That Stupid Little Waiter

Chapter 8 - Crimson Craving

Ever since Rody was a young, impressionable child, the world had been a curious place to him. From the blue sky above that donned the fluffy white clouds and the rustling green leaves, to things around the house like his family's TV and telephone, it had always intrigued him in a way that was hard to explain in his little mind. To him, each small thing was a surprise for him to discover, and each discovery he made was another piece of puzzle for him to unlock a different aspect of what this world had to offer. Everything he saw, he had to find out more about it. Everything he touched or heard, it brought him an incomprehensible rush of excitement. He could still remember the very first memories he formed, the memories of him eating his childhood food for the first time, touching his toy train that he was captivated with, watching something that quickly became his comfort movie, and his first time seeing a car. It was on a beautiful morning when he saw a "giant running machine" rolling past him while on a stroll with his dad. As his big brown eyes widened with fascination, he tugged on his dad's sleeves, pointing at it as he asked what it was.

"It's a car." On his dad's lips was a smile that Rody definitely got from him. As his dad enthusiastically explained to him how it worked in a way that his young mind could grasp, Rody couldn't help asking something.

"Dad, can I try it?"

His dad let out a small chuckle before patting his head. "Not right now, but when you grow up and work hard, perhaps you can be in one, alright?"

Technically speaking, that did happen. But how can Rody tell his dad that instead of driving in his own car, he was sitting in the passenger seat next to his boss, the one and only Vincent Charbonneau, in his very own personal car, and was being driven back to his apartment by said boss? In his humble opinion, that was way more far-fetched than having a car of his own.

It was after yet another late night shift for him. Ever since Vincent hired the new waiter a long while ago, he worked mainly day shifts, but here and there, the new guy would ask him to cover for him due to emergencies, and he would do the same if Rody was unable to work that day. It was Rody's turn to cover for him again tonight, everything was well until at the end of the shift, it started pouring the moment he stepped foot outside. And it was pouring hard, to the point it was almost impossible to see where he was going, the fierce wind rattling the trees nearby. "I'll wait it out", he told himself, but was quickly convinced to get into the car with Vincent when it had been a full half an hour and the rain did not get better. He was so busy hoping the rain would stop that he didn't quite notice the look he was giving Francis, his coworker who did also have a car and could've absolutely given him a ride instead.

If you were to ask Francis what the look was like, he would tell you "it's hard to describe", but he and the rest of the chefs knew that look, it was the look, as how they called it. As he was getting ready to leave, he caught it on Vincent's face, whose body was turning away from him, but it was unmistaken that it was there, and Vincent just shot it to him in the matter of seconds. Chuckling, Francis headed home, but if he had to be honest, there was an irresistible urge in him to walk past Vincent while simultaneously whispering in his ear "didn't want to steal your chance anyway, boss." Therefore, there Rody was, in the car with Vincent himself. And perhaps the more unbelievable fact was that, this wasn't the first time this had happened.

As the car soared through the pouring rain, Rody watched the droplets of rain racing amongst each other on the window as he let his mind drift along with the soothing sounds of the rain hitting the car. It was also raining heavily that day, the day when his life took a turn that he didn't see coming. Never would he have thought he would go for seven months without seeing Manon's smile, listening to her voice and holding her in his embrace, yet that was exactly what he did. Some days were better than others, and on some nights, he found himself staring at the phone, struggling to pick it up and call her number. "Just one more time", he would justify it in his mind, but another thought would cross and it was Vincent's exact words-"She sacrificed the relationship... for both of you." So, one night, instead of reaching for the phone, he walked to the fridge and snatched off the piece of paper with her number on it. It was the same piece of paper she had slid into his hands with a smile after they oddly kept running into each other at a coffee shop, those random encounters turned into small chatters, and those chatters blossomed into a date and something more. If he had to be honest, something in him stung when he was gripping the paper in his hands, as though unwilling to get rid of the memories, but eventually, he let go of the paper and threw it in the trash, just like how he let go of Manon because as much as it hurt, he loved her too much to cling onto what was left of their relationship.