Lauren--Part Thirty

Splog # 95

Thirty

   "Oh, yes!" "We have plenty of room." "There's lots of food!" "We'll just squeeze over..." "Please eat with us."

   Lauren was overwhelmed by a cacophony of voices from around the table. Jane took her by the hand and led her to the place she'd risen from and Lauren slid herself into the seat. The girl next to her was moving along the bench and so Lauren scooted after her until there was a vacant spot which Jane gracefully occupied.

   In the meantime, Bart had gone into the structure through an opening that she hadn't noticed before and came back with an earthenware plate and cup and some eating utensils. He reached across Jane and placed them on the table in front of Lauren.

   "Would you prefer milk, water or orange juice?"

   Lauren thought for a moment and, as she paused, she realized that eight pairs of eyes were watching her, all activity suspended, awaiting her choice. She gestured to a pitcher, just to her left on the table.

   "Whatever's in there will be fine with me."

   Jane poured her some orange juice and Bart returned to his seat at the other end of the table.

   "Bread?" "Eggs?" "Salad?" "Donuts?" "Watermelon?"

   Everyone around her seemed to be holding up a platter or a bowl with something to eat on or in it.

   Lauren took a small sip of her juice and then collected some bread and cheese and a little salad from the assorted offerings.

   "I think that's enough for now," she said. The various foodstuffs were returned to the places they'd been occupying when Lauren sat down and the children gradually resumed their eating. Most of their attention, however, seemed to be focussed on the stranger in their midst rather than on their appetites. At the  same time, it seemed to Lauren that they were either too shy or too polite to disturb her meal with conversation.

   After a few bites, Lauren decided to start the ball rolling on her own.

   "This is a very enjoyable meal," she began. "Did you prepare it yourselves?"

   "Oh, no," said Jane. "This is the luncheon meal. It's always here when we finish our morning studies."

   "But there aren't always donuts!" Bart put in from the other side of the table.

   "You know you're not supposed to eat those until you've had something more nutritious first," said Jane. Then to Lauren she explained, "Those are for dessert, but Bart always has one before his meal."

   "That's because I don't know if there'll be any left by the time I finish."

   "You know that's not true. There's always enough for everybody to have one."

   Bart didn't respond and Lauren asked, "Then who made the meal for you?"

   Bart answered, "Nobody made it. It's just here when we come outside after morning studies."

   "But somebody must have prepared it and set it out for you."

   Jane took a glance back at the round structure and then said to Lauren,

   "Our meals are always here for us and that's all we know about it. There's one when we wake in the morning and one after morning studies and one before we go to bed. They're all good meals and we enjoy them very much and are grateful to find them here when we expect them."

   Lauren slowly chewed a piece of carrot as she pondered this information.

   "But someone must be doing all this..."