A Duet of the Soul

Chapter 5: Questions and Kidnappings

*Maria's POV*

"So..." I started, unsure of what to say to Justin now that the initial reason for our meeting was out of the way.

He took a sip of his coffee before smiling at me. "Have you ever played twenty questions?"

"Yeah. You want to go first, or should I?"

"I'll go first. Favorite color?"

"Purple." Though there was a certain shade of green that was growing on me, I thought to myself. "Yours?"

"Red. Favorite food?"

We continued back and forth with the basic, easy questions. He asked me about my favorite food, animal, season, and movie, then I turned the questions back to him. It remained a fairly light-hearted conversation, and I grew to quite enjoy the relaxing atmosphere. This would be a nice first date, if this was a date.

"Okay, let's get a bit more personal. What's your family like?"

My nerves tensed up as I considered how best to answer him.

"If you don't want to talk about it that's fine, Maria."

"No," I replied. "I'm okay. I never knew my dad, and my mom died in a car crash when I was eleven. I was in a couple different foster homes until I turned eighteen. Ciara was placed in the same foster home as I was when we were fourteen, and she was the closest thing I had to a real family. So, now it's just me."

Justin's face fell as pity replaced the smile from earlier. "I'm so sorry, Maria."

I just shrugged in reply. There was no changing the past, and I didn't want the mood to grow sour after such a pleasant afternoon. We were silent for a minute until I cleared my throat. "I'm learning to cope, and I'll eventually be okay." I gave him a small smile. "In the meantime, I don't want your or anyone's pity. What about your family?"

He took another sip of his coffee before setting the cup down on the table. "My parents and two older brothers live in the Chicago area. They run a family business, but I'm the odd one out choosing to be an engineer instead."

"That sounds really nice, though. How did you end up here in Wisconsin?"

"When I was in high school my parents separated for a bit. My mom and I moved up here while my brothers stayed with my dad. I liked it up here, so I stayed even after my parents reconciled. I speak with my mom fairly often, but I only see my dad and brothers every other month or so. Really, Greg is the only 'family' I have up here."

Although we have quite different stories, I still felt a sense of similarities between us.

"My turn," he stirred me from my thoughts. "Are you happy with the job you've got?"

Am I happy with it? That's something I hadn't thought much about for quite a while. "Being a bank teller isn't exactly my dream job, but it's consistent, pays well, and I'm good at it."

"But are you happy doing it? If you didn't need the money and didn't have to work, would you still choose to go to your job?"

"No, I guess not. I am content with it for now though. It's not like I really have any other option, you know?"

Justin nodded his head. "Are you hungry? It's almost one, and neither of us have had lunch yet."

My stomach lightly turned, reminding me that I did, in fact, want lunch. "I could go for a sandwich."