Beyond the Reach of Judgement

Chapter 3

“For neither good nor evil can last for ever; and so it follows that as evil has lasted a long time, good must now be close at hand.”

-Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote

It felt like hours, but it was only about forty-five minutes before a very helpful Asian gentleman loaded heavy with food arrived. The man quickly placed the packages onto his dining table and unpacked the food with great efficiency. In seconds, the table was set with an artistic flare and the man excused himself. Julien made sure to tip him appropriately, which he immediately realized must have been over the expected amount by the dumbfounded look on the delivery man's face as he stepped back into the elevator with several expressions of gratitude.

The vampire took a long look at the strange array of food spread before him. So many foreign spicy aromas hit him as he took in the variety of meats and vegetables floating in sauces, the artfully folded pastries, and the relatively simple seeming noodles and rices. It certainly was an abundance of food. He supposed it appeared and smelled appealing to those that ate that sort of thing.

“Is that Chinese I smell?” Ruth's confused tone cut into his thoughts.

He turned to see her standing in the bedroom doorway. “Yes, of course. And all for you, My Dear. Please, sit, enjoy.”

“Um,” she glanced down at herself.

“What is the matter?”

“Nevermind, the towel is fine.”

“No, no. How ridiculous of me not to consider your modesty. I will find something less awkward, although it might not be a perfect fit.”

He rushed into the bedroom, stepping in a wide arch as possible through the door as she watched him with wide eyes. He paused to look her over again and she bit her lower lip and continued to eye him. She was substantially smaller in stature than himself, but he was sure to have something that would suit her needs for the time being. He pulled out one of his crisp clean undershirts.

“How about this?” He held it up for her inspection.

“That will be fine.” She pulled it from his grasp and moved towards the restroom. She stopped short after opening the door. “Oh God.” She turned away with her hand over her mouth.

“Shh, don't worry. I will take care of that.” He replied as he turned away and took a step back to allow her to change with some privacy.

He turned towards her after a long moment. He noted that his shirt covered her well enough but also that her coloring almost matched that of the bleached cotton fabric.  He waved his hand towards the table. “You should get something to eat before it becomes cold.”

She gave him a small smile, but her eyes  remained dim. “Thank you.” She whispered. She cleared her throat. “I love Chinese food, how did you know?”

“I did not, but I am relieved to hear it. Now please eat. You must be famished.” He stepped away from the table towards the bedroom and noted the tension of her shoulders fade as he moved to further from her.

Ruth did as requested and sat down at the table. At first she did nothing but stare at the food before her. Then, after long moment, she reached towards one of the stuffed pastries and popped it into her mouth.

He watched her from the doorway for a long while. He observed how she took a taste of one dish then another as he tried to remember what food tasted like. He wondered if eating for her now was similar to the euphoria he experienced when he fed. “Is it to your liking?”