"Don't let that devil work you to death! If he does, I'll make sure to make him regret living in this world." Is what my mom said to me before I skate my way to my uncle's restaurant to do some part-time work. I can't imagine what kind of grudge my mother has against her own brother that makes her not even want to meet him in person anymore. Even though that, I am surprised that she still let me work at his restaurant. Perhaps that's just her way of showing me how bad of a person her brother is.
(El Huervo - Daisuke) From my feet, I can feel the roughness of the grey sidewalk via the vibration of the deck. White building walls start to decorate the street as I skate towards downtown. While doing kickflips and grinds, a bunch of teenagers catches my attention as they spray cans of paint on the building walls. 'God can be bought' read one of the graffiti they just made. Besides them, there's a hobo sitting on the ground. His hands reach out to his front, shaking a piece of can that seems to be filled with a couple of pence. A small normal sight to see in this city full of tall skyscrapers and palm trees. Fresh wind from the Atlantic ocean hits my face and hair as I turn and head towards the east. On my way, I see a lot of stuff going on. Police cleaning up a murder scene inside a store, thugs beating up an unlucky person in an alley, crackheads getting high on the side of the street. It's busy as usual.
The year is 2017 but my uncle said this place feels like back in 1985. With all of the gang wars, mass shootings, murder, killing, rape, and burglary that are happening here on a daily basis because of the drug epidemic, he said today's situation isn't that far from what he used to experience. I'm not sure if what he said is true because I thought this place used to be called a paradise back in the '80s. A place full of sunshine and dreams where everyone can have fun and live a simple life with few worries. Well, that's just from what I heard. Perhaps, people back then didn't really care. Maybe they are all just minding their own business, not realizing the stuff that is happening around them. I guess, it has always been like that.
At the Restaurant, the sound of fire burning and sizzling from the pan jazz up the kitchen as everyone is busy making food for the customer.
Tina: "MIKE! Where's the order for table 6? It's been over 5 minutes!" Shout a little girl over the counter with an angry tone.
Mike: "Just a sec kiddo." I reply to her. I hastily walk to the table that connects the kitchen and the counter while I carry 2 pepperoni pizzas. At the table, the little girl looked at me with a somewhat disappointed face.
Mike: "Here you go kid." I said to her as I handed over the 2 pizzas.
Tina: "Is being slow on the head isn't enough for you?"
Mike: "Could you just shut your mouth and deliver the order?"
Tina: "Sure thing captain slow." She said before she goes off to deliver the pizzas to the customer. Smh* This kid.
From where I stand, I can see the restaurant is jam-packed with visitors. There are only 6 tables in the restaurant. all of them are occupied. Where the hell do these guys come from? It's really unusual for the restaurant to be this crowded, especially on Sunday. Not long, Tina comes back, while carrying a pizza from one of the customers.
Tina: "Hey dumbass, did you make this Pizza?" Tina puts the Pizza in front of me.
Mike: "Where's this come from?"
Tina: "Table 5." she said while also giving me the order paper.
Tina: "You should've put portobello on it, not chentelleres."
Mike: "I'm not the one who made this, Jack was."
Tina: "Well tell him to make a new one then. And be sure to tell him to make it quick!" she said before she left to serve the customers.
Mike: "Hey Jack, you screwed up the toppings on the pizza for table 5." I shouted at the guy who's busy making a lasagna. The guy turns around and looks at me with his dark green eyes. His name is Jack. He's my uncle's foster child. You could say that he's my cousin. Well, I always regard him as a brother. He's been with us since he was 14. He's one year older than me but he and I always treat each other like we are the same age.
Jack: "Really?" he asked me back in disbelief. I quickly walked over to him while carrying the pizza that he messed up with the order paper.
Mike: "Dude, this pizza should have a portobello on it, not chentelleres." I said to him while showing him the pizza and the order paper. Jack sees the order paper and realizes his mistake.
Jack: "Could you please help me continue to make this lasagna while I fix this order?"
Mike: "Oh sure man, let me handle this." I said to him while giving him a pat on his shoulders.
Jack: "Thanks, Mike." Jack thanked me and quickly took a dough to make a new pizza.
Tina: "Who's working on the lasagna for table 1?" Tina
Mike: "Me." I shouted
Tina: "Pick up the speed grandpa! The customer is waiting!" shouts the little girl again while she looks into the kitchen from the counter. That little brat is Tina, she's also my uncle's foster child. She's 2 years younger than me, but she always thinks she's smarter than me.
Mike: "Yeah-yeah, I'm still working on it." I said to her while pouring some cheese.
While making the lasagna, a hand grabbed me from behind. I turn around to see a big fat bloke wearing a chef hat standing in front of me. His name is Big Sam, and from his name, you could probably tell what he looks like. "That's not right." he told me with sign language while pointing his fingers towards the lasagna that I'm making. "What's wrong?" I ask him also with sign language. "You put too much cheese in that one." he tells me. "The customers want it like that." I explained while also showing him the order paper. "But this is too much." He still complained. I looked at the lasagna. "Looks fine to me." I tell him. He just shook his head and told me to take off some of the cheese. So I did.
Mario: "Mike! Where are you?" Someone shouted from the backdoor. It's my uncle, Mario. He's the owner of this restaurant. He's your ordinary Italian American old fellow. He's fat, likes to smoke cigars, and also runs an illegal multi-million dollar drug smuggling operation along the east coast.
Mike: "What is it, Uncle?" I look at him for a second to see that he's holding 4 stacks of pizza.
Mario: "I want you to deliver these."
Mike: "My hands are full here; can you ask someone else?" I said to him, knowing that there's still a fuckton of order that has to be made.
Mario: "I'll take care of the kitchen. You don't have to worry about it."
Mike: "Oh, ok." I quickly take off my apron and get changed into my jacket.
Mario: "Here's the address. You should quickly deliver them." He gave me a piece of paper for the addresses.
Mike: "Roger that."
Mario: "I want you to be very careful with that bottom one alright?" he warns me.
Mike: "Don't tell me, It's the good stuff isn't it?"
Mario: "hehe, you're correct my boi."
Mike: "C'mon uncle, you know I don't want to deliver this kind of stuff in the middle of the day."
Mario: "I'll give you 50."
Mike: "Say no more."
I've delivered these kinds of stuff since I work at the restaurant. It is kind of different from what I usually do. I don't really like doing this out of my routine. But oh well, as long I get dem credits I guess. brenggg* The sound of the restaurant Vespa echoes through the street. The bright red color and the shiny chrome wheels reflect the beauty of the city as it rolls down the street. The traffic isn't really crowded since it's Sunday. I can relax while cruising without having to be worried about getting late delivering these orders. Actually, the things that I should worry about are the cops and the people who might want to steal this special delivery. But firstly cops. They are the most crooked and corrupt people in this city. All they do is laze around, shoot some rando on the streets, and sucking up to people's money.
I mean look at those guys right there, Jabba the Hutt and Gollum. They'll be sitting right there in their cruiser for a whole day and only get out if they need some money. They would stop a random guy and throw some jurisdiction bullshit to their faces, and the only thing that random guy could do is to accept it by giving them bribe money or getting a fine- Oh shit, I'm starting to catch their attention, I shouldn't stare at them for too long. Chillax Mike, just ride, ignore them. "Hey you, stop right there boi!" one of the cops shouted at me. Shit, should I hit the gas? "If you don't stop we'll shoot you!" The other cop warned me. Ah, fuck this shit. I had no choice but to stop. They were already out of the car, I'll just stand here on my bike and let them approach me.
Officer Tubs: "Well, well, well, what do we have here."
Officer Lank: "Why are you trying to run from us boi?"
Mike: "Because I don't want to be caught delivering these drugs, officer."
Officer Tubs: "Yeah, very funny kid, show me your license."
I pull my wallet out of my pants. Before I give it to him, he snatches it from me and looks inside of it. Thankfully I'm broke as fuck. He gives a sarcastic look to me like he's mocking me, he finally then pulls out my ID card and my License.
Officer Tubs: "hmmm, Mike Wazowski? That's an interesting name."
Officer Lank: "Do you know why we stopped you kid?"
Mike: "Umm, no sir." I answer while noticing the cruiser that they leave behind beside the sidewalk is being stolen by a group of criminals using a tow truck.
Officer Tubs: "You see, my friend here saw you hitting the zebra cross at the junction."
Wtf? I was just in that zebra cross like an inch, there is nobody crossing it anyway.
Officer Lank: "Do you know how much fine you get for stepping on that zebra cross?"
I honestly don't know and don't care.
Officer Lank: "That's right 100$."
Officer Tubs: "We know it's kinda cruel to be giving you such a hefty fine since you're just a pizza boi."
Officer Lank: "That's why we'll give you a way out."
Officer Tubs: "You should be thankful the one who caught you is us. If it weren't us, you'll definitely take that fine, hehehehe."
Mike: "Sure ... " I comply with them.
Officer Tubs: "Now, why don't you step aside and show us one of these ... 'drugs'." Just as I thought they were only looking for the pizza. I hop out of the Vespa and start to untie the knot that holds the pizzas on the back seat.
Officer Tubs: "What's the topping on these pizzas?"
Mike: "The three on top are meat and cheese."
Skinny Police: "And the bottom one?"
Mike: "Ehh, It's pineapple." I answer him nervously.
Officer Tubs: "Pineapple? That's my favorite."
What the fuck man.
Mike: "-and lots of pepper, chili, and paprika." I quickly added.
Officer Tubs: "What? Who the hell ordered those kinds of toppings?" the cops asked me.
Mike: "I have no idea sir."
Officer Tubs: "Oh well. It's not like we are able to eat all of this anyway. I guess we'll just take the top three." I took the top three and just handed it over to them.
Officer Lank: "Thanks for the Pizza kid. Now screw off and get the hell out of our sight."
I quickly jump back on the Vespa and get away from those cops.
Officer Lank: "Hehe, what a dumb kid."
Officer Tubs: "Let's get back to the HQ and fill our stomachs with these loots."
When the both of them turn around they see that their car is missing.
Officer Tubs: " ... Lank, do you forgot to lock the doors again?"
Officer Lank: "Shit ... "
Hehe, what a bunch of morons. Fiuh, that was so close. I guess this is why it's better to do these kinds of things at night, and not with this slow junk. In the end, I managed to deliver the special product to the customers in one of many apartments in the city. The other order got covered by my uncle after I called him and told him what happened. I then get back to the restaurant and continue to work until my shift ends. While cleaning the restaurant I got a call from my mother, she said there's an urgent call from her company and she needs to go somewhere for a week.
Mike: "Yes, I won't buy anything unnecessary with the grocery money, ... yes-yes I will clean the house and do the laundry too ... Of course I will eat and sleep properly ... okay, love you too mom." klek* I close the phone.
Mario: "She's going out on her business trip again is she?"
Mike: "Yup, like usual."
Mario: "Sigh* I still don't get why she wouldn't just let me help her with her finances."
Mike: "C'mon uncle, you already know the answer to that question."
Mario: "Hehe, you might be right. Well, tonight, I have deliveries going in 30 minutes at the keys. Say, do you wanna pick it up and make yourself some cash?"
Mike: "Pfft, you know you don't have to ask me about that."