Aliens on Aventine Hill

Lola [Part 9]

"Bon appètit!"

Gray grinned as Lola set the three bowls of tetrazzini on the table. He eagerly stabbed his fork into his, watching as gooey threads of cheese trailed from the tines—but a gloomy look from Roman as he blew off the steam rising from his fork reminded him of his promise.

Lola looked curiously at him as he set his fork down, "Everything alright?"

"Oh yeah," he reassured her, looking away. "Just hot."

"Mm," she nodded, digging into hers.

Gray watched her eat, brows drawn together. He glanced at his brother: She seems to think it's fine. His brother avoided his gaze, poking nervously around his own bowl. Gray gritted his teeth, but his expression softened when he noticed the green color in Roman's cheeks.

Lola followed his gaze, but Gray quickly launched into conversation to cover his brother, bringing up something he'd heard on the evening news. Then it was Nixon v. McGovern. He couldn't have cared less, but it gave Roman enough time to strategically rearrange his food, so it looked like he had eaten some of it.

But Lola could only be stalled so long. She looked worriedly at Roman, leaning down so they were eye level, "Everything alright, Sweetheart? You've hardly touched your tetrazzini..."

Gray cut Lola off, "I think Roman caught whatever I had this morning. I did have a little bit of a stomach bug a couple days ago."

Roman nodded, and Gray tilted his head towards the living room doorway, "Why don't you go get into your pajamas and brush your teeth? If you feel hungry when I come up to tuck you in, we can make you some toast or something, OK?"

Roman nodded again and quickly disappeared, but Lola turned back to him, "I thought you said..."

Gray took a deep breath, "No, I know what I said. And Lola, he did really used to love your tetrazzini. We both did."

"Used to?"

"Arnold loved it too," Gray shook his head, sifting unhappily through the mix of chicken and noodles in his bowl, "and that's why you made it for us to take to the hospital. Trying to 'make some last fond memories for Roman,' 'preserve some degree of normalcy for all of us,' isn't that what you said? I don't think he's had it since..."

"Oh my gosh," Lola paled. "I didn't even..."

"So I apologize if we're..."

"No, no," Lola shook her head and then buried it in her hands, "Oh my god. I didn't even think about... Just with everything that's happened, it seemed so long ago, and I totally forgot. I'm so sorry!"

"Hey, it's OK," Gray shrugged. "All part of moving on, right?"

"Yeah..." she sighed, rubbing at her temples.

"Hey, it's no big deal. He was having kind of a strange day anyways."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, just we got to talking about leaving Aventine this morning, and then I don't know, I must've said something to set him off," Gray tossed a dismissive hand. "I don't really know anymore."

Lola frowned as he confessed, "I'm really starting to think I'm not cut out for this."

"Nobody is," she sighed. "You're doing a good job, but you don't have to keep doing it alone. I can do more, Grayson."

"I couldn't ask that of you."

"Don't you know you're the reason I stayed in Aventine?"

Gray stiffened, "What?"