Chapter 52
“Which state did you kick out of the union to bring in Colorado?” Jimmy asked.
Doug laughed. “Ohio.”
The men took off their hats and coats and Doug said he’d be back soon with coffee and to take their orders.
Barry sat on the bench and after a signal from Jimmy, slid further in. Evidently his blue cowboy had elected himself as Barry’s dining protector for this meal.
Jake picked up his menu and began to browse. “They’ve added Huevos rancheros.”
Barry picked up his own menu and noticed the range of American dishes had increased.
“And sausage biscuits,” Jimmy added.
His men then turned to the English menu. Barry knew Doug would be disappointed if they chose from that.
The coffee, when it came, was quite drinkable.
“We changed that, too,” Doug said, watching Barry’s reaction.
Jimmy chose the huevos rancheros while Jake, not surprisingly, stuck with his waffles.
“I like waffles,” Jake defended when Jimmy rolled his eyes.
“What would you like on them?” Doug asked, notepad in hand.
“Got any strawberry or raspberry jelly?”
Doug looked confused.
“He means jam,” Barry translated.
“Oh, yes, of course. We have raspberry jam. Blueberry conserve, too.”
“I’ll stick with raspberry,” Jake told him, much to Jimmy’s amusement.
Barry couldn’t decide what to order. It would probably be the last time in a while he’d be able to enjoy a genuine English fry up, but he thought he should show his support for Doug, as well as his adoptive country, so also went for the huevos rancheros.
“Could we also have a couple side orders of that blood pudding sausage?” Jake asked.
Barry was surprised, and Doug again looked confused.
“Black pudding,” Barry told Doug. To his men he asked, “Are you sure? It’s…different.”
“Do you usually eat black pudding with eggs and waffles back home?” Doug asked.
“No, bud,” Jake said. “In fact we’ve never had it before.”
“But we figured we couldn’t leave England without trying it,” Jimmy added.
“Oh, okay,” Doug said, writing on his pad. “And to drink? We now offer ice tea. Though it’s made from a mix.”
“You got any dandelion and bird…uh.” Jimmy looked to Barry for help.
However, Doug was already on it. “Dandelion and burdock? Yes, we have that. Something else you haven’t tried?”
“No, we had it last week,” Jake told him.
“I’ll stick with coffee, thanks,” Barry told Doug.
The food, when it came, was excellent. And Jake’s waffles were served with both butter and heavy cream as well as a dinky little pot of raspberry jam.
“Almost as good as yours,” Jimmy leaned toward Barry a few minutes later.
“Almost,” Jake echoed.
Barry was pleased. “So you don’t want to replace me with Jenny then?”
Jimmy wrapped an arm around Barry’s shoulders. “No fucking way. You’re ours and we’re keeping you.”
Barry kissed Jimmy’s cheek. “Thank you.”
* * * *
Just before they finished, Jenny came out of the kitchen to say hello and receive some much-deserved praise. She blushed to the roots of her blonde curls when Jimmy and Jake stood and each kissed her cheek.
“The cast iron griddle works wonderfully now,” Jenny told Barry, touching her cheeks.
“Good.” Barry nodded.
“Pity you aren’t here longer so I could pick up a few more tips. Sorry, you probably wouldn’t have wanted to anyway.”
“I would. I love cooking. Tell you what. I’ll give you my email address and we could stay in touch if you want?”
“That’d be great, thank you.”
Barry wrote his details on a paper napkin and Jenny thanked him again, but had to return to the kitchen because several more orders had come in from new customers.
Jake crossed his arms over his chest and tried to hide an amused smile. “Giving your email address out to women. Hmm. Not sure I like that.”
“Shut up,” Barry told him. “Even if I were interested, which I’m not, she lives about four thousand miles away.”
Jake wasn’t through teasing. “It’ll start with secret emails, then phone calls, and then it’ll be—”
“The bathroom’s back there,” Barry said, pointing behind him.
Jimmy cracked up. “That’s my line!”
* * * *
Fortunately, the lines at check-in and through security weren’t too long. A cute male security guard pulled Jake aside and told the cowboy he needed to perform a pat down.
Jake shrugged. “Sure.” He was given the option of having the examination done there or in a private area. “Here’s fine,” Jake said, spreading his arms and legs.
“He’s enjoying that,” Jimmy whispered to Barry.
“Who, Jake or the security guy?”
Jimmy snickered. “Both I think.”
The guy did seem particularly intent on giving Jake’s crotch a thorough exam. Barry feared his red cowboy would throw wood. But eventually the check was concluded and Jake was permitted to continue through the airport.