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McNormal's: Another Last Food Restaurant by: Roscoe Smith

CHAPTER EIGHT: Wednesday: My Last Night

   

PAGE 89

James was standing at the grill doing some last minute wiping and straightening; his shift was about to end. I continued my questioning,"James." James looked at me. I asked,"Why was everything so crazy on Saturday night?" He lowered his eye brows as though he was concentrating on my question. "What do you mean, Roscoe?" I continued,"Come-on. Don't play dumb with me. You know something was going on Saturday night." HighSchoolers are easy to interrogate at ten o'clock at night after they have been awake since seven in the morning and at school all day. James was obviously tired, his eyes were bloodshot from fatigue. James pursed his lips and looked disapointed,"Yeah," he admitted,"Something was going on." I thought,"I knew it."

I asked James,"Do HighSchoolers always steal food and play rubby in the sink and all the other crazy stuff that was going on around this place on Saturday night?" "No," James replied. "Not every night. Just on Saturdays." I went for confirmation, "They were setting me up in a trap, weren't they?" James had a surprized look as he did a double take. He asked almost in a whisper,"How did you know they were setting you up?" I played my hunch, Dragnet style,"Don't worry, James. You didn't let the cat out of the bag. Somebody else told me all about it. I just want to get another person to confirm the story I heard." James gave a sigh of relief, he thought he was off the hook.

I continued the conversation, buddy, buddy style,"Why do you think they would set me up like that? What would they gain by making it look like I was playing rubby with that girl in the sink on Saturday night?" I had James' confidence. He was giving his opinion about something he thought I already knew all about. He started by looking from side to side, to be sure 'they' weren't listening. He had a knowing grin and a sympathetic look on his face,"I don't know for sure, but I heard people talking in school about you." "Really?" I encouraged.

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DANIEL Z. SEYLER ©