Animal Café Ch. 31

Good intentions were not always rewarded by perfect timing. As soon as the blonde girl stepped into the room, her friend Vicky, who was generally quiet and nonchalant, emptied the full content of her lungs in one loud word.

"WHAAAT!?"

Startled, Beatrice lost control of her nervous system and tilted the mug left and right to the point where she spilled the hot liquid on the floor.

"Heeey! Stupid Vicky! What's the big deal! I was performing a dangerous mission and..."

"Trixie! Tell Lucy that she is out of her mind!"

"Uh? Why?"

"She wants to open a café!"

"Well, restaurant... café... we knew that already."

"NO! She wants US to be part of it!"

"Oh cool! Are we going to get rich?"

"NO! Look!"

Offended, Vicky showed a sheet of paper to her puzzled friend while Lucy calmly took her coffee mug from Beatrice's hands. The small blonde girl inspected the document. It was a very childish drawing of a coffee shop. It looked a lot like the restaurant Lucy wanted to buy, and the banner read "Cakes and Pets," and next to it, a text bubble pointing at the store with the words "Animal Café." Obviously not on the same wavelength as Vicky, Beatrice expressed her happiness.

"Oh! Cool! An animal café. I love animals! I vote yes!"

Vicky jumped down her chair and pointed elsewhere on the sheet of paper since Beatrice had visibly missed the point. Next to the coffee shop drawings, there were two cartoonish animals with big eyes that betrayed two things; Lucy's art skills were abysmal, and a much more nefarious plan hid behind those two creatures. A rabbit and a fox. An arrow from the fox pointed to the word "Vicky," and another from the rabbit pointed to the word "Beatrice."

Vicky slapped the sheet out of Beatrice's hands and placed her two hands on her narrow shoulders.

"LUCY WANTS US TO BE THE PETS!"

"..."

Beatrice's eyes grew a bit bigger as she had finally connected the dots. She approached a very relaxed Lucy who was busy ignoring Vicky's fuss and sipping her coffee. Her eyes were closed as if she wasn't willing to witness revolt anymore. She then felt Beatrice's warm breath brushing on her ear.

"Lucy?"

"Yes, Beatrice?"

"Will we get free food?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I'm in."

"WHAAAT! TRIX! DON'T ENCOURAGE HER!"

Obviously, Vicky wasn't as easygoing as her friend, and her mental state deteriorated at a rapid pace. However, her extreme agitation was only a symptom of something much darker, and Lucy knew it very well; she had expected it and perhaps even hoped for it to some degree. Feeling that it was the right moment to enter the storm, Lucy placed her steaming mug on the table and calmly walked to Vicky.

"Vicky? What's wrong? Don't you want a job?"

"IT'S NOT THAT! IT'S A TERRIBLE IDEA, LUCY!"

"Why? You don't have a job, and you are not going to school anymore. So what is preventing you from coming to work for me? You like me, right?"

"Y... YES! BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT!?"

"What's the point then? You don't like cakes?"

"NO! LUCY! STOP!"

"You were happy dressing up as a cute fox in the sex shop with Beatrice. Since I know you, you are a little fox lover! Why not do it for a living for a while?"

"NO! NO! NO! YOU ARE MISSING THE POINT!"

"Stop screaming then, Vicky, and just tell me. "

"NO! I MEAN! YES! I MEAN..."

"You mean what?"

"YOU... YOU DON'T GET IT! I... I CANT...!"

"You can't what?"

At that point, without even being conscious of it, Vicky was in tears. The more Lucy pushed her to share her feelings, the more her panic grew. The way she carelessly gripped Lucy's vest and was halfway between ripping it off and hugging the person who had partially raised her betrayed a raging conflict within her heart. Not knowing how to handle herself, she turned to the next person she loved the most.

"TRIXIE! TELL HER!"

"Nope. Vicky... Just let it out already... You'll feel better..."

"... BUT BUT..."

At that point, both Lucy and Beatrice were on the same page. They understood precisely what bugged Vicky so much, but they had to let her express her true state of mind. But instead of that, Vicky tried to flee and run out of the room. Beatrice stopped her with a hug.

"BWAAAH! LET ME GO!"

"Vicky, you can't hide behind that hoodie all your life. Just do what you want to do for once."

"BWWAAH! LET ME GO! LET ME GO! I CAN'T! I CAN'T WORK IN PUBLIC! I'M TOO UGLY! BAWWAAAHAAA!"

Unable to stay on her legs anymore, Beatrice fell on her back on the thick penthouse carpet, tightly holding her best friend in her arm, her friend who was crying her life out. Vicky had finally reached a crossroad between her pains and her desires. She let out her pain, her fears, her misery.

Not one second since the beginning of this drama, Vicky thought that she didn't want to do it. At nineteen years old, she was the same child as when she was ten. Before the dog attack that left her with unconcealable scars on her face, she had always been a playful child who loved being around people so much to have fun. She was the same attention-grabbing child, the one who loved being told she was adorable and cute. She still was the same child who grew to love foxes so much after her accident. The same teenager who had learned that cuddling with her best friend was worth more than gold. The same young adult who had enjoyed this little cosplay session at the sex shop before being interrupted by an ecstatic Lucy.

She wanted all of this and more. Inside her heart was this burning desire to live again, to be around people, to stop hiding. But there was this wall in front of her. Those big scars on her head and face that had sealed her destiny, the ones she had never learned to live with, the ones that would make the rest of her life miserable. They were the problem. As much as her heart wanted to say yes to this crazy project that Lucy had presented to her, yes to act cute and adorable around people, she just couldn't get herself to do it. She desperately wanted to do what Beatrice was going to do. She just couldn't. It was so unfair.

Laying on top of her best friend, crying her pain out into Beatrice's chest, she was the saddest person in the universe. This isolated world she couldn't experience anymore made her feel so lonely.

"BWAAAAHAAA!"

"Shhh... shhh... It's okay, Vicky. Cry all you want."

Calmly, even while listening to the drama unfolding at her feet, Lucy took another sip of her coffee. She had not necessarily expected Vicky to break down today, but she always knew it would happen one day or another. She had suspected that her little plan was going to stir some complex emotions inside the girl's heart, but it happened before she even had an opportunity to go into all the full details of her idea.

Vicky's crisis was a good thing.

This pain was good.

These cries were good.

The fox girl and the rabbit girl at her feet were good.

Lucy had endured her fair share of excruciating pain. Nothing could hurt her more than what she had experienced during Sammie's loss, and at that very moment, she understood something very important. Through the misery of her almost-daughter, she realized that there was only room left for happiness in her heart. Her pain reservoir was full and saturated already, but her happiness one was still empty.

It's time for happiness.

As Vicky's tears soaked Beatrice's t-shirt some more, Lucy discreetly smiled. This little project of hers would be the cornerstone of Vicky's reintegration into the normal world. The one that would allow her to be herself again, to be this playful people-loving child that she has always been. The one prisoner of those undeserved scars.

Many long minutes dragged by before Vicky finally calmed down and sat on Beatrice's hips, trying to dry her leaky eyes and runny nose.

Lucy got off her chairs and went to sit on the floor, resting her back on the wall, making sure to carry her binder with her. She looked at Vicky and helped her dry her tears with her thumb.

"You would have loved to work at my café, right?"

"Y... yes... But... Lucy... I... I can't..."

"Yes, you said that. But before you say no for good, I want to show you something."

"...?"

"Do you remember when we went to the art show the other day? I told you about a promising young artist. Her name was Elizabeth."

"... Yes... What... what about it?"

"I asked her to make me a sketch for a potential pet uniform for the café."

"... You... you did?"

"Yes. But she got it all wrong. It's not at all what I asked her."

"... O... Okay?"

"Vicky, I wanted to show what she created to you first. I want to know what you think of it."

"..."

"Here... Take a look."

Lucy cracked her binder open and pulled out a thick sheet of paper with some drawings that clearly came from a very talented artist. She placed it in Vicky's hands.

"Ghk!"

Vicky's eyes doubled in size as her throat clamped shut. On the sheet of paper was an incredible fox drawing, something she had never seen before. It looked like a fox but was shaped like a human being. What was this? A costume? Sitting, jumping, sleeping...? Around the main drawing was a series of smaller ones showing the fox girl performing different actions. And what were those tiny white bubbles all over her body, the ones that made her glow? Did it mean that the costume was made of... latex? Rubber? This shininess... What else could it be? And this mask... Those big black eyes hiding the wearer's identity and this cute muzzle preventing people from seeing her face, there was something so mysterious about it. Gradually, Vicky began to sense a possibility, and her heart felt a bit lighter.

Seeing Beatrice still prisoner under Vicky's butt while being extremely curious about what her friend was looking at, Lucy felt merciful and pulled out another sheet from her binder.

"Here, Beatrice. This one's for you. Do you like it?"

The blonde girl grabbed the piece of paper and placed it above her face. Hers was a rabbit girl with very long ears, one of them folded in the middle.

"Whaaaaaaaaaat!? Is that our café uniform? IS THAT RUBBER!?"

"Yes, if you want to. Elizabeth messed up big time, but now that I think about it, it's perfect. With these costumes hiding your entire body, nobody will be able to find out who you are. Vicky will be able to work without worrying about her scars, and you, Trixie, you'll be able to express your playful side without suffering the consequences."

"Woooow! I love it so much! What do you think, Vicky?"

Eyes still fixated on her fox drawing, Vicky's brain was fried. She was inconsolable only a moment ago because she knew she wouldn't have the strength to work in public because of her scars. She wouldn't have been able to withstand the neverending comments from the clients. Not being able to work with Lucy and Beatrice would have been devastating.

But this...

This...

This could work...

"Well... I... I like it too. It's... cute."

"Ha! With you wearing this, I'm sure you'll be the favorite pet at the café."

"Oh... I don't think so. Show me your drawing, Trix."

"Here..."

It was time to fill her happiness reservoir. Lucy looked at her two little friends sharing their drawings and commenting on them. The world had restarted to spin again. It was time for everybody to move on.

"I can be Trixie, because you call me that all the time."

"Oh! And I could be Vix, like my fox stuffed animal."

"Aaah, you and your fox plushie... It's old."

"Yes, but I love Vix a lot. What do you think, Lucy? Vix and Trixie."

Vix...

This damn fox...

Perhaps this lie that Lucy had told Sammie to reassure her before her death, this innocent lie that came out of nowhere, to bring peace to a small child... Perhaps it was real after all...

Was it Sammie who had sent her fox back with an important message after she passed away? The one that had carried her to the sky.

Vix...

That imaginary fox that had accomplished its first mission came back for its second one.

Vix had come back to keep Lucy company until she was ready to go back to Sammie.

This could take a very long time... So Lucy couldn't stay alone for all this time.

Lucy placed her hands on both sides of Vicky's warm face and looked deeply into her deep brown eyes.

"Vix... I think that's a perfect name for you, Vicky."

"Humm... Why are you crying, Lucy? Is it because of me?"

"Oh, no... Not at all... I'm happy. I'm just very happy right now."

Shamelessly interrupting this somewhat tender scene, obviously not in a position to understand what was going through Lucy's mind, Beatrice extracted herself from under Vicky and pulled her up back to her legs.

"Come Vix! We need to go back to the kitchen!"

"Uh? Why?"

"We need to eat more, so we are super cuddly while wearing latex at the café!"

"Hey! I don't want to eat more!"

"Come! Quick! I saw some macaroni salad in the fridge."

"Heeey! Don't pull on my arm like that, stupid rabbit!"

Her two balls of craziness disappearing around the corner, Lucy leaned her head back against the wall and looked at her drawings.

It was a bit too embarrassing for Lucy to admit that Elizabeth had NOT made a mistake and that those suits came directly from her own imagination, but it didn't matter. Those latex animal costumes had pleased her two little friends, and just like that, her new café had all the chances in the world to succeed.

She let a long sigh out...

"Vix... You damn fox... What are you doing to me? Hehe."

***

Back to the present...

Trixie had bounced from her seat and landed right on Lucy's lap.

"You TOLD us Elizabeth had made a mistake. And now you are admitting that those costumes were YOUR idea?"

"Yes."

"That's terrible!"

"Whatever, Trixie. You like it anyway."

"Yes, but you don't look as innocent as before to me."

"Ahan. And look who's talking."

I squeezed my girlfriend so much during the story that people thought I had killed her. But no, she was just fine. Oreo was very squishy.

Vix didn't leave Shane, and I now knew why. He had acted as some sort of father figure for her after her accident. They were not family, but it was as if. Same with Lucy. I finally understood why her pets were so precious to her. What she went through must have been incredibly difficult, but she had finally found serenity through her café and her pets.

I would probably never know if the whole Vix story was real or not, if it was just a coincidence or not, it was well above my paygrade, but it didn't matter one bit to me. The only important thing was that Lucy had managed to close her wounds and bring happiness to herself and all of us. Without her, we would all be lost. She was the embodiment of a person who had turned her excruciating pain into something positive to help others.

Was she really happy or just pretended to be for our sake? Nobody would ever really know, but personally, I was very positive about her situation. Now that everybody knew her story, I was pretty sure she would find a way to fully empty her pain reservoir eventually and refill it with joy.

While everybody was busy reacting to what they had heard tonight, I discreetly stretched my arm to acquire the last piece of triple chocolate cake that was left in the tray.

It was a good thing that my girlfriend was wearing her costume. That way, I wouldn't have to share my cake.

***

Later that night, after the pets decided to sleep at the café, Lucy and Shane exited the shop. Lucy closed the door behind her and stuffed the key in her pocket.

She turned around and rested her back on the glass door.

Her story wasn't yet over.

Shane was standing on the walkway, a few steps away, looking at the sky. It was not difficult to know what he was thinking about... who he was thinking about. There was no specific reason for it, but he had found serenity long ago and had less difficulty moving on in his case. That said, he had never forgotten a single second of his time with his daughter.

He still loved her so much.

"Shane..."

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"Oh yeah... It felt great. It was the right thing to do."

"I think so too."

"Is it too late for us, Lucy?"

"... It's getting a bit ridiculous, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Let's decide tonight. Once and for all. Do we move on together... or do we walk away from each other..."

"What do you want, Shane?"

"You know what I want. I told you a thousand times."

"You did. I'm sorry."

Shane still showed his back to Lucy and kept stargazing. Despite the luminous city erasing most of the sky's beauty, there were still a few visible bright dots. He had nothing else to say. No more arguments. No more expectations. Their lives had been broken in the harshest of ways, and it wouldn't have been fair to pressure Lucy toward a direction or another. He had laid out the choices as clearly as he could, and it was up to her to decide where to go from there.

A few light footsteps, feminine ones, on the cold walkway... an arm sliding under his. This body warmth that he had not felt in years radiated through his entire body.

"I miss her so much, Shane... so much."

"I know... Me too..."

"Let's try... Let's try again... Let's try to be happy again."

"Okay."

"There is nobody at the penthouse tonight."

"Sounds like a plan."

With rivers of tears flowing down her cheek, Lucy hung on Shane's arm a bit more tightly. For the first time in so long, she allowed herself another chance to love, a love for herself alone. Was it her pain reservoir that had started to drain, allowing something new to take place in her heart?

It felt that way.

Apparently, Vix had no intention to allow her a simple passage to the sky. Lucy would have to take a long way around before getting there.

For a while, she would walk the same path as Shane... She would walk the same path as her pets and Clara... The ones who had the innate ability to support her without really knowing it.