Chapter 6 #2
Eva: Sorry, but no. You’re not really my type.
I see Elias start to type a few times, stop, then type again before I finally get a short answer.
Elias: :-(
Eva: Crap. I guess I lost our bet. Sounds like Saturday’s dinner is on me!
Elias: Hahaha, I walked straight into that one. Let’s just figure out on Saturday who’s covering the bill.
Hey, who was behind that maniacal look on your face? Mia asks on our drive back to the restaurant.
The thrift store guy agreed to hold our things for five days in exchange for a small deposit.
I’ll be covering some of the cost of the rebuild since Abuelo and Abuela simply can’t afford it on their own.
They were pretty resistant at first, but they finally accepted my offer when we agreed to call it an interest-free loan.
Not that I would ever ask for the money back if the business does end up folding, but at least calling it a loan makes them feel better about it.
Beaming, I reply to Mia’s question. It was Elias. The guy from this weekend.
Mia is once again tearing down the road and she smiles as she manoeuvers around a furiously honking truck.
Well done, you, she says eagerly. So smart to line up a bit of male distraction for the summer.
I hope he can help you relax in between all the hard work.
She suggestively waggles her eyebrows at me.
If she wasn’t driving, I would gladly shove her.
As we approach the restaurant, a slightly nervous feeling settles in my stomach. We won’t be able to avoid talking to Abuela about the proposed menu changes for too much longer and I’m really not looking forward to her reaction.
Smoothies?! Abuela looks at me like I just suggested serving deep-fried tarantulas. Her eyebrows are so raised, they’re practically in her hairline. With those little seeds and all that other nonsense?
Among other things, I admit, fiercely crossing my fingers in the hopes that she’ll agree.
And kiwi salad?
No, quinoa salad.
Abuela blinks a few times. I don’t like this, Evita, she says as she shakes her head. You can’t survive on those things, can you? People need a proper lunch to get through the day.
Our customers don’t feel the same way, Abuela, Mia says, backing me up. I toss her a grateful glance. And in the evenings, we’ll have your tapas on the menu. We could even add a few more of those if we want to.
Abuela looks at me, then Mia, then my Abuelo, who is keeping an eye on the proceedings from a safe distance. Kiwi salad, she mumbles one more time.
Abuelo comes over to stand next to her and squeezes her shoulder. Times change, Carmen, he says, in an attempt to soothe her feelings. Why don’t we at least give it a try? We don’t have much to lose. I know Eva put a lot of thought into this plan.
Abuela looks apprehensive.
We’ll have to close for two weeks anyway to give the patio a makeover, I explain.
Maybe we can send Beatriz onto the beach with a tray of smoothies in the meantime to see who might be interested.
It can be our own little version of market research.
If we end up with the same or lower revenue than we’re making now, we can still decide to keep the menu the same.
You want me to work on the beach?! Beatriz walks up to us, tray in hand and a look of absolute disdain on her face.
Do you have any idea how hard it is to walk around sinking into that loose sand?
And then I’d be going up and down those stairs, too?
If I wanted to get a workout, I would join a gym, she grumbles, plopping her tray down on our table.
Mia rolls her eyes and finally gives Beatriz an irritated glare. Look, it’s only two weeks, Beatriz, she says in a composed voice.
Beatriz blinks a few times before planting her hands firmly into her sides. My contract doesn’t say a word about serving on the beach, she snips.
Your contract also doesn’t mention anything about the smoke breaks you take every fifteen minutes, Mia volleys back.
Beatriz clenches her jaw and stares at Mia with eyes of venom, but decides to keep her mouth shut.
Abuela lets out a deep sigh and throws up her hands in surrender. Okay. Fine. We’ve got nothing to lose.
Now that we have the go-ahead from Abuela to put together the new menu, Mia and I start a brainstorm session on the patio.
It’s a little chillier than it has been, but it’s still very much summer-dress weather.
A gentle breeze rustles through the papers we have scattered across the table.
We have multiple smoothie recipes in mind, but they all still need catchy names.
We ultimately land on a list that includes That’s Bananas, Turn up the Beet, and Going Coconuts.
Once we’ve got the smoothies nailed down, it’s time to decide on some salad bowls.
Since Mia has spent some time working the kitchen, she comes up with the recipes while I think up a name for each one.
It doesn’t take long for us to put a Kale Yeah, a You Make Miso Happy, and a Tofu or Not Tofu down on paper.
Our signature dish will be a salad with fresh fish named after the restaurant: La Sirenita.
Abuela is in charge of figuring out the tapas menu.
Even though we’ve decided to add a few options, the list will still be limited since it’s more budget-friendly to offer a smaller selection.
Knowing Abuela, though, the incredible flavour will more than make up for the limited menu.