Brian Francis by The Big Bang

Author:The Big Bang
Format: epub
Published: 2013-06-22T16:00:00+00:00

A winter storm roared through the city the following week. I watched as snow blew under my front door. I was scheduled to work and doubted anyone would be hungry enough to venture out, but I bundled up, pulled on my boots and made my way to the restaurant, keeping my head down against the wind.

Eddy was sitting at the bar when I arrived, sucking back a Benson and Hedges. "The Trolley Song" was playing over the speakers. The restaurant was empty.

"Thank god you made it!" he said. "I was afraid I'd be stuck here."

"It's awful out there," I said.

"Lunch was dead. I'd blame it on the weather, but I think you-know-who had more to do with it." He wagged a finger in the direction of the kitchen. The you-know-who was Marty. Louie had hired him to replace Mario. A friend of a friend, Marty came from Sault Ste. Marie and claimed to have been the head chef at the "Will O' the Wisp," one of the city's high-end restaurants. Eddy said there was no high-end anything in the Sault.

So far, Marty's specials had included Spaghetti with Meteor Meatballs and Lunar Liver. No-one was impressed, even though Louie seemed oblivious.

I pulled off my boots and took my shoes from the shopping bag I'd carried them in. "Has Louie been around?"

"He was here this morning. Then Dorika called and he left. I haven't heard from him since. Listen, can I tell you something? Promise you won't tell?"

I nodded. "Sure."

He said he was leaving. Not just the restaurant. The city, too. He couldn't stand it anymore. Could not stand it. Everyone knew everyone. It was incestuous.

"No-one appreciates good drag, either. Do you have any idea what I could make in the States or even Toronto?"

He had a friend in Toronto, a Dolly Parton impersonator, who said Eddy could stay with him at any time, for as long as he needed.

"What do you think Louie will say?" I asked.

"He'll hit the roof," Eddy said. "He knows how hard it'll be to replace me."

He'd stay for another month, he said. Then he'd be gone like the wind.

No-one came to the restaurant that night. Marty's dinner special, Big Bang Burritos, would end up a lunch special for the rest of the week. He came out of the kitchen at various times throughout the evening, attempting conversation, but I gave him one word answers and sat at Louie's table, staring at the snow. The storm had eased up and the flakes fell lightly, settling on the roads and rooftops in a way that seemed thoughtful.

"Where is everyone?" Louie asked when he came back. I could smell the cold air coming from his skin and coat.

"Home," I said. "It's been like this for the night."

He took off his jacket and told me that Dorika had admitted herself to the hospital. For once, he said, she did the right thing.

"I went to her house to get a few of her things. There was mouse shit on the dining-room table.

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