Eat Your Heart Out (Open)

Grabbing the plate with the sandwich and two glasses of water Lucy turned and flashed a smile at the boy. Darling… the word almost made her face flush to a shade that rivaled the tomatoes Micah sliced and diced for their meals. She was used to the older men tossing words like that her way, especially the drunker they became, but a boy who looked her own age was something that still took her by surprise. Slipping the small hand written menu in the pocket of her half apron she dropped the sandwich off at its rightful table and headed over to the boy with the extra glass of water. The condensation on the side of the glass was cold as it spilled between her fingers reminding her of just how humid and hot it was outside.

“Hope you don’t mind I brought a glass of water just in case you were thirsty.” She beamed setting the glass down. There were no straws here but she made sure all the glasses she brought out were clean around the lips, diseases passed around quickly in a place like District 10, so being sanitary was important. Her other hand dipped back into the apron pulling out the menu and placing it on the table. “I don’t think I’ve seen you in here before. I’m Lucy.” She cocked her head to the side slightly as she smiled and shifted her weight.

“Tonight we have meatloaf for the special…my mom makes it. Its really good I promise.” She hated rattling off the prices of things, especially since most the time she felt guilty that they were making money off the hard workers of the district; it was what it was thought and their small diner had kept her with some of the nicer things. “But we do have a lot of others stuff if you’re not in the mood for that.” Lucy couldn’t help but bit down on the inside of her lip nervously. “I’m going to go clear a few tables but I’ll be right back to take your order.” With that she sauntered off and felt the heat rise in her cheeks once more.

The way the boy relishes in the water pulls at Lucy’s heart strings. People say she’s too kind hearted, too generous for her own good, but when she has so much compared to the others around here how could she not be? Most of the people around here scrounge and scourge to make ends meet and I’ve got a set of hot rollers in my room that would feed a family for a month. Her lips pull into a smile as she watches him look back up at her wearing a grin, “I didn’t catch your name…” the sigh falling from his lips speaks immeasurable amounts of what he has to endure compared to her cushy life. “There’s more where that came from if you need it.” Lucy nods softly at the glass trying to let him know that she’ll keep the cup full till he tells her to stop.

From the looks of it he’s one of the farmers who live outside the square, probably milling away day after day getting his water from a well with no ice to cool it. As much as it bothered her she knew deep down that she couldn’t help everyone, but this boy was here now and she wasn’t letting him go without a nice meal. “I”d love to sit with you, but I have to stay on the floor…” her eyes scanned the room realizing it was next to empty. “Well maybe for a bit once I make sure everyone else is set.” Her hands quickly scribbled down an order of meatloaf and her cheeks burned red once more. “I’ll get you another glass of water too.”

Her feet moved swiftly to check on the table noting that a few more glasses of water could be brought out to the patrons before she could sit to talk with the boy. Moving behind the counter she pulled out a large tray and started lining it with cups. Carefully filling them half way full with ice and then pouring the water over them she hoisted the tray and dropped the ticket with the food order at the table calling out “Order in!” before heading out to the dining area and delivering the waters. With a final sigh she made it back to his table, a glass in hand for herself and him as she slid in across the booth. “So is it your first time here?”