Chapter 17: The Talent

Ella Lattone's POV

I blinked as I was looking at the end of the table. Mr. Hayes was looking at me as he was smiling while Cameron was grunting in his seat.

"So, what are your major, dear?" Mr. Hayes asked as I was looking at Dylan and Sabrina. They were not helping and when I looked at Mia, her eyes were twinkling. I turned to look at Mr. Hayes as he was waiting for my answer. I cleared my throat as I was looking at him.

"Well, I was majoring in Romance language when I was undergraduate and right now, I have entered the Master's program at NYU in ecology, hoping to research the new ecosystem in the active volcano," I said as Mr. Hayes was nodding at me.

"I see. And did you have anyone to support your tuition?" He asked me again before he was sipping on his wine.

"I wanted to get some money by being a TA but I was not having another call yet from their department…"

"And what would you be teaching if you get the position?" He asked as he was looking at me. I blinked at him before I smiled.

"It seems that they were lacking in the Foreign Language department. I might hope that I will be a French or Italian TA. I am fluent in those languages compare to Portuguese and Spanish. But I can speak all of them, one way or the other," I said as I was cutting the meat again before I was putting it to my mouth.

"I see," he said before he was putting the glass down as he looked at his wife. They were having some conversation in their eyes before Mia turned to me.

"Do you like my pot roast dear?'' She asked as I nodded and smiled at her.

"Yes, they are the best," I said as I was looking at her. She patted my hand before Dylan was whispering to Cameron. By the looks of it, he was not happy about something.

"Shall we have dessert then?" Mr. Hayes said as he was instructing the staff to get the dessert. I was looking at the sorbet that looked delish.

"What is this?" I asked as I was taking the dessert spoon that I was smiling at Mia. She beamed at me.

"Why don't you taste it?" She said as I took a bit of the sorbet. It was fantastic and I think I never had this before.

"Oh my Lord! That was good. What is this?" I asked Mia as she laughed at my reaction.

"It's chocolate almond sorbet. They were made with almond milk with a bit of hazelnut and chocolate. I made it especially for you since you never came here. The other has been tasting this since they could sit at the table," Mia said as I looked at Dylan, Sabrina, and Cameron. They were bored by this dessert.

"I tell you if you sell this, it will be the most sought out dessert in New York," I said as I was taking some more into my mouth and it melted to perfection. Mia laughed at my suggestion.

"We'll see what we can do," Mia replied before we were focusing on the dessert now. After that, Mr. Hayes instructed us to retire to the entertainment room.

"What is the entertainment room?" I asked Cameron as he was looking at me. He rolled his eyes at me.

"It's what it is. An entertainment room. The room where we can play and perhaps perform for the talents that we have," Cameron said as he looked at me.

"You do have a hidden talent, right?" He asked as I was walking beside him as we were standing in front of the door.

"Well, I…"

"Okay, please take your seat before we get started. I think I just have someone in my mind to start us off," Mia said as she was smiling at me. I gulped before she did something unexpected.

"Dylan, why don't you start with the entertainment," Mia said as Dylan's eyes were bulging out of his socket.

"Who, me?" He asked as he was pointing finger at himself. Mia rolled her eyes as she turned to look at him.

"Yes, you. Is there anyone else that name after Dylan?" She said as Dylan was mumbling something under his breath. Something about doing the humiliating thing in front of the guest and all that. I clapped my hands for encouragement before he turned to look at me and smiled.

I felt Cameron was glaring at him before he was standing and looked around.

"Well, I have to say that I don't have anything else to show but I have been practicing the juggling. So, Cam, if you please," he said as Cameron went to position himself and he was holding oranges in their hands.

"Now, for the entertainment," Dylan said before he nodded at Cameron, and Cameron was throwing the oranges at him and he was juggling it in his hands.

"Two," Dylan said before Cameron added another one.

"Three," than another.

"Four," and another one.

"Five!" Dylan exclaimed before he was juggling like a pro. I was laughing as he was making some weird face before we were clapping at him.

"Get ready, coz," he said as he was throwing the oranges at Cameron before he took the oranges and put it on the table.

"And that's my talent," Dylan said as he bowed at us before we were clapping at him.

"Okay, now you can choose who you wanted to perform next," Mia said as we were waiting for Dylan to choose. He was smiling before he was looking at us.

"Hmm, that's a tough choice. I don't know who I should be taking an interest to perform," he said as he was eyeing me before he smirked.

"Cam, you're next!" He said as he was pointing at his cousin. Cameron grunted before he stood up and he was looking around.

"Well, I don't have any specific talent but I know that I can write and read poetry. It's not mine but please bear with me," he said as he was clearing his throat before he took his position as a poet would.

Or how I thought they would.

Do you ever think?

If we have a family

What do they think?

If we are failing

Do you ever think?'

If we have friends

What would they think?

If we always cheat

If we have a partner

What do we feel

If they just playing

Do you ever think?

If you have a life

What would you do?

To move forward

I was blinking at him as Cameron was smiling at us before he bowed down. I never knew that he would be quite poetic and I think I have a better understanding of him now.

"Thank you, it was nothing. I just pick it up from somewhere," he said as I was smiling at him before he looked at me as I was holding my breath.

"And for the next person to perform, I choose Ella," he said as he was offering his hand to pull me up from the seat and I was smiling at him.

"Okay, go Ella!" Sabrina was shouting before I was smiling at them.

"You can do this," Cameron whispered to me as I was smiling at him before I was looking around the room to get the instrument that I was looking for.

Ah hah! Found it.

I took the acoustic guitar and sat on the chair. I was tuning the guitar before I was settling in on my laps as I was looking at them.

"I don't know much but I will try to play it if I can," I said as I was smiling before I set my hands and it was just coming into my mind and fingers to play the song that I have been practicing but never show to everyone.

Every note was speaking to me and I can say that I was pretty happy with it before I was smiling and I know that I can never be the same after this moment, the moment where Cameron saw me for me.