My Dunya (NEEDS EDITING)

Chapter 21- Generous Beginnings

A waiter came and escorted us to our reserved table near the window. Cameron made the way for Teta to be seated first in the booth and followed in right after her. I sat across from them on the table and waited for the waitress to place the menus down. The stick thin waitress genuinely smiled at Cameron, obviously checking him out, before plastering a fake smile at her face when she walked past me, her six-inch heels clicking on the marble flooring.

"Go crazy, order anything you want," Cameron urged as he picked up a menu of his own. I directed my attention to the menu and nearly choked on air. There was no meal on the menu cheaper than forty dollars. "Are you kidding? That much for a seafood medley?" I gasped and Teta shook her head, slightly laughing.

                        "Dunya, as much as I'd love to go home and whip up something to eat, the boy's invited                                         us for dinner. Live every moment, and cherish every day, because you never know when the journey will give way," she winked and I eased up. She was right- like always. Cameron, on the other hand was scanning the menu so deeply as if it would grow legs any minute and run away.

"Too many options, so little time," I heard him mumble, licking his lips out of hunger. That boy's desire for food was honestly nothing short of fascinating. Just then, Maxy came in running towards our table with Isabella quickly behind trying to grab hold of the five year old that was causing mayhem as she tried to reach us. She ran up onto the booth seat and clung onto Cameron's neck.

"I mithed you, thtupid," she said with a lisp, giving him a peck on the cheek and Cameron looked at her wide eyed.

"Oh, so now I'm thtupid?" he asked tickling her tiny sides, bringing her to tears. "Well then I guess I won't have to buy you dinner," he folded his amrs sternly and she suddenly grew weary.

"Camwon, I'm thorry, you're not thtupid, you're vewy thmart. Pwease get me food, I'm really hungwy. At least fwies," she begged tilting his face to her level. He finally gave up and scooped her up, tickling her some more.

"Alright squirt, I'll buy you food," he declared and she cheered.

"Cameron, please, we're in a high class restaurant. There are people watching," Isabella hinted, and Cameron just shrugged.

Maxy kept bouncing up and down wanting chicken nuggets and fried, although she sunk when Cameron told her a place like this wouldn't carry chicken nuggets. So instead she decided on a spaghetti bowl with meatballs. I kept mentally adding up all the prices when we all ordered and the scale kept tipping. Basically, the bill would be well into the triple digits. I ripped open the paper packet containing my straw, and dunked the straw into my glass of water, stirring the ice and lemon wedge within. Cameron imitated my moves, and sure enough, we ended up stirring up our waters in sync, as we both stared at each other. I reached over for the paper packet that once held the straw and scrunched up a bit of it, before popping it into my mouth, getting saliva all over the clod of paper. Cameron smirked once he realized what I was getting into, and copied me once again. He was quick to remove his straw from his glass of water and bring it to his lips, where he pushed the spit ball to the tip of the straw and was about to blow into it when I already shot one aiming it at his forehead. His eyes widened in disbelief as he realized I just shot a spitball at his forehead between his brows. He took a napkin from the table and wiped his forehead, pretending a disgusted look.

"Oh come on, you were going to do the same-" I began to say, but then ducked as he tried aiming one directly at my nose. I patted down my face to see if anything was there, and when I came clean, I laughed in his face, but he looked mortified. It was only when I looked behind me did I realize why Cameron looked so stricken. The lady sitting with her back towards me at a different table had none other than a spitball residing in the center of her shoulder-length brunette hair. I clasped my hand over my mouth to suppress a mix of a gasp and a laugh. I looked at Cameron and then I let loose in a boatload of giggles. He matched my laughter and soon enough, our side of the table was shaking from our hysterical fits. Teta cocked her eyebrow at me sternly and I calmed down a little. Cameron, on the other hand, was still at it, and his face was turning red. A vein was evident in his forehead and he was fist bumping the table. I mean, sure I thought it was funny, but apparently Cameron thought it was absolutely downright hilarious. I took the opportunity to blow a spitball from the straw hoping it would land dead center in his face, but to my dismay, rocked his head back still laughing, and the spitball landing in his mouth. He stopped laughing and started choking, quickly swallowing whatever it was that was choking him- my spitball. He drank some water, calming himself down.