Cold Soup

Chapter One

Rody sighed, looking over at his telephone with teary eyes. He couldn't just sit there for the rest of his life, wallowing away all because of some girl. He had to get back to work, had to make something of his life.
He'd been procrastinating calling Vince for a few days, and he knew if he didn't do it soon, the job offer he still had would be taken by someone new.

He sat up, taking a deep breath as he reached for his phone and the magazine that had the bistro's number on it. He really hoped the job was still open, it'd be nice having something to distract him for a bit. He knew it was still only temporary, but it was still a job that paid well.

He quickly punched in the numbers he needed, and waited as it rang. He was calling the restaurant itself, since he didn't have Vince's personal number, so he wasn't sure if he'd actually pick up, or if someone else would.
He waited for a few seconds, before the other end was picked up, and he heard a familiar cold voice.

"Hello?" It was Vince, sounding like he normally did. Cold and unwelcoming. "H-hey- Vincent.. it's me, umm.. Rody." Rody started, his voice a bit shaky from the hours of late night crying he'd been doing.
"Rody? You sound horrible, are you alright?" Vince asked, almost sounding genuinely concerned for Rody's well-being. "I'm fine V-vince.. I was umm.. wondering if the job was still available?" Rody asked, a bit glad to hear Vince asking about his well being.

He knew Vince most likely already gave the position away, but he needed to call and make sure anyway. He still needed a job after all.

"Oh, it is. I haven't filled it yet, I've actually been waiting for you to call and ask for it back." Vince said, chuckling darkly. Rody blinked, a bit surprised to hear Vince had been expecting a call like this from him. "Can I have it back then?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck as he waited for an answer.
"Yes Rody, you can come in tomorrow." Vince replied after a few moments of silence, sounding a bit eager to have Rody come back.

Rody sighed with relief, a weak smile forming on his lips. "Thanks Vince.." He muttered, grateful for the opportunity to continue working with Vince. He may be a cold and harsh person, but he still enjoyed his company quite a bit.
"I'll see you tomorrow I guess." He added, sounding a bit less upset than he had earlier.

"See you tomorrow, Rody."

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Rody waited outside the bistro, having forgotten the time it opened. It had been a few days since he had to get up every morning and go there, so it really wasn't his fault for forgetting.

It was sprinkling lightly, and he was using the umbrella Vince had given to him on his second day of work. He'd have to ask Vince if he'd like it back, he felt bad keeping it, especially since Vince only gave it to him because he was an idiot who didn't own one.

Rody suddenly heard the sound of a key turning, and a door opening. He looked over to the main door of the bistro, and saw Vince standing at the front having just unlocked the door.
"Good morning Rody, I see you've already forgotten what time we open." Vince said, looking at Rody as he put the keys away in his pocket. "Come on then, don't just stand there." He said, walking into the building and waiting for Rody to follow.

Rody quickly rushed in after Vince, shaky the umbrella off frist before setting it near the door. "Sorry.. I've been distracted the last few days." Rody muttered, sighing softly.
It felt nice to be back, even if he didn't like the food, it was still nice to be somewhere familiar. He'd never been rehired for a job before, so it was a bit odd feeling to him, but he didn't mind it. He was just glad to have a job.

"I can tell." Vince said, pulling another set of keys out of his pocket and heading over to the kitchen doors. "Come on, your shift doesn't start til later." He said, unlocking the door and walking past it.
Rody followed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Now that he thought about it, he did remember when his shift started, but not when the bistro opened. He felt like an idiot, having not thought about just showing up when his shift started.

Vince unlocked his office, and motioned for Rody to follow him. Rody nervously followed after him, not really sure what to think about being alone in Vince's office with him.
"You can go ahead and sit down Rody." Vince said, walking over to his desk and sitting down on his chair.

Rody hesitantly walked over to the desk, sitting down on the chair that sat in front of it. He watched as Vince opened one of his drawers, and grabbed a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

"Do you smoke?" Vince asked Rody, pulling a cigarette out for himself, and waiting for a response from Rody before he closed the pack. "Nah, I tried it once- I can't stand the taste of cigarettes though." Rody said, smiling softly. He didn't like smoking, but it was nice that Vince asked.
"Well, I can't taste, so they're just easy for me to handle." Vince said, closing the cigarette pack and setting it down on the desk. He put the cigarette he'd pulled out for himself in his mouth, quickly lighting it.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that.. how did you lose your taste anyway? I-if you don't mind me asking that is.." Rody said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He wasn't sure if Vince was comfortable with answering that question, so he felt a bit guilty for asking.
"I burnt them off." Vince said, a bit blunt and flat out, which wasn't what Rody had expected.

"Wha- why'd you do that?!" He asked, his eyes wide with shock. Why on earth would Vince burn his own taste buds off? Vince chuckled at Rody's reaction, finding it amusing how baffled he was by the statement.

"I got bored one day when I was five, found my Mom's lighter, and burnt them off. Normally burning your taste buds off wouldn't make you lose your sense of taste completely, but for some reason it did for me." He explained, tapping his cigarette on the edge of his ashtray to remove the excess ash.
Rody blinked, his mouth open slightly in shock. "I-i didn't think you'd do something like that to yourself.." He muttered, looking down at his lap. "It's not the frist time I've harmed myself." Vince said quietly, taking a drag off his cigarette before blowing the smoke out.

Rody looked up at Vince, his eyes wide. "What?" He asked, concerned and shocked at hearing Vince say that. Was he implying that he'd hurt himself on purpose before, that he'd been in that state of mind before?

Vince glanced away from Rody, and over to a clock he had on the wall. He checked the time, before putting his cigarette out and sighing softly.

"It's almost time for your shift to start, you better get ready now." He said, standing up from his desk and walking over to the exit of his office.

Rody stayed seated for a few moments, trying to process Vince's statement from earlier. He suddenly felt bad for Vince, and began to see him a bit differently now. He never thought someone like Vince would harm himself, but then again, most people probably didn't.

"Rody, your shift." Vince reminded, opening his office door as he glanced back at his waiter. "Err- right, sorry Vi- I mean Chief." Rody said, quickly standing up and heading over to the door.

He'd have to ask Vince about what he meant later, for now, he had work to do.