Strange Aeons [Book 1]

16. An Irish, a Mexican and a Russian enter Peppino's [Part I]

The restaurant was exactly as Garaham had described. White tablecloths but an affordable Italian menu. All in all, a good place where to leave some money admiring the wonderful skyline one can gaze into the big terrace. His interior was tasteful, bright and inviting. At the entrance there was a liveried waiter, smiling behind the reception to every guest entering the restaurant's hall.

«Well well. For once a good place to investigate.» Chico nodded «I move we sit down and carefully scout the place.»

They put on their best expressions and walked towards the waiter, who scanned them with his efficient sight. They did look like tourists, and he darted them his best professional smile.

«Good day, sirs and madam, and welcome to Peppino's! Would you like a table?»

«Good day to you, and yes, please.» smiled Chico, trying to look like your average Mexican tourist.

The waiter led them towards a table near a window. The inner room was big and bright, and more than half the tables were already occupied by couples, families with children and some lonely man in suit, wolfing through their meal while rabidly checking something on their tablets and exchanging urgent, whispered remarks.

The waiter sat them, and then left them the menus, discreetly disappearing.

«So, who's paying for this meal?» asked Banshee, reading the menu.

Vopros didn't even look over it. He put a hand on the table, closed his eyes and took some deep breaths, opening his sensations to the chaos of fluxes shining and twirling around them. With a small whooshing sound, after some seconds, under his hand, as if it had always been there, a black wallet appeared. He opened his eyes. Then he tossed it to Banshee.

«Mr. Gonzales does.» he said, simply. Banshee opened the wallet. The photo on the ID was unmistakably from one of the businessmen at the busy table at the end of the room. There were four credit cards and a stash of cash clipped with a silver money clip who was probably worth more than their Simca 1000. Banshee shrugged and tossed the wallet back to Vopros, who pocketed it with natural gestures.

«All right, so, all aboard with the plan? Chico, ye ready?»

«Yo no compriendo why it has to be me who has to go there. The waiter is a man, can't you pretend to be a woman and charm him?» grunted Chico towards Banshee, the usual source of the cunning plan they were acting upon.

«You can be so sexist, sometimes! What if he's gay, huh?»

«Even better! You wouldn't even have to fake to be a woman, your usual camionera charm would be perfect!»

Massaging the shoulder heavily indentured by Banshee's punch, Chico tried to paint his best smile on his face and signaled the waiter to come to their table. The tall boy, he couldn't have been older than 20 years old, skid towards them with the elegance of an elf, smiling all the way, his pen and paper ready to take their order.

«Yes, have the sirs and madam decided?» he asked.

«We're still browsing...» began Chico. «Listen... what's your name, boy?»

«Armando, sir.» smiled the boy.

«Armando. Very well, Armando, listen here. Mis amigos y yo have gotten to Boston some days ago, and we have seen that video of someone falling from this ...»

Suddenly, Armando's smiles flickered and almost disappeared. He looked around him, as if he was scared someone could hear them talk, and lowered his voice, perceptibly.

«I'm sorry sir, but that was just a video prank made by someone with a video-editing software. Nothing of the sort ever happened here. Can you imagine something that impossible happening?» he said, trying to sound convincing.