Excitement of Renewal

"Hi, I’m Gabe, and I’ll try my best to f**k up your order today." The single woman gives a nervous smile, wondering if this was some kind of joke.

No joke, ma’am. Gabe’s smile only makes the women even more nervous. She gives her order. She appears rather scared.

Thanks you," Gabe says, "I’ll be right back." A cynical tone is heard within his voice. He takes the order slip, and slaps it down upon the window counter. He takes this time to take the order from three other tables, all in the same fashion. He returns to the kitchen window to find the first meal ready. Gabe takes the plate to its proper table. He slides it down to the young women. Fries had fallen onto the table along the path of the white plate. He smiles, and returns to check the meal for another table. Joey catches him on the way there.

"Hi, Gabe. What’s up?" he says. Without giving an opportunity for Gabe to answer, he continues. "I’m not very satisfied with your work today. It appears that you have been…" Gabe lays his index finger over Joey’s small lips. Gabe gives a sweet smile, the kind of smile one would give to a tired puppy.

"Shove It." he says, very nonchalantly. Gabe turns, and skips out of the restaurant, taking off his cap and tossing it into the plate of an eight or nine year old boy on his way towards the exit.

Thursday. 6:45 P.M.

Couch. Loony Toons. Pipe. Life is grand. The television network is running a Scooby-Doo movie in place of Loony Toons. The taped episodes don’t look as good as the television versions, but it will have to do. Kitty relays the e-mail message to the group.

"Office building on High Street and Kings. One A.M." She says. The sense of joy is short lived when they realize that the small stash of emergency ecstasy is non existent. There was no emergency stash. There is no ecstasy. The music is not enough. In order to bring the music to the deepest depths of one’s soul, their senses must be upped to the max. Worry sets in as they realize that Terry is the only one sure that she still has a job. She works at Rite Aid. Terry is the ideal employee; she works hard, and she has never missed a day. She’s been working there for a while, so the pay is rather decent.

The rest of the night is spent watching television, eating a light meal, and finally ending with sleep. Sleep does not come easy when enthusiasm is racing through your veins.

Friday. 10:08 A.M.

Gabe and Jim called Alexandra to secure a small bag of ecstasy. Alexandra lives a few blocks down. Kitty still has her job. She is one of the best at making right from wrong. Terry is working, as well. Gabe and Jim sit on the front step of their apartment complex. Jim is playing his Game Boy. Tetris is the only game he owns. He loves Tetris. Gabe watches the sidewalk for Alex to turn the corner. He peers down at his watch.

Two more minutes.

"Dammit!" Jim screams as he throws down the small game system. That thing is invincible. Jim has done this maybe nine other times, it only works better each time. "I still can’t get past level twenty-five."

Gabe turns his head towards Jim, only to laugh at him.

"Give it up," Gabe says, "get another game."

"Screw you." Jim fires back, half angry, half amused.

Gabe catches a moving object along the sidewalk from the corner of his eye. He looks up.

Finally.

Gabe stands to greet Alexandra. Jim has retrieved his Game Boy, and continues his excursion into the expansive world of Tetris.

No "Hello", no "How are you doing?"