The Way Back Home's

Dinners

Farrell walked back down the street to the dining room. When he entered the room, he saw Remy had just returned to the kitchen through the hallway near the bar table. While, still the same as before, he found no one. Farrell follows Remy into the kitchen.

There, Remy turns his back on him. He seems to be preparing fruit pie. Remy arranged various pieces of fruit on the pie. It starts with strawberries, kiwis, then oranges. After that, he took out a small place like a salt bin of transparent glass. Inside it contained a powder of magenta color lit up like glitter. Remy sprinkled it over the pie. The magenta luster shimmered for a moment and vanished without a trace as if it had never fallen on a fruit. Then Remy sprinkled refined sugar on it. So he did the next pie.

Until Remy finally realized the presence of others there. He hurriedly turned around, immediately gasping in shock when he saw Farrell at the end of the kitchen. His eyes widened even more when he found a volcano pie in Farrell's hands. His mouth gasped, as if he was about to say something but he swallowed again. Instead, he clutched the kitchen table behind him.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt,” Farrell said first. “I'm just curious where everyone is. Last night, William said dinner was ready. Unfortunately I didn't see anyone there.”

Remy's eyes turned to the right and to the left, like he was looking for the right words.

“You know where my uncles and sisters are?” ask Farrell again.

Remy gulps before talking, “Mu— Probably... Ehm... Maybe... Might be traveling with Mrs De— Denise.”.

“Denise?” Farrell clearly remembered that it wasn't his aunt's name.

“Ehm...” Remy is silent again.

“One of the guests here?”

“I— I— Yes. Te— Friend sir Albert,” Remy stuttered reply. I was scared to hide something.

Farrell nodded. “They went to where?” ask while glancing outside. The snow started to fall again. They littered the window frames and stained the blackness of the night sky. This nuance was much different from the large dining room he had seen just a moment ago.

“E— E— I don't know. Mu— Might— Might— Might be looking in— in— in parking lot?” Remy gulped again as Farrell frowned. “Me— They must be se— back soon. Ja— Don't worry. A— Is there.... something you want to eat while waiting for them?”

Farrell shook his head. “I will spend this while waiting,” he said while showing pie. Farrell turned. He sure as hell heard a sigh of relief from Remy.

Farrell returned to the dining room. He's occupying the table at the end. His eyes were watching the scene outside. From his position, he could clearly see the position of the parking lot. He could see the fountain, his own car, as well as the white SUV right next door. Meanwhile, uncle's black jeep vanishes from his place. Farrell guesses maybe his uncle went to pick up an aunt or go for a walk with Denise. Where are Milo and Libby? Could they be with uncle too? Had there been a signal here, Farrell would have called them.

William appeared at the door of the restaurant. He walked up to Farrell and threw a friendly smile typical of hotel employees, “Sorry, there was just a message from Mr. Albert. He asked you to wait a while because they were on their way here.”

“They're going out? With Denise?”

William's facial complexion changed slightly when he heard Denise's name. “Oh, have you met him? Yep. Milo wanted to borrow some ski equipment for the photo. Unfortunately, we don't keep it anymore. So, instead, Mr. Albert and Denise took him around for a scenic photo.”

“Oh. By the way, how could uncle tell that he was on his way? I guess there's no signal here?”

“Indeed. So, we used birds. Yes, even if Mr. Albert actually has a satellite phone.”

Farrell's head imagined the white figure of an owl. “Alright, I'll wait for them while finishing this pie.” Farrell cuts the pie. His tongue still tastes spicy mixed with processed meat delicacy. William watched carefully, not paying attention to himself, but watching the pie on the plate. “Yes? Is there any more?” Farrell looked back at him.

Farrell sees the arrival of another guest after he finishes the spicy pie. Two men of such great stature as bodybuilding. Both of them came when he put down the dishes and took the drinking water instead. They were both bald but one of them had a thick mustache. They wear sunglasses and brown puffer jackets. Although it was only for a short while, Farrell could feel the intimidating gazes from the two. Even so, Farrell returned to his own desk and paid no attention to the two people who started to take food.

He spent a few minutes observing the interior of the restaurant. The walls of the dining room are well made from large pieces of wood. As an ornament, there is a deer horn on one side and a bear skin on the other. Personally, Farrell prefers that this restaurant add some paintings or photos.

Ten minutes later, a beam from the outside caught Farrell's attention. The yellow light comes from a black jeep. The car passed through a fountain and stopped right in front of the inn. William rushed out to greet. Millo and Libby came out the back door. Also a foreign woman from the front door. Then, after the car parked in the original place, out uncle. Uncle half ran towards the entrance because he did not want to get cold.

Once inside the restaurant, Milo and Libby immediately approached him. Farrell's view shifted from his sister to the woman. The woman exchanged glances at the two large-bodied men while still walking towards her.

“You should have come with us earlier,” Libby said while pulling up the chair.

“Where?” ask Farrell.

“Uncle invites us around to open our eyes wide and observe the surroundings-”

“-to find amazing things!” Milo interrupted his sister's words.

“And what did you guys find?” ask Farrell again. Libby shaking. “You didn't find anything interesting?” farrell.

“We saw ski runs, snowy roads, snowy trees. This whole place is filled with snow,” Milo said. “Oh, I met uncle's pet bird. They look fierce but are friendlier than they seem. Uncle even let me hold them after wearing gloves.”

“Phantom cloud, yes?”

“Not. Denise said it was a goshawk eagle. There's two, Bailey and Barney. Uncle trained them to send messages. They're smart.”

The woman got there and joined. “Hai, you must be Farrell Eden. Your sister told me a lot about you. I'm Denise, your uncle's best friend,” he said introduce himself.

Disrespectful, Farrell stood up. “Hai,” he said while shaking Denise's hand.

“I hope you don't mind if I join.”

“Of course not, please.” Farrell lets Denise join the dinner at the table. “I think we need an extra seat.” Farrell pulled the chair next door, preparing it for uncle. “Do we need to add table as well?”

“Ndon't need. Adding the table, increasing the distance between us. I want to hear a lot of your stories. Right ‘kan Libby?”

Libby nodded softly, as if unwilling to answer.

When they arrived, they started to eat dinner together. As usual, Milo excitedly told about his victory in the match a while ago. Farrell's gonna bet his sister told him that in the car. While he and Libby chose a lot of silence. Uncle told me a lot about Denise. How they met at a seminar and how expert Denise managed the business.

After dinner, Denise returns to her room, 304, just above them. Farrell and his two sisters also returned to the room. He wants to sleep fast.