No Love Lost - Chapter Four

[yakumtsaki]

Eddying, dizzying, closing round,
With soft and drunken laughter;
Veiling all that may befall
After -- after --




The sun generously shined its light over the poor neighborhood, making the crumbling buildings beautiful in their decay, at least for a while. On the surface everything looked and felt the same, and yet nothing was anymore. Not for Consort.



He was not alone that morning.

"Consort?" Patrizio whispered.

Still mostly asleep, Consort managed a small sound in response.

"I have to go to work."

"It’s Sunday", Consort mumbled in protest.

"Yes", smiled Patrizio, getting up, "shockingly diners still work on Sunday."



“You know, you could with me to work if you want”.

Consort was not expecting that proposal. “It’s my day off, why would I do that?”

“To make sure no one steals me away?”



“That truly sounds like something I need to worry about”.



“Alright”, said Patrizio, searching the floor for his clothes, “don’t say I didn’t warn you”.



“Fine”, Consort laughed, “I’ll come along”. Truth was he did want to spend more time with Patrizio. After all, would he have anything better to do alone in his apartment all day?



“Consort, I’m going to be late, please tell me you're almost ready”, Patrizio shouted, more amused than upset.



“Yes, just a moment”, Consort replied from the bathroom down the hall, studying the lines on his face. All his lack of sleep was starting to show.



“Oh my”, Patrizio exclaimed with a wicked grin, having suddenly appeared in the doorway, “a vision!”



“Alright, I’m ready, we’re going”, Consort decided, taking one last look at the mirror.

“What have you been doing in there for half an hour?” Patrizio ignored him, “fixing the hair you barely have?”

“For your information", Consort replied indignantly, "everyone in my family has a full head of hair”.



“I’m joking, you look great”.

“I’d like to see how much hair you’ll have in twenty years!”

“Probably none, bad family history”, Patrizio smiled, kissing him on the cheek.



They ended up being five more minutes late.



“Oh, it’s a beautiful day, Consort”.

“We might not be walking in the same street".



By the time they made it to the diner, a soft rain had started to fall.

“Why does it rain every time you come here?” Patrizio said, struggling to unlock the door.

“It could be the weather warning me against visiting this place”.

“Or it could be the weather warning me against being near you”.



“Well, here we are”, Patrizio announced happily, fixing some of the chairs.

“How do people manage to eat in here, in full view of the mold on these walls?”

“They are not looking at the mold, they’re looking at the attractive waiter”.

“Yes, of course they are”.



The diner's kitchen had definitely seen better days. As soon as they stepped in, Consort was overwhelmed by the stench of food rapidly going bad.

“My God, Patrizio, didn’t you clean this place last night?”

“Well excuse me, Consort, I was otherwise occupied last night. Go sit down, I'll do the dishes".



“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” Consort asked, after some moments of watching Patrizio once again bang the dishes together as he washed them.



“What is it with you and cleaning dishes, Consort? You were very eager to do them in my place too.”



Consort let out a forced laugh in response, suddenly remembering that dinner and the person who had cut it short.

As if he had read his thoughts, Patrizio quickly changed the subject. “I’m going to make us some breakfast, do you like toast?"

"Yes, toast sounds great", Consort replied, putting the thought of Isabella out of his mind.



They went to eat outside, at the back of the diner. As abruptly as it had started, the rain had stopped, some heavy clouds still hanging in the sky.

“So, how long have you been working here?” Consort asked after a while, breaking the comfortable silence of their meal.

Patrizio seemed taken aback from the question. “I’m just now realizing that we actually don’t know anything about each other”, he laughed.

"Yes, I think I remarked so last night".



“Oh right, you did, but thankfully I ignored you”, Patrizio said, taking his hand. Consort couldn't remember the last time he had felt anything remotely resembling happiness, let alone this surge of it he got every time he and Patrizio touched.

“Monty!” an angry voice coming from inside the diner interrupted them.



“Oh, that’s my boss!" Patrizio said, looking worried. "Why is he so early today? I have to get inside, you better go in from the back and make sure he doesn’t see you.”

Consort nodded and got up, hoping his presence wouldn't cause Patrizio problems with his boss.



“Good morning, Mr. Alto! You’re early today!” Patrizio greeted his boss with a put-on smile.



“You’ll find I’m actually right on time, Monty. The usual", Antonio Alto replied with a wry smile, his eyes fixed on the paper.



“Well, he is not in a good mood-” Patrizio stopped mid-sentence, seeing Consort hard at work on cleaning the sink.



“Consort, for God’s sake, I didn’t bring you here to do my job for me.” he protested.

"I know you didn't", Consort responded, finishing up, "but that sink was begging to be cleaned, I couldn't help it".

"Oh, you're too kind", Patrizio smiled, pulling him into an embrace.



“I haven’t washed my hands yet, do you want the sink’s dirt all over that nice vest of yours?” Consort said, trying not to touch him.

“Why not, Mr. Alto can wait for a while-” The mention of that name made Consort immediately pull away.



“Mr. Alto?” Consort exclaimed in shock, trying as hard as he could not to shout. "That's who owns this place, the Altos?"



“Calm down, Consort, I’m not working for THE Altos, just Antonio Alto, and it’s not as if he’s going around killing people.”



“Oh sure, of course he isn’t!”



“Well, not with his own two hands or anything..”



“Oh dear God, Patrizio.”



Overcome with morbid curiosity, Consort opened the kitchen door as quietly as he could, trying to sneak a peek at one of the infamous Alto brothers.



His findings were disappointing, as the old man had chosen a most inconvenient seat for Consort's purpose.



“He’s just reading the paper, probably counting the times his family is mentioned in there”, Consort whispered.



“Will you please calm down already?” Patrizio responded, preparing his boss’s breakfast. “Look at him, he's just an old man, long retired. His glory days of running the show are far behind him, his brother Guglielmo has taken over for him", he explained, attempting to diffuse the situation. "Why don't you do something useful instead of panicking and check on his coffee?"



“Wasn’t Antonio the one who ordered all those suspected informant’s killings last year?” Consort continued, nervously playing with the coffee pot’s handle. “What if, one day, you happen to listen to something you’re not supposed to in this place-”

“Consort, you’re being paranoid", Patrizio interrupted him, "he’s been coming here for breakfast every day for two years, and never has he brought anyone else with him. They don’t talk business in this place, you're getting all worked up over nothing", he said firmly, hopping it would finally manage to stop Consort from worrying.



Consort thankfully seemed calmer when Patrizio left to serve Alto his breakfast. As he approached the table, Alto’s harsh voice suddenly made his blood freeze.

“Do you have a friend in the kitchen, Monty?”

Patrizio tried to remain as calm as he could, leaving the breakfast on the table.



“Uh, yes, a friend, keeping me company.”

“What friend keeps you company at 7 in the morning, Monty? You have a girl in there, don't you?"

Patrizio felt as if he was about to faint. He thought that going along with Alto's assumption was probably the safest bet.

“You caught me, sir, I do, but I can ask her to leave if you want”.



“Ah, don’t worry boy, I'm not angry, I was young once too. Hard to believe, right?” Alto replied, looking very amused at his own joke. “You can close at 7 today, spend some proper time with the girl, stop having her follow you to work”.



His boss letting him leave work earlier was the last outcome Patrizio expected from this conversation. He forced a laugh: “Thank you sir, I really appreciate it”.



Patrizio had to steady himself as he turned to leave the table. He’d never let Consort know how close he’d come to meeting Antonio Alto.



The next couple hours passed quickly. Alto left after a while, thankfully without paying a visit to the kitchen. Sunday was always the least busy day in the diner; people mostly came there for a quick coffee and a meal before or after work. They chose to spend their Sundays in nicer places.



But some people still elected to come here on Sunday, and Patrizio had to cook for them. Apart from some very simple meals, Consort didn’t have the slightest idea about cooking, but seeing Patrizio so excited by the activity made him want to try it as well.

“Can I put it on the stove or is it too important a task?”

“Look around you, Consort, do you think this is a place famed for its fine cuisine?”



“How on earth did this happen? I was watching it the whole time!”

“You were cleaning at the same time, weren't you?”

“I was not!”



“Maybe we can still serve it?”

“We definitely cannot, but it was a valiant effort”.



“You’re not upset are you? Even experienced cooks burn the food all the time”, Patrizio said, stroking Consort's cheek. Any excuse to touch him was good enough for him.

“No, no I’m not, but maybe if we try it, we'll find out it doesn't even taste that bad!”

“Consort, I'm sorry but I’m throwing this out”.



To his surprise, Consort didn’t actually mind serving food. It might have been that Patrizio was already starting to have an effect on him, but the people, even though too loud for his taste, didn’t bother him; they were friendly and kind in that environment, not at all behaving the way he was used to them where he worked. Just as Consort had convinced himself he could get used to being around people like that and abandon his plans for fortune and the finer things in life..



..he spotted the very worst of what this type of people had to offer.



Seeing Maurice on what was apparently a date disgusted Consort to the very core of his being. How was there a woman out there desperate enough to agree to go out with that moron was beyond him. Thankfully, a chance to get back at Maurice, for everything he had put him through at work over the years, had now presented itself. Consort had unprecedented access to his food and drink.



Unfortunately, his plans were thwarted by an indignant Patrizio.



“Yes, Consort, I understand you hate him, but do you have to poison him where I work? You’re going to get me fired!”

“Don’t be dramatic, I wasn’t going to poison them-”

“THEM? You were going to put soap in his date’s drink too?”

“Well she probably deserves it, Patrizio, she's with him!”

After a long negotiation that, in Patrizio’s opinion, should not have happened in the first place, Consort agreed to find another, non-criminal way to exact his revenge on Maurice. Before long, it was 7 o’clock.



“Alright people, time to go, closing early today”, Patrizio announced excitedly, with Consort close in tow.



“What the hell, Pat? Aren’t you going to have a drink with us?” the young man standing asked.

“Pat wanting to close early, it’s the end of days” the man in the hat chimed in. Consort quickly realized they were friends of Patrizio's.



“Yes, Pat, sit down for a while, I haven’t seen you in ages”, added the woman. She was beautiful; Consort felt an instant pang of jealousy but told himself he was being ridiculous just as quickly.



“I’m sorry, good people, but Consort here and I have plans. Consort, this is everyone, Robert, Eddie and Loretta”.

“Hello, Consort”, the table responded in unison.

“Hi, everyone, nice to meet you”, Consort replied, half-hiding behind Patrizio.

“Alright”, Patrizio continued, “everyone has been introduced; now finish your drinks and get the hell out of here”.



Outside the diner, Patrizio was telling some story about cheating at cards that everyone seemed extremely amused by. Consort wasn’t really paying attention to the words, just watching him talk, how charismatic he was, what a way he had with people. He was feeling charmed and slightly envious at the same time; he could never be like that.

“Alright, we’re leaving,” Patrizio said after a while. “Maybe we’ll meet up with you guys later, are you going to the Crown?”

“Yes, that’s where we’ll be, since you kicked us out”, Robert protested.

“Of course, I should have stayed late to serve unpaid drinks to your lot!” Patrizio replied with a grin. After a few more minutes of excited chatter, the content of which continued to seem foreign to Consort, they finally said their goodbyes.



“Your friends seem nice”, Consort commented as they walked away.

“Yea, they’re good people, I think you’re gonna really like them if you get to know them better”.

“Are we meeting them in the Crown later?”

“I hope not”, Patrizio smiled devilishly.



The sunset was beautiful. Even that horrible neighborhood couldn’t ruin it for Consort.

“Would you like to go on a walk for a while?” he proposed.

“Ah, we really don’t know each other well, I hate walking”, Patrizio laughed. “But just for you, I will endure it”.

“I spent my day off at your horrible diner, you’re absolutely right you will endure it”.



They’ve been walking around for about half an hour when they came across a small park. The sun was almost completely down, but the night was going to be a warm one.

“Do you want to sit here for a while?” Patrizio suggested, looking to escape the aimless walking that Consort seemed to enjoy so much.

Consort had been lost in thought for the past ten minutes and when he looked around, he realized he had no idea where they were. He had never been in that street before, but that park looked surprisingly nice and inviting, and it was obvious Patrizio needed a break.

“Sure, why not”, he smiled.



Walking in the park, they stood for a while, studying their surroundings.

“Wow, this place is beautiful”, Consort remarked.

“I know, and surprisingly clean”, Patrizio replied.

“Perhaps not a lot of people are aware of its existence, I don’t even know which street we’re in”.

Patrizio just laughed, thinking that Consort was joking. Consort decided to keep it that way, not wanting to show how deeply ignorant he was of these parts of the city.



They sat down under a tree, Patrizio quickly collapsing on Consort’s lap. He really was not a walker. After a few minutes of talking about the events of the day, they fell silent. Consort glanced down at Patrizio and was surprised to see him suddenly overcome with sadness. Making out the reason didn’t require a lot of thought, but Consort still found himself disappointed; even though he probably had no right to be.

“Are you thinking of her?” he asked, afraid of what the answer would be.

Patrizio stayed silent for a few moments.

“Who’s her?” he finally replied with a bitter smile.