Feather After

Chapter 54

"These pictures on the wall," he pointed his finger at all, "these old people are waiting to be adopted. It was so strange. Some people start and end their journey at places like these," he moved his head from left to right.

My heart sank when I heard him say that, it was so true. We're going to help old people, people who were dumped by their families because they couldn't keep them with themselves. It was so strange people couldn't keep the parents who raised them up. What I didn't understand more was how was it supposed to be any different.

"I'm sorry-"

"It's not your fault, you didn't do it," he said and put his hands on my waist and turned me around," sorry, let's move on," he told the lady who was leading our way. I had completely forgotten about her. What didn't help the whole situation was that Ignatius still had his hand on my waist and although his skin was not on mine, I could still feel the tingling.

I felt my cheeks heat up and my insides melt. God, I don't know why but he did certain things to me and I didn't know how to control it, no matter what I did I was affected by his presence more than I was affected when I was with Zach, or Xavier or anyone in general. I knew it didn't make me any good of a person but I was a cheater and somehow and very strangely when I was with him, it didn't really matter that I was. It felt nice, even being a bitch felt nice with him.

"I want you to know, that all you'll be going is will be serving food to the people, don't try and talk to them too much because they can be a little snappy, just smile and do your job," I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the lady speak.

Ignatius just nodded and said in my ear, "stay close to me okay? Don't leave my eyesight." I don't know if he was doing it on purpose or not, but I felt him brush his hands on my waist.

I tried to step forward and move away from his presence but then I couldn't. I wanted to, but his hands prevented it. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the way his breath felt on the back of my neck, the way I felt chills all over my body. The feeling intensified when he was around me. What the hell was wrong with me?

We went into the room, it was full of people, people who were old, and had wrinkles under their eyes and on their face. They didn't look happy but they tried to look better, some sat reading books, some playing board games and some just existed like there was on other options. They wore different clothes but some had these various instruments attached on to themselves.

"Come on," I heard Ignatius say as he pulled to be on the right side and pulled me so that I couldn't see it anymore, "that world is not good, Aria, but it gets better with time."

"I-"

"Let it be, don't try to learn anybody's name or anything about them, the more you get attached the more difficult it will be," he told me and squeezed my hand. I just nodded, their presence affected me so much. It was so depressing seeing them like that, so helpless and sad left alone in the house plodding for their own survival.

We got to one side of the room and entered the kitchen. Some were preparing food while some just sat and chatted, nobody cared about us, neither did we care about anyone else. We were given our apron and gloves.

"All you have to go is serve them what they want and how much they want it, that's all, now get to work, it's almost time," she said and handed us our aprons and caps. She asked us to take a serving spoon and big bowl of food and serve it to the people who were sitting there by asking them if they would like some.

She left us to get ready after she asked me to pull my hair in a bun and pin my flicks up. I put the Apron and the cap on the table in front of me and pulled my hair in a bun. By then, Ignatius had his apron on and he tossed his cap on the other side of the room. It landed with a thud.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

He smirked at me, "I'm not wearing that thing on my head, so I threw it away, do you want help, I could probably tie the strings of the apron for you," he said and started walking towards me.

"I think, I'm okay on my own, thank you," I told him and I moved back. I don't know what he was trying to do but it looked like he was seducing me to say yes, into going out with him until the wedding. I really hated to admit this to myself but somewhere, in my heart, I knew it was working.

I pulled back and put my hand up in my defense, I looked around to distract myself from him. But the strange thing was how could you be distracted from a distraction?

"Imagine how they ended up here," I told Ignatius, he stiffened when he head me speak.

"Don't, it wouldn't help them, it's not their choice, nobody would want to live in a place like this. Let's get this done with," he told me. In no time Ignatius and I were serving food to men and women. Some smiled at us and some didn't. Some didn't even bother looking at us or doing anything about it.

There was an old woman who was sitting at one corner of the room when she looked at me she smiled, "you are so beautiful," she told me and I smiled back. I felt nice, and I told her she was beautiful too, she had the prettiest blue eyes I had ever seen and I got the best reaction, she started crying. She got up and hugged me and mumbled that she missed her granddaughter so very much.

Ignatius and I were done pretty soon. In no time, we had served everyone with the help of some helpers and volunteers who were already there. I promised the old woman that I would definitely come and meet her soon. She nodded and said she would appreciate it.

"We'll leave soon, use the washroom if you want to and then we'll be gone," he told me. I don't know from where he appeared. Out of the blue, he would come and then disappear.

Taking the cue, I removed my apron and my gloves and gave it to him. "It's down the hallway, just turn the first right," he said. How did he know this? What was going on?

As I left that place, I saw some people looking at me rather strangely; I shrugged it off and walked down the hallway which Ignatius has told me about. As I was walking down the hallway I ran into a man, he was very old and when he looked at me, he froze.

He was not that a tall man and had a white beard and hair poking out of his head from here and there. He looked at me again and pointed his fingers at me, "Arie-" he didn't get to complete what he was saying and he collapsed on the floor. I rushed to him. Did he have a heart attack?

I looked at him and ran to the other side, "help!" I screamed. I could see the old man, shaking. What had I done? Before I knew what was happening, Ignatius had burst out from the door and people were rushing from here to there.

"Let's leave," Ignatius told me and pulled me out of the place ignoring all my protest and promised me that we could go and meet the man later if I wanted to.

I couldn't help but feel like that the whole thing had happened because of me, the old man saw me and he collapsed.

"If you won't have been there, nobody would have discovered him," Ignatius told me, "its not your fault, besides," he smiled, "your time is up, what did you decide? It's a yes or a no?"

"I don't know what I want. I-"

"I'll take it as a yes," he said and I didn't protest. 

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