Tales From Another Oakland Home (sequel to "The Summer of our Lives), New & Improved Version, chapter 6
"So, where are we going again?" Liv asked, pulling her blue bucket hat low on her head to hide her two-tone hair.
"It's this neat little place that just opened up. It's called Goldie's," Chrysti told us as we walked downtown. "It's kind of like that Grapevine place you guys have back home, just less...I don't know...flashy.
I nodded, remembering my birthday dinner last year at the Grapevine. "Ah, the Grapevine," I said. "Good times...good times."
We continued walking until we came to the restaurant. It was small but nice-looking, as if somebody had really done a good job of cleaning it up, pretty much like everything I had so far encountered in Oakland. A smiling hostess gave us each a menu as we sat down at one of the sidewalk café table.
"I'm sooooo hungry!" Alice whined, opening her menu. She tossed her dark curly hair behind her shoulder and sighed. We all agreed.
A plump lady with heavy eyeliner and wavy dark brown hair stopped in front of our table with a notepad and pen. "Howdy, I'm Goldie, I'll be servin' ya'll tonight," she said with a thick southern accent. Then she said, "Well howdy, Chrystine! You didn't tell me you were comin' in today!"
Chrysti shifted nervously in her seat. "Um..." she said. She turned to us. "Guys, this is Goldie. She's my boss. I work here."
"Awesome!" I said. "I'm Cassie, Chrysti's cousin. This is Liv and Alice, my friends." They both nodded.
"Well aren't ya'll just precious!" Goldie exclaimed. "What'll ya'll be havin'?"
We ordered and ate. I got the crispiest, juiciest plate of chicken tenders you could imagine. It was all delicious. I asked Chrysti, "So what are you here? A waitress or what?"
She said, "I'm a cook here. I work the daytime shift."
"Sweet," said Liv, adjusting her hat to make sure her hair was still hidden.
"Cool," Alice said.
"Yeah," Chrysti sighed.
"She's an amazing cook," I told my friends. Then I turned to Chrysti. "Remember when we did that cook-off thingy and made those cookies three years ago? Yours were sooooo good."
Chrysti laughed, then sighed again. "You will get there, O Young One," she said, laying a hand on my shoulder. "As long as we have a fire extinguisher handy."
"What?" Alice asked. "What happened?"
I mouthed the words, "You don't want to know."
The four of us sat there for a while, talking and laughing and basically doing nothing until the check came. By the time it did, the sky was dark and I was yawning my head off since it was almost midnight back home and I'd gotten up at least five hours earlier than a normal person should.
"Here you go, ya'll," Goldie said, dropping the check onto our table. "Take care now. And Chrystine," she nodded in Chrysti's direction, "I'll see ya'll in tomorrow, nine a.m."
Chrysti nodded. "Yes, ma'am." After Goldie left, Chrysti and I began recounting all the strange and crazy things we'd done together over the years, telling the stories to Liv and Alice, who were doubled over in hysterics. I was too, until a small commotion near the entrance where the hostess was caught my eye. Four people had just walked up and it looked like they were conversing hurriedly with the waitress and hostess, like they didn't want to be seen. I wondered if they were criminals. They followed the hostess inside the restaurant, trying not to catch attention.
"Hey, Chrys, I got to use the ladies' room. Be right back."
"Sure," she said. "Inside, to the back of the place, it's on your right." Chrysti pointed to where it was.
"Thanks." I got up and went inside. Now you would think that, being a shy person, I would not go following potential criminals into restaurants in strange cities, unsupervised. But this time curiosity got the better of me. Had I seen these guys somewhere? On TV or something? I ducked behind a corner near the restrooms and thought back to the last time I had watched America's Most Wanted. I remembered some criminals that bore a resemblance to the four people I'd just seen. Last week, America's Most Wanted had featured a short guy with very dark hair, a tall blond guy, a medium-sized crook with brown spikes, and a fourth criminal. I rubbed my forehead, trying to remember. I had it! They were drug dealers. I thought, 'The report said they were last seen in...' I snapped my fingers. 'The San Francisco bay area! Wait a minute. That's right near here. We're in Oakland; that's right across the bay from San Fran!' I gulped. Now I didn't feel so curious anymore. I just wanted to go back to the table, or back to the apartment, or even back to New Jersey. Back to anywhere away from here, where there was drug dealers featured on Most Wanted. I turned around and ran smack into somebody who was headed for the restrooms.
"Ow," I said automatically. Then I looked up to see who I had hit. At first glance, I almost jumped out of my skin. It was a short man with jet black hair, just like the druggie described on, "Most Wanted." Then I blinked and did a double take.
"Sorry..." he said. "Hey wait a minute...do I know you from somewhere?" He studied me carefully.
I looked at Billie Joe Armstrong and forced a smile. "Well," I said. "This is awkward."
"It's this neat little place that just opened up. It's called Goldie's," Chrysti told us as we walked downtown. "It's kind of like that Grapevine place you guys have back home, just less...I don't know...flashy.
I nodded, remembering my birthday dinner last year at the Grapevine. "Ah, the Grapevine," I said. "Good times...good times."
We continued walking until we came to the restaurant. It was small but nice-looking, as if somebody had really done a good job of cleaning it up, pretty much like everything I had so far encountered in Oakland. A smiling hostess gave us each a menu as we sat down at one of the sidewalk café table.
"I'm sooooo hungry!" Alice whined, opening her menu. She tossed her dark curly hair behind her shoulder and sighed. We all agreed.
A plump lady with heavy eyeliner and wavy dark brown hair stopped in front of our table with a notepad and pen. "Howdy, I'm Goldie, I'll be servin' ya'll tonight," she said with a thick southern accent. Then she said, "Well howdy, Chrystine! You didn't tell me you were comin' in today!"
Chrysti shifted nervously in her seat. "Um..." she said. She turned to us. "Guys, this is Goldie. She's my boss. I work here."
"Awesome!" I said. "I'm Cassie, Chrysti's cousin. This is Liv and Alice, my friends." They both nodded.
"Well aren't ya'll just precious!" Goldie exclaimed. "What'll ya'll be havin'?"
We ordered and ate. I got the crispiest, juiciest plate of chicken tenders you could imagine. It was all delicious. I asked Chrysti, "So what are you here? A waitress or what?"
She said, "I'm a cook here. I work the daytime shift."
"Sweet," said Liv, adjusting her hat to make sure her hair was still hidden.
"Cool," Alice said.
"Yeah," Chrysti sighed.
"She's an amazing cook," I told my friends. Then I turned to Chrysti. "Remember when we did that cook-off thingy and made those cookies three years ago? Yours were sooooo good."
Chrysti laughed, then sighed again. "You will get there, O Young One," she said, laying a hand on my shoulder. "As long as we have a fire extinguisher handy."
"What?" Alice asked. "What happened?"
I mouthed the words, "You don't want to know."
The four of us sat there for a while, talking and laughing and basically doing nothing until the check came. By the time it did, the sky was dark and I was yawning my head off since it was almost midnight back home and I'd gotten up at least five hours earlier than a normal person should.
"Here you go, ya'll," Goldie said, dropping the check onto our table. "Take care now. And Chrystine," she nodded in Chrysti's direction, "I'll see ya'll in tomorrow, nine a.m."
Chrysti nodded. "Yes, ma'am." After Goldie left, Chrysti and I began recounting all the strange and crazy things we'd done together over the years, telling the stories to Liv and Alice, who were doubled over in hysterics. I was too, until a small commotion near the entrance where the hostess was caught my eye. Four people had just walked up and it looked like they were conversing hurriedly with the waitress and hostess, like they didn't want to be seen. I wondered if they were criminals. They followed the hostess inside the restaurant, trying not to catch attention.
"Hey, Chrys, I got to use the ladies' room. Be right back."
"Sure," she said. "Inside, to the back of the place, it's on your right." Chrysti pointed to where it was.
"Thanks." I got up and went inside. Now you would think that, being a shy person, I would not go following potential criminals into restaurants in strange cities, unsupervised. But this time curiosity got the better of me. Had I seen these guys somewhere? On TV or something? I ducked behind a corner near the restrooms and thought back to the last time I had watched America's Most Wanted. I remembered some criminals that bore a resemblance to the four people I'd just seen. Last week, America's Most Wanted had featured a short guy with very dark hair, a tall blond guy, a medium-sized crook with brown spikes, and a fourth criminal. I rubbed my forehead, trying to remember. I had it! They were drug dealers. I thought, 'The report said they were last seen in...' I snapped my fingers. 'The San Francisco bay area! Wait a minute. That's right near here. We're in Oakland; that's right across the bay from San Fran!' I gulped. Now I didn't feel so curious anymore. I just wanted to go back to the table, or back to the apartment, or even back to New Jersey. Back to anywhere away from here, where there was drug dealers featured on Most Wanted. I turned around and ran smack into somebody who was headed for the restrooms.
"Ow," I said automatically. Then I looked up to see who I had hit. At first glance, I almost jumped out of my skin. It was a short man with jet black hair, just like the druggie described on, "Most Wanted." Then I blinked and did a double take.
"Sorry..." he said. "Hey wait a minute...do I know you from somewhere?" He studied me carefully.
I looked at Billie Joe Armstrong and forced a smile. "Well," I said. "This is awkward."
