"Jim, Jim"
"I told you that's not really my name"
"Then tell me your name!"
"Just call me Jim. Whatever"
"Don't you wanna know my name?"
"No"
"Fine. Whatever"
"Yeah, whatever"
We walked in silence for a while but before we turned the corner of the street I had to speak to him again.
"Jim"
"What is it now?"
"I'm starving"
"Go forage for food or something"
"NOOO"
"What do you expect?"
"We just passed by a burger place"
"You want me to pay for you?"
"I've been helping you look for Mimi, right?"
Jim rolled his eyes but he already turned around to walk back to the burger restaurant we'd just passed.
"Hehe, thanks"
"Only because you are good with cats. You could be of some use"
"I'm happy to be of service, Sir. Feed me well"
Jim didn't answer to my little theatrical response but heck, at this point I was past any sense of shame.
"Oh, it's rare to see you out here these days, Jim. How have you been?"
The burger joint owner of what seemed to be this one-man business greeted us in a friendly tone.
"I'm fine. Thanks"
"There's your seat by the corner"
The boss winked and gestured for us to go take our seats.
"Gees, for a guy who 'doesn't go out' people around here seem to know you well"
"It's mostly daytime I do not go out. And yes, I haven't been out for weeks. Not since Mimi left"
"Why not?"
"The eyes"
"Huh?"
"There are too many eyes"
"What do you mean?"
"In the daytime, you go out, there are people, and they have eyes"
"…..aaaaaand?"
"In the daytime, I can see them. I can see them eyes too clearly. At night time, not so much"
"The eyes bother you?"
"Yes. Now just shut up and pick what you want"
"Anything?"
"I said pick what you want"
"I can eat a lot"
"Suits yourself"
I was gleefully excited. My Dad would never let me order what I wanted to eat, let alone take me out to eat in a restaurant in the first place.
The boss came to us after giving us some time and he was ready to take our order.
"The same as always for you, Jim?"
"Yes, please"
"And how about for the young lady?"
"A fish-fillet burger with calamari rings for sides and a large strawberry milkshake please - can I? Jim?"
"Go ahead"
"Woohoo!"
The boss had a wholesome smile on his face at my - probably - embarrassingly childish excitement and asked Jim.
"Is she your niece? Sister of the nephew you used to come here with every now and then?"
"No, and that nephew is dead"
"Oh, Jim… I'm so sorry to hear that. At such a young age…"
"Don't mention it. Let's just not talk about him again"
"Sure thing. I'm so sorry, Jim"
With that, the boss politely bowed his head and swiftly went into his kitchen to prepare our meal.
"Er…Jim… I'm sorry to hear your nephew has… passed away"
"I said I do not want to talk about him"
"How old was he?"
"I said I… only 12"
"What happened?"
"Something terrible"
"I'm so sorry. I won't ask anymore"
But as I sat there fidgeting, against my better judgment my nervousness and stupid sense of duty to break the ice led me to shoot out yet another insensitive question.
"How about your mother? You said she used to come visit you too"
"She's also dead"
"Oh… that's right… how…?"
"She was just old. That's all"
"Right. I'm sorry"
Then my final stupidity struck.
"Anybody else?"
"Look, if you don't shut the hell up now, YOU are gonna die. Ok?"
"Whooooa, not in MY shop, OK, Jim? Ha.. Ha…haha…."
Luckily the boss was there right on time to rescue me with my strawberry milkshake.
"I'm really sorry"
Jim said nothing and just grumbled a few unintelligible words, which I wasn't even sure was English.
My worries have disappeared alarmingly fast though once I took a sip of the milkshake.
"OMG. This is so frigging sweet!"
"Too sweet for you, young lady?"
The boss asked looking down at me with a smile.
"No. It's Purrrfection"
"Aw, Jim. Ain't she sweet"
Jim just shook his head and waved the boss away.
We then sat silently for another few minutes, but since I was fully occupied with the heavenly taste of this milkshake - I haven't had one of these in ages as well - I didn't feel the stupid need to 'break the ice' in horrendous ways that I've just tried and failed.
Needless to say, it was the case even more so when the fish-fillet burger arrived with the calamari rings, which must have been the best food that I've ever had in my life. It would have been what I'd call nostalgic mom-made home food, except that my mom left so long ago that I didn't even remember how she looked.
"Looks like you're really loving that"
I looked up from my dish with a big grin and gave him a thumbs up only as my mouth was too full.
"You should put this mayonnaise on. The boss here makes it himself and it's really good"
"Oh, thanks. Let me try that"
Jim kindly passed me the bottle of mayonnaise and without even trying a bit, I splashed them on everywhere and started to dig in again, and boy, it was divine!
"Jim, this is like the best day ever!"
"Ha… what a thing to say"
What was so wrong about that?
"What are you having?"
"Garlic bread"
"You come to this awesome place and you are not having a burger?!"
"Kinda don't feel like eating - or seeing - minced meat today"
Aww...
That made me suddenly remember what happened earlier in the day.
Man, was that really just today? It must have been the scare of my life but somehow it felt like a distant memory by now and the deliciousness of the meal made me feel almost okay about it now. Oh, how simple animal one can be when one's hungry.
"Jim"
"What is it now?"
I wanted to set some things straight. Although on the one hand, I was extremely scared of being out on the streets, at the same time I knew I couldn't keep milking this guy forever. He was kind and kind of a weirdo for sure, but nothing is free in life. The only real and cruel lesson that my cursed Dad taught me.
"What can I do for you? You are letting me stay in your place, buying me dinner…"
"Just leave. Problem solved"
"Aw, don't say that"
"What can you actually do for me then?"
I hated to say it, but this was the only real practical thing that I knew I could be of use for in his specific circumstances.
"I could… help maintain the house?"
"You mean as in housework?"
"Yeah, although it is gross. Yes, very gross. Actually, let me think about it again"
"Don't bother. I'm fine living the way I do"
Yes! I'm saved. I'm not gonna offer that again.
"So what else can I do for you then?"
"You did well today. I see that you are good with cats. Just help me find Mimi"
"Oh, so are we gonna look for her now?"
"Yes. I realized I should have started looking for her earlier. Thanks for that"
It was a really minor thing, but I can't say I wasn't happy to receive what felt like the first compliment in my life.