8 On the grill, my eggs bubbled. I looked around for another employee – maybe out back somewhere, or in the washroom. I leaned over the counter and called for someone. No one answered. I looked behind me toward the tables. Two elderly men sat at one; two elderly women at the other. The two women were talking. The men were reading the paper. They seemed not to have noticed Javier’s exit. I could smell my eggs starting to burn. I wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. I thought about Javier and stared at my eggs. After some hesitation, I got up from my red stool and went behind the counter. I grabbed a spare apron, then picked up the spatula8 and turned my eggs. My toast had popped up, but it was not browned, so I put it down again. While I was cooking, the two elderly women came to the counter and asked to pay. I asked what they had had. They seemed surprised that I didn’t remember. I checked the prices on the chalkboard and rang up their order. They paid slowly, fishing through9 large purses, and went out, leaving me a dollar tip. 8 spatula: a kitchen tool used for turning eggs or omelettes 9 to fish through sth.: to dig through sth. 10 party: a word used at restaurants for “group of people” (“a party of four”) I took my eggs off the grill and put them onto a clean plate. My toast had come up. I buttered it and put it on my plate beside my eggs. I put the plate at my spot at the counter, right next to my newspaper. As I began to come back from behind the counter to my stool, six new customers came through the door. “Can we pull some tables together?” they asked. “We’re all one party10.” I told them yes. Then they ordered six coffees, two decaffeinated. I thought of telling them I didn’t work there. But perhaps they were hungry. I poured their coffee. Their order was simple: six breakfast specials, all with scrambled eggs and toast. I got busy at the grill. Then the elderly men came to pay. More new customers began arriving. By eight-thirty, I had my hands full. With this kind of business, I couldn’t understand why Javier hadn’t hired a waitress. Maybe I’d put a “help wanted” ad in the paper tomorrow. I had never been in the restaurant business. There was no way I could run this place alone. (Larry Fondation) Reactions a) Describe what happens in the second half of the story that starts on this page. b) How do the customers react? How does the narrator react? c) What was your reaction to the events told in the story? What happened in the end? a) How might the story continue? Talk to your partner and try to use the following modal verbs in the correct tense: could (not) (not) be able to might (not) may (not) b) Write about 150 words on how the story could continue. Start like this: It was in the evening of the same day when … . 3 Useful phrases What I found shocking/puzzling/confusing/ weird/astonishing/amusing was … . • I really liked/did not like … . • I did not fully understand the passage/scene in which … . • I had great difficulty to fully grasp … . • What really confuses/puzzles/ surprises me is … . P 4 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 106 Crime and suspense Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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