“Waiter,” called Walter at the hustling server, a table away already. Walter drank a little wine.
The waiter broke stride and doubled back.
Not a lot of places like this in the Dakotas.
Walter, again, “I think it’s time to mention that my brother—my brother’s Chef Peter. He’s working tonight, right? And the job he did? Not so bad. Please tell him everything was great, let him know I’m out here before you come back with the bill, okay? Will ya, pal?”
Tablecloth joint. Waiter’s in an outfit. The silverware’s nice.
“Ahem, um,” scratching of the neck, a shuffle, “well sir, I’m sorry, but Chef Peter stopped…he, um, he doesn’t work here anymore. You’re his brother?”
“Yes.”
“I thought you looked like him. He just stopped coming in, out of the blue, about two weeks ago. We were all so surprised.”
“Jeez, don’t tell me that.” Looks away to hide contempt. There’s a stain on the cloth tinged pink from the jus from the beef.
“I’m sorry, sir; it’s the truth.”
“I know. Look, I believe you, I’m sorry.” Head in hands for a second, recovers to, “Can you just bring the check?”
It had dripped off of the meat on his fork and he was bothered when he noticed, but he let it happen because he was so full and distracted.
The waiter brings back the bill and there was a mint on it, a green peppermint—the little things—it was more expensive then I thought it would be, per usual.
***
For all installments from 30 Birds, click here.
Previous installments:
- “Velvet” by the Bloody Eyes
- “Subtle” by Yukio Mishima
- “Geronimo Sunset!” by Jun. 27
- “My Hero” by Annie Wonoffate Million
- “Gender” by Jun. 27, Part 1
- “Gender” by Jun. 27, Part 2
- “Eel Dogs ‘Til Stupid” by Jun. 27
- “Pleasant Town” by Jun. 27
- “Daffy” by Herman Barker
- “Classic, Ecstatic, and Shocked (My First Kiss)” by John Robert Barnes
- I Would/Would I?/Wouldn’t You?
- “Fabled” by Jun. 27
- “Simpatico Starring Matthew McConaughey” by Harrison Ford
- “Tarantella” by Jun. 27
- “That Time a Toucan Was in Our Backyard/The Very First Thing I Can Remember” by John Robert Barnes
- “Gutwrenching (Sadism in Palindrome)” by the Bloody Eyes
- “Maraschino” by John Robert Barnes
- “Church and God” by John Robert Barnes
- “And a Phanta?smagoria” by John Robert Barnes
John Robert Barnes wrote this book, a bunch of stories, a work of fiction with a reference of a name. He isn’t famous on the Internet or in real life, but he would like to be. The primary focuses in his work are the malleability of truth, the false conceit of relatability, and the grandeur of reality. He is an American who lives at home and brews beer.
