Before Eddie could reply, the light turned green and Christine zoomed off again. Eddie seemed more prepared for the speed this time; instead of twisting his face in agony, he merely leaned his face toward the window as though he wanted to throw up. He probably did. Poor devil.
Christine took a sharp turn and drove toward the mall complex. On the outer edge was a small, plain building with a sign above a glass door reading "El Torito Mexican Restaurant." Plastered to the window was a giant blue "A." That was a relief.
"Huh," Eddie said. "Never noticed this place before."
"You are probably too busy giving in to your game-buying frenzies to pay attention to your surroundings," Christine smirked. She turned in to the parking lot and eased to a stop in a space near the restaurant's entrance. She unlocked the car and stepped outside with Eddie in tow. "Now, do not embarrass me while we are here. You can manage that, correct?"
"Dude, I'm not your fucking baby," Eddie said, kicking a rock. "I'm 17 years old. Treat me like an adult. Jesus."
"I will treat you like an adult once you start acting like one, Edward," Christine said, opening the restaurant door. She stepped inside and Eddie followed.
El Torito was a small, clean restaurant. It looked like one of those Mexican places people see in the movies. It was empty. The air was muggy and stuffy. There were few lights, and the ones there were as dim as possible. Venetian blinds filtered the moonlight into lazy stripes of silver that pierced the darkness all around the room. People were as likely to negotiate a hit in here as they were to eat.
"Uh, nice place you got here," Eddie said. "I feel perfectly safe right now."
"Shut up," Christine said. "Please just shut up and have a decent time here. OK?" Christine approached the front desk. "Table for two, please."
"OK, Christ," Eddie said. "You don't have to get all riled up. I'll be quiet."
Christine and Eddie walked to the table, which was in the middle of the restaurant. Eddie sat down while Christine removed her coat and placed it on the back of her chair.
"I thought you weren't taking that off anywhere around me," Eddie sneered.
"Excuse me for being warm in here," Christine said. She wore a purple turtleneck sweater beneath her coat.
"Um, aren't you still warm?" Eddie asked.
"No," Christine said, thumbing through her menu.
A waiter approached the table, and Eddie's eyes flicked toward her immediately. She was a cute Mexican chick with long, straight, shining black hair and smiling brown eyes. The sleeves of her white dress shirt were rolled up to her elbows; she held her notebook at her side and had her pen above her ear.
"Hola, me llamo Alejandra," she said. She looked down at Eddie and smiled. Her teeth were whiter than the Ku Klux Klan. "Sorry, I have to do that. Restaurant policy. Would either of you like anything to drink? Are you ready to order?"
"Um, just a Coke, please," Eddie said, glancing at the menu and back up at Alejandra quickly. "And, uh, just some plain tacos, I guess."
"I will have the carnitas, with an iced tea," Christine said. "Unsweetened."
"OK, I'll be back soon with your food," Alejandra said, taking the menus and leaving the table. Eddie looked back at her as she left, until she disappeared into the back room.
"I thought you said you were not going to embarrass me while we were here," Christine said, glaring at Eddie.
"What the hell do ya mean?" Eddie said, still looking at the back room. Christine threw a spoon at Eddie. "Ow, holy Jesus! What the fuck was that for?"
"I don't care either way whether you have ... eyes for her or not," Christine sniffed. "But I will not have you ignore me while we are supposed to be out on a date."
Eddie and Christine waited in silence until their food arrived. Eddie leaned his elbow on the table and cupped his chin in his hand. Christine folded her arms. They looked like a happy couple who had recently taken to attempted murder in their spare time.
After a few moments, Alejandra brought the food and gracefully left the plates on the table.
"Just call me if you need anything else," she said with a smile, and then she left.
"Yeah, thanks," Eddie said, not looking at her. Christine sat up straight and stiff and ate her food with her eyes shut. Eddie leaned his head back, looked at the roof and sighed. Then he ate. It was like an awkward family meal without the kids. They didn't need kids to hate each other.
"How do you like your food?" Christine asked after a few minutes of silence.
Eddie righted himself in his seat before answering. "It's OK, I guess," he said, chewing slowly. "Better than the shit I usually eat."
"It should be," Christine said, taking a sip of her tea. "I would not come here if the food was terrible."
"I hope you wouldn't drag me here if the food was terrible, either," Eddie said. He laughed nervously. Christine stared at him for a moment, then went back to eating. Eddie clapped a hand to his face and rubbed his eyes. Not his night. Not his night at all.
