Page 3 of The Calling of Caellaias
After a few minutes, Poppa answered with his deep, gruff voice, “That sounds wonderful, Lily. Since we won’t see you two for awhile, one last family meal is needed indeed. Leaving in the morning is going to be difficult.” A grin spread across his lips, displaying his pronounced canines and slightly crooked teeth.
“Great! Let me gather my things so we can get going. Eiri, do you want to ride with me so you won’t be cramped in the moving truck again?” I asked with a smirk.
“That would be great! I’ve spent way too much time in that truck over the last few days!” Eiri said, and I chuckled.
She waited on the couch as I headed into the kitchen to retrieve my keys.
Chapter two
Anevae
When I returned to the living room, Eiri was still sitting on the couch, but our parents were gone. Eiri barely glanced up from her phone to let me know they had gone outside to get some fresh air and that we could meet them outside when we were ready.
Her attention on her screen made me realize I hadn’t checked my phone all day. I pulled it out and scrolled through my notifications. There wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait until later or the next day.
“You ready?” I asked, shoving my phone back into my pocket.
Eiri nodded and stood to follow me outside. Pushing the key fob, I unlocked my SUV so she could get in, then started it with the click of another button before turning to lock the door to my cabin. When I was done, I climbed into the front seat of my SUV and put the car in drive. My parents followed in the moving truck as we drove to the main road.
“How’s the job search going?” I asked.
Before the move, Eiri was an assistant editor for a small publishing company in our hometown. She began working there right after she graduated from college three years earlier.
“I mean, it’s going about as well as it can, I guess. Thankfully, Tim, the editor I worked under, was kind enough to contact some of his colleagues to help me find a new job. He secured six interviews for me in the next few weeks. Six! Can you believe it? That’s so many! And, like, four of them are work-from-home jobs!”
I smiled at her enthusiasm. “That was very nice of him. He was always such a great guy. Where are the two local positions? Are they both in Havenridge, or would you have to travel to Fawnhaven?”
She began twirling a piece of her hair. “One is in Havenridge, but you know it’s such a small town. The other is in Fawnhaven. I don’t really want to drive that far, but I’m going to the interview to show my appreciation for Tim’s help.”
“You said there were four remote positions, too, right? Are you excited about those? I’m sure it would be nice to work from home.”
“I’d love to work from home, but you know how I am. I’d probably go crazy if I couldn’t talk to someone else constantly, Vay! I’d end up bugging you all the time! Speaking of, how the hell can you even contemplate being out there all by yourself? All that surrounds you in that cabin is nature and the one potential neighbor you have.”
Pulling up to the stop light leading into town, I looked at her. “Just because you like people and interacting with them doesn’t mean everyone does. I love the idea of being able to work from home. Plus, I’ll just get to bug you more often since you’re the only person I know who lives nearby.” Sticking my tongue out, I returned my gaze to the road.
“Well, I’m glad I can be of some service to someone while I’m out of a job. I’m really not looking forward to organizing and unpacking,” Eiri grumbled.
I laughed loudly as we pulled into the diner’s parking lot. “Well, that sure sucks for you. I told you that you should’ve downsized. You have a lot of stuff to go through.”
When I parked, we waited in silence for our parents to arrive. Eiri pulled out her cell phone, and I watched the traffic go by until I saw the moving truck pull into the lot. Poppa pulled the rental truck to the end, far from the other vehicles.
Minnie’s was a small, family-run joint that seemed bustling on a weeknight. Upon walking into the quaint entryway, the fragrant aroma of coffee and the clanking of dishes invaded my senses. A few steps inside the door, a hostess was stationed at a wooden podium.
“Welcome! How many in your party?” the hostess asked, her cheery voice loud enough to cut through the diner's noise. I raised my hand to display the number four. It seemed more favorable than yelling over the noise. She grabbed our menus before smiling and saying, “Right this way.”
She led us through what felt like half the diner and then gestured to a booth that comfortably sat the four of us. Eiri and I slid into one side while Poppa and Momma occupied the other. The hostess pointed out the two different a la carte menus—one with their specials of the day and the other listing their wide variety of milkshakes.
When we were settled, I reached for the milkshake menu. I couldn’t wait to try one of the many flavors they offered. Eiri apparently had the same idea as I did; our hands clashed as we both reached for the menu. We laughed and placed the menu between us so we could both read it.
After a few minutes, our waitress approached the table and greeted us, “Good evening, folks! My name is Betty! I’ll be your waitress this evening. Can I get y’all started with something to drink? Coffee? Water? One of our many delicious milkshakes?”
She started with Momma and ended with Poppa, jotting everything down before nodding and asking, “Do y’all need a few more minutes with the menus?” When we all nodded, she told us she’d be back with our drinks in a few minutes and could take our orders then.
Poppa quickly decided what he wanted. Then, he yawned as he ran his large hand down his face, relaxing into the booth. There were bags under his eyes, and he looked exhausted.
“Lily, what are your plans over the next few days? Do you plan to settle in a little bit? Or do you need to get right to work with your experiments?” he asked, his voice tired.
“My experiments don’t need to be started yet, thankfully. I need some time to explore the area. You can only learn so much from researching on the internet. I need to see the land for myself; I want to observe the wildlife that inhabits the forest, the level of humidity in the air, and the components of the soil in the gardens. It’s an incredible place that I want to become familiar with before jeopardizing my experiments.”
