CHAPTER 5: IL CANTO DI MALAVITA PIΓ
(More songs of the bad life)
Today at basketball practice Coach Fletcher spent most of his time going over what to expect from Saint Mathew's, the school they were playing tomorrow night. During the regular season the team usually played two basketball games a week, one on Wednesday or Thursday nights and one on Saturday afternoons. Practice let out at the usual time of four in the afternoon and Colin got home around four-thirty. When he arrived at the apartment he was by himself once more, his mother still being at work.
Today would be Colin's first day back to work at his uncle's restaurant. Colin had started out there as a dishwasher and busboy, and eventually moved up to prep cook. When he turned eighteen, Patrick had allowed Colin to become a server. He enjoyed cooking in the kitchen, but if you were a good enough at it, you could make more money waiting tables by earning good tips plus a regular salary. Colin was good with people, he was always polite and did his best to make their dining experience pleasant, and as a result, most of the time he received generous tips from the people he waited on.
Colin was scheduled to work from five to nine today. Inwardly he groaned at that. Today was going to be an even longer day away from his beautiful mother than yesterday had been. But Colin knew that having a job was important and that however long he was apart from his love, they would make up for it at night. He had been spoiled by all the time he got to spend alone with Aileen over the holidays. Colin knew he had to get himself into the mindset that he couldn't be with her all the time. The only thought that really helped him manage to bear this separation was that no matter what, he would be coming home to her every night.
Colin changed into his uniform of black shoes, black slacks, and a green polo shirt with the "Reilly's Pub and Grill" logo printed on the left breast. Colin put his coat back on and headed off to work.
The pub was pretty much in walking distance from the apartments, if you considered twenty blocks as being in walking distance, which Colin did. He had to hustle though to get there by five. He could have taken the bus if he wanted to but Colin preferred to walk, it was probably faster anyway. He wouldn't have to deal with standing around waiting at the bus stop for a bus that usually ran late and would be making stops at every block to let people on and off.
Colin was glad Uncle Pat had given him his job back. However, he was concerned about how to treat his uncle on the subject of Seth, whether he should tell his uncle what he knew or not. Colin had been thinking about this all day and he decided that he should tell his mother about it first. This was a family matter and the entire family needed to deal with this together but Aileen was his partner in life and she deserved to be the first person he told. She was his greatest ally as well and he felt that as long as the two of them were together they could accomplish anything. Thinking of his mother made Colin's heart long for her so much it was almost unbearable, so he did what he had to do regularly over the last two days, force the burning desire he held for her into a slow boil to be heated up to full blast when he saw her again.
Colin arrived at work a few minutes early. He went to the back of the pub to hang up his coat and punch in on his time card then went to over to where the linens were stored to grab a black apron that he would wear around his waist. The apron had pockets for him to store pads, pens and his guest checks within. He went over to the bar to sign in and be given the guest checks he would be using that night.
As Colin approached, he saw his uncle coming out of the small office he had on the other side of the long bar.
Patrick took one look at Colin and said, "Jesus Colin! What the hell happened to your face?"
"It got bruised by a certain cousin of mine during basketball practice yesterday," Colin said blandly.
"Ah, I see," Patrick said. Then, "I'm sorry lad, but I can't have you working the floor looking like that."
"What?" Colin said looking at his uncle to see if he was kidding. He looked serious.
"I can't have you waiting on customers with that big splotch on your face," Patrick said.
"It will be gone in a few days, a week at the most," Colin said.
"Then in a week you can start waiting on tables again."
"C'mon Uncle Pat, please, it's not that bad," Colin pleaded.
"I'm sorry Colin, but I can't," Patrick said.
Colin looked at his uncle in dismay. He couldn't believe this, Seth got him again! It was Seth's fault his face looked this way. Colin knew it hadn't been an accident and now he wasn't entirely sure Seth hadn't planned for this to happen as well. Always thinking ten moves in advance...
Patrick ran his hand through his graying hair and said, "Look, we're a bit short in the kitchen this week, so if you want to, you can work back there in prep at kitchen wages."
Colin figured that was better than nothing, he still enjoyed working in the kitchen; he could just make more as a waiter. "I'll take it. Thanks Uncle Pat," Colin said.
"You're welcome Colin. You are my favorite nephew after all," Patrick said with a smile.
I wonder if I'll still be your favorite nephew once I tell you your son is a criminal. Even though I'm your only nephew you may wish you had no nephews after that.
Colin thought as he went back to the linens to trade in his black apron for a white one.
* * *
It was slow at the pub for most of the evening so there really wasn't much to do. Colin had sliced all the vegetables he thought they would need that night and was taking his time dipping boneless chicken breasts in batter and flour so they would be ready to fry up whenever someone ordered a dish or sandwich that called for crispy chicken.
The head cook and general manager of the kitchen was a guy named Pete. Pete was relatively new, the old kitchen manager, Joey, had found a job somewhere else and given his notice. Pete was kind of a nervous guy and the type that was always looking over your shoulder to see if you were doing things the right way. Colin had worked in this kitchen for four years, he knew the place better than anyone else and it was a little annoying having Pete tell him every little thing he had to do.