Twenty minutes later, Naya was looking over a sticky menu trying to find an item she recognized, or could at least pronounce. Over the corner of her eye, she could see two young waitresses talking to each other in hushed voices, making quick glances at Dante and Naya's table, not that Dante took notice. They'd been seated in a corner booth of the small restaurant, with Dante facing the kitchen and Naya facing the door.
"Do you know those two?" Naya whispered discreetly to Dante.
Dante turned his head to the waitresses in the most obvious way that made Naya want to sink further in her seat.
"Yeah, they're the manager's daughters. They make the best chilli for our block parties," Dante answered with no regard for how loud his voice was. Naya turned a deep shade of red as the two waitresses stifled the giggles between them.
An older woman who shared similar facial features pushed open the kitchen doors and appeared to scold them for a good three minutes. The woman, presumably the manager, then flashed a tight smile at the table and mumbled abuses under her breath as she marched back to the kitchen.
One of them finally trudged to the table with her notepad, looking highly irritated and asked, "What do you wanna order?"
"Uh…" Naya looked over the menu one last time desperately and finally gave up. "You know what, can I just get an orange soda?"
Dante held up his hand to stop the impatient waitress from taking the order, "Ignore her, we'll take two orders of iyan and egusi soup."
"Whatever," she huffed. The waitress scribbled the order on her notepad and stamped to the kitchen. A moment later, they could hear the waitress bark, "They want iyan and egusi!"
Naya heard the kitchen doors burst open and angry stomping. She suddenly took interest in the curiously shaped black pepper shaker that lay on its side.
"She seems… nice." Naya hesitated. She attempted to right the pepper shaker, only to have it fall on its side with a hollow clang.
"Nah, just ignore her. She can be a total bitch sometimes," Dante huffed.
"So you know all the people in your neighborhood?" Naya asked, holding the shaker in place.
"Not all, but most." Dante paused, "What about you?"
"Hah! I don't even know my next door neighbor's name!" Naya chuckled lightly.
"Wait, seriously?"
"Yeah… they sent a lasagna and we sent some gourmet cookies, but after that… nothing," Naya shrugged.
"So who do you have over for parties and stuff? If I had a house like that, I'd be throwing ragers every weekend."
Naya smiled sadly,"Can't have parties if your parents are out of town most of the time and all your dad's 'friends' are shady cronies," she twirled the pepper shaker on its side. "Hey, where's the salt shaker?"
Dante's eyes widened with surprise. "Wait, what?"
"The table's missing the salt shaker." Naya's eyes darted to a table across from their's. She snatched a lone white ceramic figure and connected to her own black shaker and smiled with contempt as the two seemed to complete a whole, each leaning into the other in a hug.
"No, I mean… your dad deals with crooks?" Dante asked, realizing the situation may have been sensitive. Naya shrugged casually. Dante continued, "I mean, I've heard that stuff happening in my neighborhood, and to huge companies- and your dad isn't that rich."
"I guess that makes us higher middle class?" Naya mused to herself. "I guess we're the best at keeping to ourselves. Bigger companies have a spotlight on them twenty four seven, and from what you've told me, everyone in your neighborhood more or less knows everyone else. We… just blend into the background."
"Sounds lonely," Dante observed.
"That's just my life. I've learned to just live off myself. And the last time I reached out… it didn't end well." Naya trailed off. She looked out the dusted restaurant window and willed herself to keep it together.
"Well, not anymore," Dante declared. Naya raised an eyebrow. "You have Manny, my mom, Freddie, and me," Dante declared. Naya's lips slowly formed into a bashful smile. Dante leaned in and whispered intimately in her ear, "And I'm pretty sure Alex has a soft spot for you." Dante leaned back slightly and found himself fixed into Naya's piercing chocolate brown eyes. Naya held his gaze.
The restaurant seemed too quiet, as if holding its breath to see who would lose the staring contest first.
Dante was the first to break, when he yelped at the sound of the entrance bell as the entry to the restaurant swung open. Naya snickered and covered her mouth, horrified by the sound that sent Dante doubling over in laughter.
A middle aged woman approached the table and lightly shook Dante's shoulders. "What's so funny here?" the woman playfully demanded to know.
Dante recognized the voice and turned around to hug his assailant. "Mrs. Jacobs! What are you doing here?" Dante cheerfully asked.
"I could ask the same for you. You didn't take your pretty new friend to your own mother's restaurant. For shame, Dante, for shame," Mrs. Jacobs shook her head as she ruffled Dante's hair.
"Mrs. Jacobs, this is Naya, Manny's tutor, and Naya this is Mrs. Jacobs, Freddie's ma," Dante said, introducing the two. Naya courteously stood up and extended her hand, which Mrs. Jacobs shook tightly, impressed by the young woman's grip. Dante continued, "Why would I pay for food I get at home for free? What's your excuse?" Dante questioned.
Mrs. Jacobs sighed and smiled tightly, "I was missing him- my late husband, " She clarified for Naya, "He used to cook me all this stuff from his home, especially during my pregnancy cravings." She laughed lightly at the memory. "Now when I eat Nigerian food, I feel like he's right next to me, ready to hold my hair if I need to puke my guts out." The bell at the checkout counter rang incessantly. Mrs. Jacobs turned to see the waitress leaning against the counter, her hands on her hips.
"Joy in a bad mood again?" Mrs. Jacobs asked. Dante nodded his head yes. "I blame her name. It's too much pressure to put on a child." Mrs. Jacobs approached the counter and paid for her takeout. "You two have fun on your date now," Mrs. Jacobs said, as she approached the door.
"Oh we're not- I mean,we're just-" Dante stumbled. Naya looked down at her lap. He knew he should have corrected her, but he really didn't want to.
"Oh, seems I've hit a nerve," Mrs. Jacobs smiled slyly and winked before pushing the door open and exiting the restaurant, leaving behind a mess of unacknowledged suppressed feelings in the air.