When she first came back to the shop, Latina was smiling but now, even from behind, you could see she was feeling depressed.
Repeatedly coming back and fro from the entrance, she was looking down at her feet sadly.
Not just the regulars who knew the circumstances but even the guests who didn’t know, at the sight of Latina who was acting different from normal, for some reason silently drank their alcohol one after the other.
That was when Dale came back.
Dripping with sweat, out of breath, he opened the door.
“Rita, after that…”
Wanting to ask if there was any information after that, he noticed the person in question when he looked up.
“Latina!”
Latina’s reply to Dale who joyfully called out her name were large drops of tears.
“!?”
As Dale panicked and got on his knees without a sound, Latina’s tears crumbled and fell even more.
“La, Latina!?”
“I’m… I’m sorry…hic, sorry… Promise, not keeping it, I’m sorry…. hic”
Raising hiccups, what she said were words of apology.
“Dale, Latina was bad, are you angry?”
“I’m not, I’m not angry ok… Ahhhhhh, I was just so worried!”
While Latina was crying, Dale was shaking his head sideways violently but, Latina further continued with her words. As if he was wrong, she shook her head as well.
“Be angry, it’s ok. Latina was bad so hic… But, Latina, was, was scared, I was scared of what if I couldn’t come back, it was scary”
Tears kept flooding out of her large grey eyes.
For a child this young, looking at herself cry was a first, and murmured with what tiny composure she had left.
“Don’t, leave me alone anymore, Dale…. it’s ok being angry with Latina so, I want to be together with Dale…hic”
After safely returning to the “Dancing Ocelot”, it seems Latina thought about many things in her own way.
Even the recollection of despair and anxiety as a lost child was probably manipulated by that big feeling.
After going through with her belief that she has to apologize, she washed away those feelings of anxiety.
–Which is, what Dale guessed after he calmed down later.
At this moment, in all that confusion, all Dale could do was hold the sobbing Latina tightly.
Right now she’s probably crying for the sake of crying.
Latina just occasionally hiccuped without saying a word.
The attack and defense of Latina continuing to cry without end and Dale comforting her without end, welcomed the conclusion of her being tired of crying.
As Latina switched to sleeping, being tired of crying and being carried by Dale, the surrounding guests were watching attentively while giving Dale a shady grin.
In later years it’s known as “The Wailing and Panic incident”. It was the moment that this shop birthed a new drinking story.