress."

 

Lisbeth Dollinger thinks for two terrible seconds about her cousin. And hiring him to do some equally terrible thing to the UAC monsters. She closes her eyes, her back to the others, and prays fervent forgiveness while crossing herself. God save her from such thoughts. After pouring the milk, she returns the bottle to the fridge, and brings the glass to Jaina. "There you are."

 

Elise Capalini nods at Jaina; that matched the description of the private she'd seen on the street earlier in the evening, the one Portia had said had taken the children. Problem was, the MPD had no authority where the kids had been held. She takes a bite of her sandwich, ears flicking at the mention of what Jaina likes to read. "Sister Lis, I think you need to sit with us," she says and nods toward the empty chair.

 

Darkness Odigaunt leaned back in her chair, "Well.... I don't think Mrs. Bails will be teaching those either..." She reached for her purse, down beside the chair, and draws out a small book, "I had a friend once who liked really old computer manuals, but then she disappeared...Sorry, I don't have anything more advanced than that."

 

Lisbeth Dollinger smiles and sits down beside Elise. "Computer manuals!" She lifts her brows in surprise. "Heavens, darling. Do you not read anything else? Stories? Poetry?" That she is reading above her level does not seem to surprise her at all.

 

Jaina Lefevre takes the milk and downs about a third of the glass before putting it down and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Thanks Sister Lis." She takes the last few bites of the sandwich. "S'okay SIster D. Mommy said she'd bring me books from th'Beast when she gets back. I got tooters there, and I can learn so-shill stuffs here." She wrinkles her nose at the question.' Mama wants me to read 'bout prince frogs and princesses and stuff. THat's dumb. Who needs a prince t'be happy? And I ain't kissin' no frogs. Tha's gross."

 

Elise Capalini noms her sandwich some more, then smiles at Jaina. "You don't need a prince to be happy, but the stories can be awfully fun to read anyhow. Plenty of adventures there." She nods, and sips her orange juice.

 

Darkness Odigaunt raised an eyebrow, "Well, not all stories are... about princesses and frogs... I bet there's a copy of Sherlock Homes lying around here. Ever hear of him?"

 

Lisbeth Dollinger nods, agreeing with Elise. Her thoughts turn to her cousin again, and this time she smiles. He would twitch and wince and curl his lip if he could hear Jaina now. "Or Tolkien," she chimes in. "Or Stevenson. Dickens. Mr. Twain."

 

Jaina Lefevre wrinkles her nose. "Don't need t'read 'bout 'ventures. I got lots. B'sides, Luci said she'd take me on a 'venture sometime. Gotta read stuffs that's gonna help me help Mommy when I'm bigger 'cause she ain't got no one that knowed about tack-nukes. I wanna put one on that boogerface's head!"

 

Elise Capalini laughs a little. "I have plenty of adventures myself, but I still like to read about others, outside of Midian. It's a big world out there. Midian is only a small corner of it." That idea is comforting to her, and the idea of getting to see more of the world next week thanks to Laz...that still seems like a dream. "I wouldn't turn any book away."

 

Darkness Odigaunt smiles, "Well, then Hawthorne, Poe, Eliot... Just reading books that teach you work isn't good. You have to know how to use it too... Like, math in a book is okay, but if you don't know places to use it in real life... I think I lost what I was trying to say..."

 

Jaina Lefevre looks over at Elise. "Yeah, but you is old already. You knowed what you gotta do. I gotta learn what I gotta do so's I can do it. When I'm old, -then- I'll read them other books. We didn't get books in th'lab. They showed us vids sometimes and taught us letters and names and stuff. But not books." She pauses and looks down. "Don't matter anyway. I can't go t'night. My reader is at home and my clotheses and it's not safe." She draws in the jelly on the plate with her finger.

 

Lisbeth Dollinger looks at Jaina in sudden, worried sorrow. "Dearest," she says softly. "There is so much more to life than 'nukes' or hurting others. Even those you might think deserve it. There is love and life and beauty. And a whole world of God's creation that you will miss if you spend all your time reading about war. War is one, small, unhappy part of this world."

 

Elise Capalini nearly chokes on her juice. She coughs a little and sets the bottle down. "Yeah, I'm old already," she murmurs and nods. "Sister Lis has it right. You should try and experience a little bit of everything. There's so much out there."

 

Darkness Odigaunt slides her plate Lis-wards, then glances back to Jaina, "Well, maybe it's time to try real paper books. Just until your mother brings the other kind?" she asks gently.

 

Jaina Lefevre licks the jam from her fingertip and looks over at the other three. "I seen my batch babies get burnded up and Mister get smooshed by a big boom and got shotted at and my head drilled with holes and got bit...er..sick and seen my Tauntie's head in a fridge and got beated up and fake dead from the Youaysee and I'm s'posed to read about fairy princesses and love and stuff? Why? That ain't gonna help me next time Youaysee wants to kick me in th'head, is it?" She shakes her head and gets up from the table, carrying her dishes over to the sink, limping a little and leaning on the edge of the cabinet to catch her breath.

 

Elise Capalini watches Jaina, and exhales a little. She finishes her sandwich and drinks more juice, thinking what a challenge it is to raise kids in Midian. To keep them innocent of all the horror out there--or at least temper the horror with some measure of "normal" homelife. She frowns and looks at both sisters, unsure what to say. It was hard to deny the truth of Midian, even to its youngest residents.

 

Lisbeth Dollinger replies gently, "It *will* help you, Jaina. It will teach you *why* we fight against such terrible things. Because no matter what happens to us, what horrors we see, there is still something good and wonderful in this world that is worth protecting."

 

Darkness Odigaunt scoots away from the table, then heads towards her and reaches for the plate, "Let me, hunny. You should be sitting for now." She glanced back to Lis, she could put things better than she could.

 

Jaina Lefevre looks up at Sister D, then over to the others. "There ain't nothin' wunnerful 'bout the Youaysee. I useded ta like Mister Tristan and th'slingshot man...but Slingshot man hurted me bad and Mister Tristan could too. I gotta takes care of me best I can 'cause Mommy might get tired of me and sells me. Ya never know. You gotta like what you got while you gots it 'cause it always changes." She heads to the stairs and starts to use her hands and feet to start up. "Gonna lie down now. Wanna go t'school laters."

 

Lisbeth Dollinger exhales and moves to clean up. This is why she became a nurse instead of a teaching sister. It was hopeless trying to rationalize with a child.

 

Elise Capalini watches Sister D get up, and absently rubs Sister Lis' arm before she moves off--no peanut butter, not to worry. "I should check on the cats, then get back in time for class myself."

 

 

Done