"Two ice-coffees please" Helena said. When she and Jade went out, Helena always ordered, and sometimes even told Jade what to get. Not that Jade minded, because, being a restaurant manger herself, Helena knew exactly what she wanted and how to be served. It was the plus-side of her nurturing, motherly nature.
"So, how was the trip?" Helena asked as she lit a cigarette.
"Great, " Jade said as she took the lighter from her sister. "I'm so tired now."
"Did you get wasted?"
"Helena, it was New Year,"
"Did you hook up?"
"Again , it was New Year!" Jade was notoriously private, so she felt uncomfortable.
"Hey, I am just asking because you have a huge hickey on your neck!"
"Um, so what did you do for New Year?"
"Oh, well, Gavin called me from Hawaii, so we got to talk. I went out New Years' Eve with Anne and Dora for drinks."
Jade laughed. Helena was (and fuck, did she like to rub it in) a completely self-made woman. She had earned everything she owned, she made good wage and prided herself in being a lot more mature than most people her age. It was undoubtedly true, and consequently, most of her friends were older. Anne and Dora were each about 45.
"Tonight we'll stay at home and tomorrow I am
picking Gavin up from the airport. Then I will get you and we will stay the night at his place. The next day, the 8th of January, is out first day of work."
"Ok. Who is gonna work for Amalia until she comes back from Brazil?"
"Oh I didn't tell you!" Helena exclaimed with wide eyes
"No, you did not."
"Yeah. Do you remember that guy who came in for a with his mates? You know, he lives directly across the street?"
"Oh, him!"
"What's wrong with him, don't you think he's hot? I thought he would be your type!"
"I never said he's not hot. But he's rude. I was talking to Amalia and said something along the lines of Irish guys with dark hair being the sexist people ever, and he actually interrupted to say that no, I was wrong, and Indians are some of the best-looking people in the world."
"And that bothered you because...?" Helena prodded with a raised eyebrow.
"Because I wasn't talking to him, I don't even know who he is and he interrupted our conversation."
"You already don't like him and he is gonna b working every signle day. Good luck."
"Yeah well he's rude."
*****
The Miscellaneous Mansion was a pub and for those who don't know what pubs are, it's a casual bar where cheap meals are sold. There was also a more fine-dining side with white tablecloths. Allegedly, the place was once very busy, popular and had an excellent rputation for some of the finest seafood in the city. You would never have guessed it by the way it was now though. New owners had been it's downfall, and the place often went through a whole lunch service without selling a single meal in either the bar or te restaurant.
Helena opened the restaurant door and turned off the alarm then headed to the coffee machine.
"Jade what are you having?" she called over to her sister, who was by now sitting at the staff table.
"An epresso, thanks."
"With sugar?"
"No," Jade replied.
It was a bit of a ritual for Jade to contemplate life over coffee and a cigarette. One was never as good without the other.
The bar door swung open and a very tall, very large unkempt man walked in. It was Jeff, the chef (sorry about the rhyme--there is just no other way to say it.) Jeff was 27, but he looked closer to 35 because his long-time addiction to alcohal had taken its toll on his face. He had large, bloodshot blue eyes and pale, pasty skin. There was something unpleasant about him, or perhaps many things, a few of them being that his breath constantly smelled of whisky, his long blond ponytail was always greasy and rather than his chef's pants and jacket, he preffered tracksuit pants that revealed three inches of his buttcrack and thin T-shirts that did little to hide his offensively large manboobs.
"Hey Helena, Jade," He said with a sleepy nod.
"Jeff! How are you?" Helena asked cheerfully.
"Alright I guess, a little hungover."
"Sorry to hear it. Would you like a coffee?"
"Sure, I'll have a latte with one sugar, thanks."
Jade decided to go to the petrol station across the road and buy some credit for her phone.
When she returned, she saw a young man standing behind the bar, and she knew it was the new worker. Helena and Jeff must have already started... She looked him over from a distance. His hair was a very dark brown, his skin was a very light shade of olive and he had very piercing eyes. Holy shit she thought to herself.
"Hi, I'm Jared." he said
"Hi Jared" she said awkwardly.
"And what's your name?" he asked with an amused grin.
"Oh, sorry, um, it's Jade."
"Pleased to meet you Jade," he said, shaking he hand.
"So Jared, how old are you?"
"23, and yourself?"
"17"
There was a bit of a silence and the Jade said, "Well, I should get to work now."
Jeff was cutting steaks at the kitchen bench and asked Jade if she wold mind to light the stove.
"Got a lighter?" she asked him.
"In my pocket," he said.
Jade had just started working here and she couldn't say she didn't want to reach into his filthy pocket, so she braced herself. She knew it wouldn't be pleasant.
Helena the came into the kitchen. "How are you my little worker ant?"
"Fine," Jade mumbled with a roll of her eyes. She hated when Helena addresse her that way. It's so patronizing she thought.
"Jeff, do you mind if I borrow her to go to the supermarket to get some soft drinks?"
"Go for it," Jeff replied.
Going to the store for soft drinks was something Jade normally detested, and today was no exception. Walking in the sun with bags so heavy your arms might break off you shoulders, or worse yet, the bags might break under the weight or their contents, weirdly, is not my idea of of fun.
"Jared will go with you," Helena said.
Jade went into the bar where she saw Jared getting $50 out of the till.
"Let's go," he said as he held the bar door for Jade, and she rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, would you mind to carry this?" he asked, waving the money. "I don't want to lose it,"
"What make you think I won't lose it?" Jade countered, but she took it and put it in her blazer pocket anyway.
They walked passed a laneway and Jared said, "If we go through the laneway it's faster,"
"It actually makes no difference, but yeah..." Jade said as she lit a cigarette. "Would you like one?"
"No thank you, I don't smoke and you shouldn't either."
She chose to ignore that remark since she wanted to be polite and she found it too dumb to be worthy of a proper rebuttal anyway.
"So, you like Nirvana?"
"I do, yes, they're my favourite band. How did you know?"
"Um, you're wearing a Nirvana T-shirt and yo mentioned them last time when we met."
"Yeah. Did we meet exactly, or did we just happen to be at the bar at the same time?"
"Well, I did introduce you my name,"
"Then how did you not know mine today?" Jade wanted it to be that they had not met and save herself the embarassment of forgetting his name.
"No, you didn't tell me,"
"Sorry, I am bad with names," she explained.
"Anyway, about Nirvana, what would you say is their best album?"
"I think Incesticide, but most people say In Utero is better,"
"Really?" Jared raised his eyebrows. "I quite like the unplugged album. Oh Me is a vey good song,"
"Yeah Nirvana's cover is better than the orginal."
"It is, and The Man Who Sold the World is another one they covered very well. It may even be their best song,"
"I know it's my favourite right now. And what kind of music do you like?"
"Queens of the Stone Age are probably my favourite at the moment,"
The talk was all about music all the way there and all the way back. Jared and Jade had similar tastes and shared an appreciation for classics such as the Beatles, The Doors and Led Zeppelin.
It was one of those uneventful lunches and so the kitchen closed early and the staff ordered meals for themselves. Jade sat at a table by the window with her calamari salad and she saw Jared approaching. "Do you mind if I sit here?"
"Go ahead,"
Jared commented on Jade's American accent and she explained she and Helena had grown up in Japan.
"You're just like this girl I knew in Brisbane. Her family is overseas too,"
Jade could tell by the way his eyes changed when he mentioned her, that he had felt for her once. Being likened to an old flame felt a bit odd, seeing as they had just met, but she didn't know what his intentions were. What she did know, though, was that work was gonna be a lot more entertaining with a hot guy around.
