The Surprising Adventure of Jimmy D. Terrible Part 11

Meanwhile back in Long Beach things were beginning to change, After Camilla and Travis broke up Mike followed Jimmy's creed of life "Fuck it what's the worse can happen?" and just asked Camilla out on a simple date. A trip through the classic Shoreline Village, then to the ferris wheel at the pike, some coffee at borders and a simple 3 meal course at 555 steak house on Ocean Blvd. Carlos Had begun to look for schools so he could enroll, in what? you might ask, well even Carlos had not the smallest idea yet but there were some glimmers of opportunity in the shadows of hidden dreams. The famed Sophie had begun to forget about good ole' Jimmy and David (McDouche) was the only guy that caught her inters which ironically enough, she had forced herself to fall for hard for this guy. Like the lesson taught in the crucible you make a lie big enough to the point where even you might start believing in it, this was Sophie exact train of thought at this moment in life and it seemed to be working well enough to the point where she thinks she's not good enough for the guy. The gang still threw parties but after a few they stopped it wasn't the same without Jimmy there to cook and DJ , he may not have been the life of the party but he was the small cog that ept the party machine rolling. The hung out here and there but to no avail they would only talk abiyt boring useless things. Long Beach just wasn't the same without Jimmy there to point out painfully obvious racism and plagiarism going on around the sleepy little city. On many an occasion any knock at the front door would cause havoc and alarm hoping, wishing , praying it was Jimmy coming back to say "fuck that life's to hard out there and I don't know how to read maps" but after the first few times the gang just kind of quit on that thought they knew he was gone. A few months later a glimmer of hope came rushing back when there was the standard "shave and a haircut....two bits" knock but this knock came with tragic news, Jimmy's friend, mentor and hero had passed away last night. The details were sketchy but from what the sous chef said the chef had an overdose and died in his sleep, a Monroe cocktail if you will. The police didn't think it was an intentional suicide more like so many day's and nights of stress due to Michilen ratings and the subsequent insomnia drove him to take sleeping pills he said "eh fuck it what's the worst that could happen?" well now you know where Jimmy gets his non-chalant vibe from. Well with the bad news at hand Camilla drew the short straw and had to call Jimmy's mom to let her know about the death of her best friend and the disappearance of her son.

It was a Sunday when Camilla called, the summer breeze blew in through the red venetian curtains, the smell of sea water and pollution filled the room. As Camilla dialed the number Carlos grabbed Jimmy's "First Impressions of Earth" album and began to play "Vision of Division". On the other end Rose was visiting Jimmy's mom, they were getting ready to go have lunch with Jimmy At his new job. It's a Spanish styled bar called Tapas, it was an intimate 45 top restaurant with mostly a walk in clientel. When the ringing phone startled Rose she picked it up and answered

"Hello?"

"Hi, is Mrs. Escobar there?" said Camilla in a hesitant demeanor

"She sure is, Let me grab her for you, may i as who this is?"

"Camilla, Camilla Defense"

"Ok, (the sound of clothes hitting the phone)..."

"Alló?"

"Hi Mrs. Escobar! its Camilla i just had to tell you something that is of a serious matter"

"Oh hi Camilla! what is it honey?"

"Chef Ishii passed away last night in his sleep, he took to many sleeping pills they found him this morning I'm sorry..."

"Oh no! no no no no....." as she began to cry

"I hate to pour more salt into your wounds but...Jimmy left a few months ago and he never came back, he's still alive but we don't know where he is, he keeps sending us post cards with no return address letting us know he's fine."

"What are you talking about? I'm going to see him today, he's working at a new Spanish tapas bar" Jimmy's mom responded in sniffles

At that moment Camilla felt a rush of happiness and hate, the odd thing was that she actually accepted both feeling calm with the new knowledge she excused herself from the conversation and hung up the phone. Her face went pale and her lips turned pink, The quivered and shook and looked into mikes eyes with a feeling of shock and hysterical despair, she wanted to yell at the top of her lungs but she couldn't get enough oxygen to allow that to happen tears began to roll down her rosy cheek and her green eyes began to well with months of salvaged tears. Mike got up and ran to hold her up as she began to sway, and all she could muster was a muttered phrase.

"That smart son of a bitch, he ran to the last place we would have looked for"

At the same time Mrs. Escobar looked at Rose with a broken heart in her eyes. She told Rose to call Jimmy and to ask him to take a 15 minute break so she could let him know what happened to Ryuko. Jimmy caught wind that there was bad news coming when Rose sent him a text to please be waiting outside. He stepped out and lit himself one cigarette after another wondering ig it was about him or Rose or maybe something happened to Camilla or one of the guys. He was pacing and didn't know where to turn, pacing and pacing with the quivering cigarette between his lips then Rose and his mom turned the corner. He tossed the cigarette to the burb and ran over to meet up with them. In a quiet and calm demeanor Mrs. Escobar let Jimmy know what happened. Jimmy didn't know how to react he was in disbelief but this was too much for him to handle all in one day, all he could muster was a cold and unbelievable answer

"Well that sucks, look my 15 minutes are up we should rain check this lunch yeah? mom you don't look to good"

"Wow that's all you can say? really? your best friend and mentor passed away and that's all you can say?!" Rose said in complete disbelief

"Well what do you want me to do? break down i can't we're going to have a rush in a few minutes and i can't he would have told me to quit being a bitch and get my job done...and I'm checking my emotion at the door... sorry"

He made it back inside and the chef was notified about Jimmy's situation, so he had taken over the sauté station but moved out-of-the-way and let Jimmy take over the two gastriques going on the stove top, one for the Chilean sea bass under the salamander and the other for the ibearian ham "spring roll". The ticket machine began to chatter away with orders began to be called in "two Ibearian spring roll, One Salmon curry salad," "Three tapas platters! on the fly special gest on table 12!" Jimmy just kept his hands moving working not thinking just working. The sauté station began to get filled with orders the stove top was full the salamnder was getting full. All the cuts and burns felt numb to Jimmy the chef began to yell for help on the sauté station he notice Jimmy was overwhelmed but Jimmy just shot him a look that said i got thins give me time, After that look the orders started to fly out the speed was perfect, The chef joined him not to help but to take the pans off the stove top. The years of experience gave them a hint of professional dancers they turned and moved in unison not once did they bother each other by saying 'behind' or 'watch your nuts' not it was a choreographed ballet of sauté pans and hot plates, they just moved and worked as if they had been doing it all their life. The decibel level was through the rough but it was all silence in Jimmy's head it wasn't his way of coping with death no it was the way he was taught to focus on his station. The night began to slow down and then it all came to an end, they cleaned up their stations prepped whatever was needed for the next day and then clocked out. On his way home in the bitter cold Chef Ishii's words kept going over and over in his head

"Son they always come in two's, but be careful cause they appeal to different parts of the brain. Those who are lucky enough, never meet the second one but there are the unlucky few who do meet the second one, and have just reached the river styx and are well on the journey down to the inner depths of hades. People say you can only truly love onr and lust for the other but they're wrong...Trust me I know that's why I'm not a heavy sleeper or sleep at all sometimes cause every night for a split second or two I remember and dream about that girl who the me for a loop. Jimmy what I'm trying to get at is let your true love be cooking, let the clatter and bruising be your fights and arguments, let the shells be the memories you keep near and dear to your heart, let the braising, sautéing, grilling, poaching, frying etc. be your ballroom dance, let this (as he pokes Jimmy's chest) be what guides you and let this (as he opens his hand and extends it around him showing off the kitchen)...Let this enfold you."

Just then Jimmy knew what he meant, The noises from the kitchen rushed back and began to relive the rush that night along with everything the chef said while expediting a few stuck out in his head like a lonely cactus in the flat and desolate Mojave desert.

"Where the hell is my app Jimmy!? are you on the fucking moon, if you are to get your ass back we're backing up over here!!!" or Jimmy's favorite " Did you guys see the rack on table 23? no not the one on 2 but the one on 4! man I'd love to motorboat those sons of bitches!" once again this all being yelled by the chef as he expedited. He also said something that struck Jimmy like a spear to the chest, "I know he was a great mentor cause he taught you how to be the best in dire circumstances... I wish i would have had the chance to meet the guy I'm sure he had a lot to teach and you were lucky enough to be near and smart enough to listen to every single word." This was true he had paid attention no matter how redundant and useless the words his mentor said were at the moment, Chef Ishii knew they would come in handy later in life. He did his usual routine of walking home listening to something that always made him smile "Jerk it out" by The Caesar while he pulled out his cigarettes and lit up, one for him and the other for his mentor which he left on the ground burning up slowly with the ribbons of smoke twirling and dancing in the cold crisp air, he tipped his skull-cap at the cigarette and just thought "One last smoke before you enter the pearly gates my friend and if you see JFK ask him for an autograph so i can show it off to the rest of my buddies up there" he turned up the volume on his MP3 and began to walk down the streets full of old houses and turning trees, the night might have been dark but the colors burst the trees with specks of yellow and orange in the dominant green background. But yet no sign of sadness or anger, he kept walking down the street and disappeared into the darkness of the street with only the cherry of his cigarette lighting the way, maybe it will be a better day tomorrow. the streets are quiet and compassionate to his treck as a taxi pulls up at the corner.

"CHEF!!! how are you today?! Would you like a free ride I'm going home and I know you live right down the street." Georgie said through a smile

"Are you the only taxi cab in the whole city?"

"It seems to be that way chef"

Jimmy just stepped into the cab and went home to sleep off the rush of that night.