Chapter 14: When It Rains, It Pours

Not much has happened in the last few weeks regarding Dirk and my Jeep. Maybe that asshole is finally happy now and done with me? I would like to think that, but something inside me says, no, he’s not.

After school, Jeff and I go to Marc’s house to hang out. Jeff seems all fidgety and excited about something, maybe something to do with Bethany? I’m sure he’ll tell me all about it soon enough.

Marc announces, “So, I was thinking of asking Veronica Palermo to the prom.”

“Well, okay ... Wow ... Veronica Palermo, huh?” I say.

“Yeah, why do you say it like that?” Marc asks.

Veronica is nice and outgoing, for the most part; very Italian, with gorgeous long black hair. She does have quite a sassy side to her though, and I get the feeling she won’t put up with any bullshit, what-so-ever, from any guy she chooses to date.

I can’t say that Veronica hasn’t caught my eye from time to time. How could any guy overlook her very ample chest, and those super-tight t-shirts and jeans she likes to wear? Part of me would also be a bit intimidated by her abundance of self-confidence. Not that that’s a bad thing for a girl, but with her, I get the sense she will definitely be the boss in any relationship. I can almost hear her saying, “You want these boobs and this ass? Then it’s going to be my-way, or no-way.”

“Veronica is great and all,” I shrug, “But, if she says, ‘yes,’ you’re going to have your hands full with her, just so you know...”

“It’s just a dance, Kyle...” Marc rolls his eyes.

“Kyle is right, Veronica is a pretty strong personality, are you up for it?” Jeff concurs.

“Yeah, I know how Veronica can be, but maybe I need someone like her? She can help keep my ego in check, you know...”

“Well, then, I say go for it!” I fist bump Marc.

“Better not wait too long,” Jeff adds, “We need to get our money and prom reservations in by next week.”

“Where’s it at again?” Marc asks.

“It’s at the Regency Suites on MacArthur, out by the freeway,” I tell him.

“At a hotel huh? Fancy.”

“Yeah, they usually have the prom at a fancy banquet hall like that.”

“So, are you and Tiffany getting a room there for the night?” Jeff asks.

“I would love to, but my mom would probably have a shit-fit. She’s still a little peeved about walking in on us.”

Marc laughs, “So, what do you do now when the urge hits?”

“Usually some making-out in Tiffany’s room after school.”

Seeing that Marc seems more comfortable with us talking about our girlfriend relations, Jeff’s fidgetiness is returning. Maybe Marc is is more comfortable with this sort of conversation being that he has the possibility of a date with Veronica.

Finally, Jeff pops, “Can I tell you guys about what happened with Bethany yesterday?”

“Sure!” Marc says.

“So, okay. Afterschool, I was at her house and her parents were gone and we, sort of, got into, you know, kissing and making-out...”

“And...?” I ask.

“And, she took her shirt and bra off to let me play with her tits! Next thing I knew, I had my pants down and she started playing with me. She even went down and sucked on me for a while! Wow, let me tell you, did THAT ever feel great!”

“Did she let you cum in her mouth?” Marc eagerly asks, he’s is getting into this.

“I didn’t know if I should of, I was kind of nervous and stuff. I wasn’t sure if she would get mad if I did...”

“You can always ask how she feels about it next time,” I say.

Jeff continues, “So, after that, I went down on her and licked her pussy for a little while. Her smell is stronger there that I was expecting...”

I nod and laugh, “Yeah, it can be...”

“But, I got used to it and she seemed to like it ... and that’s about it. We got our clothes back on before her parents came home.”

“You didn’t put it in her?” Marc asks, with a little friendly disappointment. I think he really wanted to hear more.

“It all just kind of happened, and I was going along with what she seemed to want do. Plus, I didn’t have a condom on me at the time.”

“You’ll need to go get some, soon.” I tell Jeff.

Marc nods, “Well, I guess it’s a step in the right direction,” he high-fives Jeff.

I noticed I was getting a little boner in my pants listening to Jeff talk about his first experience, fooling around with Bethany. Teenage guys and sex always on our brains, that’s how it is.

Things with Tiffany and I have been good, she’s only been to my house one time since that Valentine’s Day incident. I know she feels uncomfortable around my parents, my mother in particular. The last time Tiffany was over, it seemed Mom was sending out negative vibes directed at Tiffany, which, upon sensing, Tiffany sent back a few of her own; made for an awkward, unspoken, situation for me.

It must be a possessive women thing. I, in a sense, belong to both. I am my mother’s son, as I am Tiffany’s boyfriend. It’s kind of like trying to put the negatively charged ends of two magnets together, it just isn’t going to happen. Maybe, Mom blames Tiffany for what happened, like she seduced me that day she walked in on us? If my memory serves correctly, it was mutually agreed upon actions that took place on the couch in the family room. Either way, this falls into women’s logic and thinking, that, we males, don’t always have such a firm grasp of.

So, as it goes, we spend more time at Tiffany’s house, which my mother isn’t crazy about either. I can tell by the way she says Tiffany’s name, with just that tiny bit of snippy-ness added in.

Tiffany has been talking a lot about her upcoming trip to Europe with her parents and Bev. I know she is super excited about it, so I play along and act excited as well. The truth is, I’m not all that excited about it, it’s hard for me knowing that she’ll be gone all summer.

In the back of my mind, I’ve also been thinking about when college starts next fall. I suppose it could work out that we’ll go to the same school, but we won’t know until we find out where we’re accepted. The odds are not in our favor that we’ll be together. If that’s the case, it’s going to be quite difficult for Tiffany and I to spend much time together, if any. I try not to think about that too much right now.

A sure sign that spring is here comes with the arrival of Easter. We have the following week off school, so I am free to work a few day-shifts, other than my usual afternoon dinner rushes.

The Tuesday following Easter, I’m working an opening/lunch shift. The Pizza Depot opens at 11;00 am, but as a cook in the kitchen, I start at 9:00 am. There is a lot of food preparation to be done, making dough, mixing sauce and chopping vegetables.

Normally, there are two people working to prepare all of this, but Eric called in sick. He probably has a massive hang-over, Eric doesn’t do well with morning shifts. I called Bill, left a message and went right to work on prepping as much as I can by myself. I hope Bill gets my message soon and can find someone to replace Eric.

The restaurant is locked before opening at 11:00 am, so at 9:45, when I hear the door out in the dining area unlock, I know it must be a fellow employee. I hear a couple of women’s voices and I’m surprised to see Renee come in with an older African American woman. I quickly remember that Renee is home for Easter Break from college.

“Hi, Sport!” Renee comes right over and gives me a big hug. “My dad called and said Eric couldn’t make it in?”

“Yeah...” I keep my suspicions to myself that Eric probably has a touch of the brown-bottle flu.

“Kyle, this is Sonia Washington. She just hired on to help in the kitchen, and maybe some waitressing, when needed.”

“Nice to meet you,” I reach out to shake the new woman’s hand.

“And the pleasure is all mine, it’s wonderful to meet you, Kyle,” she says, with a warm twinkle in her eye.

“Come with me, Sonia, let’s get you all set up and started. Kyle, I’ll be right back to help you as soon as I can.” Renee takes Sonia to the back office to get her red work shirts, aprons and hats.

Sonia is middle aged, maybe late 40s, early 50s, and carrying a few extra pounds. Other than Bill Moore, she’s probably the oldest person to currently work here. Most of the Pizza Depot employees are pretty young, in their early to mid-twenties. Her age doesn’t matter to me, she seems like a super nice lady and I’m sure she will fit in just fine.

Renee helps me get everything situated in the kitchen for opening and trains Sonia at the same time on what we do around here. This woman turns out to be a real go-getter, she picks up on everything, and quickly. I think I overheard her tell Renee that she has worked in restaurants in the past.

After the lunch rush, Renee pulls me aside. “Kyle, I know you have the day off tomorrow, but is there any way can you come in and work a day shift?”

“Yeah, sure. What’s up?”

“Eric is supposed to work tomorrow morning, but my dad’s getting fed up and he’s giving him a few days off to get his act together. Eric has been calling in sick way too many times ... and we all know why.”

“Who will be here to work with me?” I ask.

“Well, it was supposed to be me, but I have to make a run out to Bartlett Farms, first thing in the morning, to straighten out some issues we’ve been having with the crappy produce they’ve been shipping us lately. I won’t be back here till about 10:30. Are you okay prepping with Sonia? She’s seems to know her way around a kitchen pretty well.”

“Yeah, we should be fine.”

“Thank you, Kyle, I don’t know what we would do without you.” Renee gives me another big hug.

That evening, Jeff, Bethany, Tiffany and I all go to the movies. Jeff and I want to see a new sci-fi movie, but Bethany and Tiffany want to see a romance, chick-flick; which is odd for Tiffany, she usually goes for the horror, or high suspense, type. Since both movies are starting, and ending, at about the same time, we agree that Jeff and I will go see the movie we want, and the girls will see the movie they want.

Jeff and I have about 10-minutes to kill before our movie starts, so we decide to hang out and people-watch in the lobby. Jeff nudges me, “Hey is that Marc over there by the bathrooms?”

“Yeah, it is. Hey Marc!”

Marc walks over, “Hey, guys! What’s up?”

“The girls wanted to see the chick flick, we’re waiting for, Neptune Rising.”

“I’m here with Veronica, she needed to freshen up. Our movie is over and we’re going out to eat.”

“Really? That’s cool. Are you two, like, dating now?” Jeff asks.

“Well, technically, no. Veronica wanted me to take her out before she says ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the prom.” That sounds just like Veronica, sizing Marc up to see if he’s worthy to be her prom date.

Veronica comes back from the restroom and saunters over in high-heals and her customary, super-tight, clothes. Snapping her gum and staring at her phone, she looks up for a quick second to give Jeff and I a wave. Grabbing Marc’s arm, she instructs, “Let’s get going, I want to get a good table at Fratelli’s.”

“See you guys,” Marc waves as they leave. Jeff and I look at each other with raised eyebrows, Fratelli’s is a very expensive Italian Restaurant. One thing I know, Marc is sure going to have his hands full with her; and I’m not just talking about if she ever lets him play with her Double-D sized boobs.

The next morning, I arrive at Pizza Depot at 9:00 am sharp and park in one the three spaces that the security mini-cam has the best view of. Even though my Jeep will be in broad daylight the whole time I am here, I’m still uneasy about Dirk. I see one other car already here, it’s Sonia.

“Hi, Ms. Washington.” I wave, as I unlock the front door. My mother once told me, “If you’re not sure if a woman is a Miss, or a Mrs., go with Ms.”

“And, a good mornin’ to you too!” she tilts her head and gives me her warm smile. “Oh, and Honey-Pie, you can call me Sonia, okay? No need for all that formal, ‘Miz Washington’, nonsense with me.”

I entered the world of working adults 11 months ago, but I still find it awkward calling my elders, at least ones that are twice my age, by their first names. I imagine I will become more accustomed it as I grow older.

Once inside, I re-lock the door. “We keep this locked until we open at 11:00.”

“Okay, I’ll be sure to remember that.”

“First thing we need to do is get some dough going, it will need time to proof (rise).” I go about showing Sonia how we make pizza dough in the mixer. The floor model, Hobart pizza dough mixer, looks like a humungous, five-foot-tall, version of the popular Kitchen-Aide mixers many people have on their countertops at home.

“We make 50 pounds at a time.”

“And, how exactly, do you lift that out?” she asks.

“That’s the hard part.”

Once the dough is done mixing, I remove the dough hook attachment and squat down. I wiggle my arms under the massive ball, lift straight up with my legs, so I don’t strain my back and carry the clumsy 50-pound load over to the counter.

“Ummm ... hmm! ... will ya look at those muscles! You’re in goo-ood shape to do that, Honey-Pie.”