I order another one of those Lobster Rolls, and Maia orders water and the cheapest item on the menu. Maybe she’s on a budget. It makes me wish she would have just let me pay. But she’s here with me, and I’ll take it how I can get it.
Wade: I didn’t think you’d agree to have lunch with me.
Maia: Why not?
Wade: Because I felt you were trying to avoid me. Yesterday, you walked away – mid-sentence.
Maia: Not avoid you necessarily – I just didn’t understand why you even approached me.
Wade: Why wouldn’t I?
Maia: You’re like this pretty boy, rich kid with a Windenburg accent. And I’m like, ‘Why is he talking to me?’
Wade: Well, I’m from Henford, not Windenburg, and I totally don’t have an accent.
Maia: But you totally do.
Wade: If you say so. But I approached you because you’re the nicest person I’ve met since I’ve been here.
I also want to add that she’s beautiful, but I’m unsure how she’ll take it.
Finally, another smile. That is what I wanted to see.
Maia: Thank you.
There’s a pause in the conversation. I quickly try to fill it so it doesn’t get awkward.
Wade: But yeah – I grew up on a farm in Henford-on-Bagley with my parents and two brothers.
Maia: Henford. Huh – I’ve never been there.
Wade: You should visit. I think you’d like it.
Maia: So, two brothers? I’m an only child. It was just me and my father growing up.
Wade: What happened to your ma?
The waitress brings our food just as Maia replies.
Maia: She died.
I can almost hear the period. The natural question would be how, but I should probably leave that for another time. If there ever is another time. Sad news usually precedes more sad news, so I follow the pattern.
Wade: Sorry to hear that. All of my grandparents have died as well.
Maia: I never knew mine.
Her tone has a distinct sadness, and now I regret going there. I wasn’t trying to bring down the entire conversation. I pause for an appropriate amount of time before moving on to a happier subject.
Wade: I have a dog named Hiro.
Maia’s face instantly lights up. She must be an animal lover.
Maia: Was that the dog I saw on campus yesterday?
Wade: Yes, I should have introduced you.
Maia: Next time. I have a cat named Luna.
Did she say—’ next time’? Is she hoping for a ‘next time’ too?
Evening approaches, and the lights of the restaurant suddenly brighten. I realize we’ve been here for a while, but I’m not quite ready to go.
Maia: So, you said you wanted me to show you around. What types of things do you like to do?
Wade: I’m not sure. There wasn’t much to do in Henford, so anything would be better than that.
Maia: Have you been out to the lighthouse on Deadgrass Island?
Wade: I’ve taken pictures of it—that’s about it.
Maia: Maybe we can go there. It’s a must-see.
Wade: Are you free tomorrow?
Maia: Sure. My schedule is clear.
Maia smiles down at her full plate. I’ve finished my Lobster Roll, but she’s barely touched her food. I almost can’t blame her when I look around this place. It’s not exactly the cleanest environment for eating.
Wade: So Maia, why did you move here?
Maia: I just needed a change. I wanted to see something different, and college wasn’t it. So I pulled out a map, closed my eyes, and blindly pointed to a spot. My finger landed in the very middle of Brindleton Bay. You?
Wade: Similar sort of thing. I was tired of living on a farm, and our house was always full and loud. I just wanted to be somewhere else.
Maia: But why here?
Good question. Why did I move here? Do I tell her it was either here or an apartment in San Myshuno? But I really could have moved anywhere. I could have chosen Del Sol Valley or San Sequoia. So I give her the answer that feels right as I look into her eyes.
Wade: I don’t know…fate.
Her smile widens. Did I get too deep, too fast? My phone sends me an alert, and I automatically pull it out to look at it.
Maia: You check your phone a lot. What you got going on in there?
I realize it’s rude of me to look at my phone with her sitting there. I quickly put it away.
Wade: I keep getting these annoying Social Media alerts, and it’s like an addiction. I can’t help but look at them.
Maia: Oh. I’m not on Social Media.
I figured that from when I tried to find her on Simstagram and the Social Bunny app. But I find it odd.
Wade: Why not?
Maia: It’s not great for my mental health, so I avoid it.
I don’t think Social Media is great for anyone’s mental health, so I completely understand what she’s saying. I admire her for her ability to stay away, although it has to feel like she’s missing out on a big part of the sim world.
It’s getting late, and I still have a presentation to complete, so it’s time to say goodbye.
Wade: I appreciate you agreeing to come with me today, but you didn’t eat anything.
Maia: I wasn’t really hungry. I had just eaten right before you invited me.
Oh! So she wanted to be here. That’s why she ordered the cheapest thing on the menu.
We pack up her leftovers, and she offers them to me. It’s my fault she spent money to come here today, so I agree to take them – although I probably won’t eat them.
I have to pee badly, but there’s no way I’m using the restroom in that dirty place. Maia and I say our goodbyes. Luckily, I don’t live very far, so I hurry home to use the bathroom. Then I come back down to put the leftovers away.
Hiro has been alone most of the day, so I give him some attention before returning to my presentation. Just as I’m trying to put in some finishing touches, my stomach begins to rumble in the worst way. I knew it! That restaurant was dirty. I can’t imagine what the kitchen may have looked like. I pull out my phone to call and file a complaint. They offer me compensation and beg me not to tell anyone.
I’ll have to think about it because getting food poisoning at the place could be the subject of my next video.
My stomach settles a bit after a few untimely trips to the bathroom. I finish my presentation, and it’s time for bed.
(Generation 4 Chapter Summaries)
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