The Misunderstood Predator

The smell of flakey pastries and deep fried, crumb coated food overwhelmed Lucie's senses. The scent drenched her clothing. Seeped into her skin and threatened to resurface as puss. Lucie hated it. Working here. Always feeling oily. Taking orders from angry, hungry people. Not even a hot shower could completely wipe away the grime and displeasure after a shift. She should have quit after her second day of being here, and she almost did. But she had caved. Living in a small town, she couldn't bear to think what people would say about her if she left her second job within two weeks.

Craving a break from the people pointing at the bain-marie and barking orders, she grabbed a damp cloth to clean tables in the dining room.

Meandering over to the dining area, she paused. There, through the glass door to the cafe, was Landre Mallis fumbling to get through with a box that he needed both hands to carry. Landre from her economics class with the hungry eyes and the sadistic smile. He had a predatory stare, the sort that said I will find your deepest insecurities and use them as weapons against you. Each time she was paired with him in class, she would build an impenetrable brick wall around her surrounded by a moat and pointy sticks. Donning her bravest, sweetest smile. Hoping each time that today would be the day that she would win him over. But he always broke down her defences.

‘Nice jacket, Lucie goosey. It looks like you’re wearing a picnic blanket.’

‘Good try, goose. But let me take it from here. We actually want to pass.’

‘Are you trying to be stupid?’

One person had never shown her so much hostility. It sent chills down her spine and made her stomach twist to think someone disliked her so much. Putting her head down, she started to clean the tables with a vigour she had never shown before, hoping he wouldn't notice her when he walked in. She couldn’t deal with him when she already felt so gross.

'Lucie, open the door for that poor bloke, will you?' Vanessa called. She was leaning behind the counter chatting with another staff member.

Lucie rolled her eyes at the gravy stain she had been ferociously scrubbing on the table. She wanted to whip her head around and tell Vanessa to do it herself. That she was busy. But she couldn't find her voice. Imagine what the rest of the staff would say if she did that. Lucie’s so lazy. Lucie never listens. Lucie always bosses us around. She stood up and sighed. Looks like she would have to face the devil today. Putting on a charming smile, she charged courageously toward the door.

Lucie opened it too quickly and Landre, who had been pushing on it with his body weight, stumbled into the cafe, the gargantuan box jingling and threatening to crash to the floor. Dread filled her as his accusatory, angry eyes met hers. She waited for the sadistic grin. The snide comment. But once he realised who it was, he went rigid and dropped his eyes to the floor. Lucie blinked. Could Landre be embarrassed to see me?

Attempting not to make her surprise obvious, she smiled meekly and looked up into the air.

'Hello, Landre.' It was the best she could offer. Landre barely nodded as he turned to leave, Lucie standing there with both the door and her mouth open wide. She could not believe what she was seeing.

Landre stopped halfway through the door frame.

'How long have you worked here?' he asked without looking at her.

'Only a couple weeks.'

He nodded, his eyebrows knotted as if he were deep in thought. He took a deep steadying breath and then raced back inside toward the cafe's counter. Was this real? She followed him. She needed to know why he was being so odd.

'Is the manager in?' he asked the girls behind the counter, still chatting away and ignoring most of the customers. They looked lazily from him, to the box and then to Lucie.

'Lucie will help you.' The younger one - not Vanessa - smiled smugly. Lucie smiled back to keep from frowning. She had only been working here for two weeks while they had been here for nearly two years, but sure. The manager wasn’t in, so the next best thing was the inexperienced employee.

'How can I help?' Lucie said, approaching him carefully so she didn’t startle him. Or give him a reason to bite.

He stared down at the box for an incredibly long time before answering. Lucie thought he wasn’t going to answer. But as if finally deciding something, he looked up with a flash of the usual venom in his eyes.

'I'm just dropping off the paintings that the manager asked for.'

There was an array of artwork on the walls of the cafe. Local artists displaying their work to sell. Lucie always admired the paintings while she wiped tables and swept floors. She loved one artist in particular, the one that painted all of the sharks. They weren't your typical shark paintings, which showed off their power, size and brute strength. Their razor sharp, bloodied fangs. Their wide, predatory grins ready to attack an unsuspecting animal or human. Nor were they the basic colours of ocean blue and blood red. This artist painted them using a myriad of colours- lavender, sunburnt orange, bright pink and seaside green. These sharks were not braced to attack, but swimming peacefully amongst brightly coloured coral and underwater creatures. Even scuba-divers. Never had she seen such a vicious predator painted in such harmony.

'Oh, exciting. She did tell me we were expecting some new artwork today.' She glanced at Landre, expecting him to make a nasty comment about her liking art, but to her surprise he remained silent. He was staring out the window, scratching his arm and biting his lip.

Lucie opened the box and pulled out the first layer of tissue paper. It was more of the shark paintings. She removed painting after painting, each more beautiful than the last. She drank in the colours, absorbed the peace and harmony within them. They were beautiful, each framed in gold.

'Who paints these?' Lucie asked Landre, but he didn't answer. She couldn't believe that he would be associated with someone who produced such dazzling pieces of art.

Every piece was breath-taking, but there was one in particular that captivated her. A great white shark, mouth opened wide, teeth exposed. An image that would terrify her to her core- if it weren't for the rainbow of colours twirling out of its mouth. The colour made the shark seem magical. Majestic. Powerful, but mesmerising.

'Who knew sharks could be so beautiful.' Lucie breathed.

Landre, who was tensed and ready to pounce as he watched Lucie flick through the paintings, softened.

'They're not the scary, blood hungry monsters that they're made out to be.'

Lucie looked at Landre and raised an eyebrow, silently beckoning him to continue. His eyes lit up as he told Lucie about glory and wonder of sharks. Their importance in the world. Their dislike for salty humans. How they fall victim to human hands. Watching his passion for the poor, misunderstood predators made Lucie smile. And not the fake smile she reserved for customers and her work friends.

'That's why I paint them with so many bright colours, to show the world what they aren't seeing.'

'You painted these?'

He thought for a beat before nodding, assessing her from the corner of his eyes and searching for any kind of betrayal or mockery. But there was none.

'You have to let me buy this one. How much?' She held up the great white shark painting in her hands.

'Take it.'

'How much?'

'Nothing. Consider it a gift from a friend.' He smiled a toothy grin. But this time there was no malice or threat in it, just pure bliss.

She cast her eyes over the great white shark that was dancing with colour and smiled back.