Recluse Island

Chapter 37

January 2014

"Slow night Alvira?"

            "The rains kept everyone in. What can I get you Sam?"

            "What's the special?"

            "Shrimp Gumbo."

            "Sounds great!"

            "Coming right up, you want iced tea with that?

             "Please."

            Samuel Hasselback glanced over his shoulder at the empty diner. The Fifth Dumpling consisted of yellow booths, Formica tabletops, and various pictures on the walls of exotic birds, particularly the Ro-Casini. As well as a display case in front where Alvira showed off her exceptional desserts and trademark dishes. Samuel currently sat on a stool, yellow of course, at the long counter in back.

            Alvira quickly served up the gumbo, placing the steaming bowl before Samuel with a tall glass of iced tea complete with lemon wedge beside it. Alvira then grabbed a rag and began wiping the counter down. She was a plump woman with flyaway red hair now streaked with gray and a mess of freckles on her cheeks. To date she was also the only person on Pigscula Keys who called Samuel by the nickname Sam.

            "Gave Mabel the night off, have you?" asked Samuel, picking up his spoon.

            "That's right, no sense in keeping her around when there's no work to be done."

            "And what about Hank?"

            Hank Godfrey was Alvira's cook, a robust man now in his early fifties. He'd been working at the Fifth Dumpling nearly twenty years now ever since he broke his back when he fell out of a tree when working for the Gourd. Frank hired him shortly before he died.

            "Sent him home too. He always gets cranky when it rains. Says it bothers his back."

            By the look on Alvira's face, she clearly didn't believe this for a second. Finished with her cleaning she flipped the rag over her shoulder and removed a cigarette lighter from her pocket where she proceeded to light the candles positioned along the counter. The lighter caught Samuel's eye: it was quite fancy for someone like Alvira. He could tell it was heavy and well made. Red with a cursive R in gold intertwined with a smaller P and K. Samuel began to wonder where Alvira would have gotten such a lighter? A gift perhaps.

            "That's a nice lighter you have," Samuel remarked.

            Alvira, done with the candles, quickly dropped the lighter in her apron pocket. "Thank you."

            "Where did you get it?"

            "Found it."

            "Here?"

            "In the area, you better eat up now before it gets cold."

            Her tone was obvious she wasn't going to discuss the matter anymore.

            "This is delicious, Alvira," Samuel said after swallowing his first spoonful.

            "Family recipe."

             "You mean Frank's family."

             "Of course!" said Alvira, smiling.

            "Have you heard about Rafanoli's Challenge?" asked Samuel conversationally.

            Alvira nodded, "Seems strange, doesn't it? But then from what I hear no one's actually going to win."