I dropped the menu in surprise and looked up. A brown-haired boy about my age was in the seat across from me, looking at me strangely with one indigo blue eye. His other eye was hidden behind a navy blue eyepatch that was wrapped around his head. Aside from the eyepatch, he didn�t seem to be wearing anything else with the slightest bit of color besides black and white.
�Hey, um, I think my brother is sitting ther�� he started to say.
�Gah, I�m sorry! I�� I suddenly snapped my head around at a familiar sound. One of the nuns was stopping at tables and inquiring about my whereabouts, working her way towards our table. No time to run!
Calling on an old trick my older cousin had taught me, I whipped the tablecloth off the table, at such a speed that the plates and silverware were barely disturbed, and wrapped it around my head and body.
The boy leaned forwards on one arm. �How� attractive.�
Ignoring his sarcasm, I begged, �Hey, can you please help me here? I need your help�when that scary nun lady back there comes over, pretend I�m your� old Grandmother who doesn�t speak any English!!� Stupid, but, geez, I needed something!
�Eh�?� replied the boy, one eyebrow raised.
I buried myself in the tablecloth and leaned over my menu to hide my face. With a light shuffling of feet and an overpowering aroma of laundry and soap, the nun approached our table. I didn�t dare look up.
�Excuse me,� croaked the old windbag, �but have you seen a young girl around here recently? Very short hair, green eyes, 16 years old, not wearing a school uniform? You see, the students were all here on field trip, and one seems to have gotten away.�
�Eh�� went the boy.
Come on, dude, help me here! I begged, calling upon any previously unrecognized Jedi mind powers to make her go away.
I heard the boy�s chair squeak as he leaned back in it. �Sorry, toots, all the gals I�ve seen around here today have had them god-awful uniforms on.�
He leaned towards me. �Ain�t that right, Grandmama?� He slung his arm around my shoulders and laughed a very fake laugh. �See, I�m just here out to lunch with my good �ole Grandmama from Sicily, she sure don�t look sixteen! Oh, ha! Ha! Ha!�
Dude, you can�t act, I thought.
�Yes, how nice�� said the nun stiffly, obviously quite annoyed. �Thank you anyway, sir�� With that she stalked off to haunt someone else�s table.
I peeked out from under the tablecloth. The eyepatch-boy had leaned back into his seat and was laughing. Quickly, while I had the chance, I stood up and pulled myself out of the tablecloth.
�Thank you SO much, I owe you!� I said gratefully, shoving the tablecloth into the boy�s arms as he squeaked, �Hey!� With that, I ran off.