Free The Charity Chip by Brock Booher Page B

the older woman jealous, and then strutted back out through the foyer with her heels echoing against the tile floor.
    The lunch lady’s face lit up in a satisfied smirk, and Julio could see that she was missing one of her front teeth. She wiped her hands on her apron that looked like it had been white at one time, and extended her thick hand to Julio. “ Hola, mi hijo . I’m Carmen.”
    Her hand was still wet when Julio shook it. “Nice to meet you,” he said. He was sure that Raúl wouldn’t approve of this woman’s looks, but based on the smells coming from the kitchen, Julio thought she was beautiful. “Julio Camino, a las órdenes .”
    “Well, Julio, lunch will be ready in a few minutes.” She pointed at the bathrooms on the other side of the study area. “Go wash your hands and face before lunch. I want you to enjoy the food, but remember to eat everything you take. We don’t want to waste food.” She winked at Julio. “If Isak lets you into the program, I will treat you like one of my children, and my children do not go away hungry.” She smiled and exposed the gap in her teeth as her round face lit up with pride.
    Maybe it was simply because he missed Mamá or because she was the first woman since Mamá to cook for him, but something about Carmen seemed familiar. Julio smiled back and headed for the boy’s bathroom still trying to figure out why she seemed so familiar. He expected to find the usual sinks and toilets, but true to Isak’s description, the bathroom included three showers stocked with soap, shampoo, and clean towels. He looked at himself in the mirror. He was filthy. He hesitated at the sink for only a moment, and then hurried over to the shower. He tossed his backpack and skateboard on the bench outside the shower, hung his dirty clothes on the hooks provided, and plunged into the stream of hot water. It felt good to be clean.
    When he emerged from the shower, lunch had started and the round tables were filling up, but Julio didn’t mind not being the first in line. He felt cleaner than he had been in years. His mouth watered as he served himself a plate of ají de gallina , shredded chicken cooked with garlic, and papas a la huancaína , boiled potatoes smothered in yellow sauce. It was a far cry from the stale bread he had eaten that morning, but he remembered Carmen’s warning, and was careful not to take more than he thought he could eat.
    All the tables except one were full when he finished filling his plate. The young woman he had watched enter the facility that morning sat by herself at the corner table picking at her food. Julio set down his plate of food and slipped off his backpack before taking the seat across from her. He smiled at her. She smiled back.
    Julio was hungry, and the plate of hot food was inviting, but as he shoveled the hot meal into his mouth, he found himself sneaking glances at the young woman. She continued to pick at her food and take occasional small bites, but not with the same gusto that Julio did. She had a long slender face with a sharp nose, and her complexion was lighter than everyone else in the room. Her straight black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Physically, she didn’t draw attention. Raúl would describe the young woman as plain, but her eyes were a mesmerizing dark green, and Julio found them captivating.
    He paused his feeding frenzy for a moment and cleared his throat. “Is the food always this good here?” he asked.
    The green-eyed girl looked up from her plate as if she were surprised to find someone sitting across from her. “What? The food?”
    Julio felt his face turn red, and he tried to cover his rush of emotion with a smile. He swallowed and repeated the question. “Is the food always this good here?”
    She looked down at her plate of picked-over food and gave a shrug. “Yes, I suppose it is.”
    “You don’t seem to have much of an appetite.”
    She looked at him like she was trying to figure out why he was talking