"Pass the salt".
"You want pepper, too?"
"No."
"Ok then".
"Hmphh".
I rolled my eyes and passed the salt to Bosco. It had been going like that for pretty much our whole shift. One word answers from him and lots of eye rolling from me. The only time he had actually spoken to me was when he yelled at me for blowing my nose in the car. He hated to see anyone blow their nose. It was some sort of weird character flaw he had. Although, personally, I chose to do it into a kleenex, as opposed to putting one finger over a nostril and then blowing it all out onto the ground. Call me crazy, but I find a kleenex much more sanitary and less disgusting than the latter.
We were in our usual diner having a late supper. We had taken a few calls between five and seven, so now we were able to sit down and have a bite. I was starving anyway. I hadn't had much to eat over the past couple of days and I was famished.
We sat across from each other. He was having the cheeseburger platter and I was having the tuna fish on rye with french fries and a big cup of coffee. The sound of Bosco slurping on his pop irritated me, especially since I knew he did it only to annoy me in the first place. I tried to ignore him and just enjoy my meal, but it was hard since he kept staring at me as if he had something to say, but couldn't find the words.
He picked up a ketchup saturated fry and lifted it to his mouth. I watched it drip onto his shirt and then his pants. I cringed, anticipating one of his usual tantrums.
"Jeez! I just got these pants cleaned, too!" He complained loudly and in an overly dramatic fashion.
I stared at him, reliving every time one of my kids did the same thing. Although they usually handled it better than he did.
"Well? Pass me a napkin, would ya? Or is it too much to ask?"
I snatched one from the holder that was quite within his reach, and handed it to him.
"Maybe we should bring you your own bib next time". I grumbled, as I lifted my sandwich to my mouth.
"What was that? You have a funny little comment to make?" He said sarcastically. He put his hand up to his ear and made one of his classic faces. "Don't give up your day job".
I was beginning to get really annoyed with his attitude. He wasn't usually so insulting to be around. The last couple of days he was just on a roll. It was like he was trying to prove to himself and to me that he really didn't care about me one iota. Gone was the undercurrent of friendship that might have turned into more. Gone were the long looks that I'd sometimes see from the corner of my eye. He was trying his best to insult me and make me feel bad. It was working, too.
I knew he was upset about the breakup with Sarah. I understood why he was so angry and could even justify it. He had cared about her a great deal and she had cheated on him with Jimmy Dorhety. I was a little peeved about it myself, although that was just because I couldn't stand her anyway. The trouble was that when Bos was this upset, he couldn't seem to articulate his feelings properly and he ended up blasting everyone who came near him. He was always sarcastic when he was upset and he was even a bit mean, but he was taking this to new heights.
I was happy that he and Sarah had broken up. Truthfully, I had hated her from the moment I'd met her and thought that I'd be a much better match for him. I knew him like no one else did. I knew how to tame him, how to console him and how to handle him when he was upset. Except for today, that is.
He continued to slurp on his pop, while giving me a dirty look. I set down my fork and looked at him pointedly.
"You got somethin'on your mind?"
"Nope." He said, wagging his head around on his shoulders. He looked like a diva with an attitude. The way they shook their heads around, that's exactly what he looked like.
I would have laughed, had I not been so annoyed, so I snorted instead.
"Then stop wagging your head around. You look like an ass."
He leaned forward, and set his pop down on the table. His narrowed his eyes and sighed heavily.
"I just can't believe you'd do it". He said, as he sat back against the seat and crossed his arms over his chest. "I can't believe you'd do that".
"Do what, exactly? Are you on the kleenex thing again? I'm not gonna apologize for being sanitary Bosco. I can use whatever I want to....." I shot at him.
"Nah. I mean, get back together with Fred like that. Are you desperate or somethin'Yokas?"
Sooooooooo, that's what the problem was. I didn't realize that it had made him this upset. I was curious as to why he'd come to my place like that but I thought I'd leave it up to him to tell me in his own time. He was all bent out of shape because he saw Fred. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought he was jealous.
"Back together with Fred? Are you crazy? He broke into my apartment, Bosco! He was there when I got home from work!" I hissed at him. I couldn't help it; I was insulted at the insinuation. And a little hurt that he called me desperate.
He didn't speak for a moment. I think he was deciding what to say. That was all he needed to hear to make his mood lighten. His face started to relax, as if he were relieved to hear that I wasn't getting back with Fred, and then turned to a different kind of anger; an anger he usually reserved for Fred when I told him about the things he'd said or done to me.
"That jag-off broke into your apartment? How'd you get him out?"
"I called the precinct and he just put on his jacket and walked out the door."
He cleared his throat before asking his next question and looked out the window at the street as he spoke. "So what was he doin' in his underwear?"
"He took off his pants when he got there, I guess. But he left without em'." I said. I couldn't help it; I started to grin. Remembering Fred with his boxers on, going out the door with his jacket cracked me up.
"What? He left in his underwear but wore his jacket? What a loser?" Bosco guffawed, starting to grin a little.
I felt myself start to relax a little and for the first time in days I felt like we were gonna be ok. Of course, I had to go one step further and ask him questions he wasn't ready to answer.
"Why did you come to my house last night? Was it because of Sarah."?
He stiffened at the mention of her name and I knew I'd made a mistake.
"I don't wanna talk about it."
"Bos, I"m just trying to help. Are you sure it isn't yours......"? I stopped cold when I realized what I'd done. Now he knew that I knew what had happened. The only way I could have known was either by talking to Jimmy or to Sarah.
A look of hurt flashed across his face. Hurt and betrayal. He knew I'd talked out of school.
"Who'd you talk to?" He said, quietly. I knew this was the calm beneath the surface. There was a lot more to come.
"I...I....uh....."
"Who?"
"Sarah."
"You talked to her? WHERE?" he interrogated me.
"I saw her this morning and she told me that you guys...."
"WHERE?" His voice was getting louder and his face redder.
"Does it matter?"
He slapped his hand down on the table, making me jump in his seat. It took a lot to get him this upset. I was about to witness the wrath of Maurice Boscorelli, except this time it was going to be directed at me and only me.
"Does it matter? Does it matter? Am I asking you for my health? WHERE"? He shouted, causing patrons to turn and stare at us.
"What are you lookin'at? Get back to your dinners!" He threw out at the innocent people who now had their backs turned and were talking quietly amongst themselves.
"At Jimmy's." I said quietly.
"You were at Dorhety's? Today?"
"Ya. I was. Do you think you're the only one allowed to play?" I snapped, unable to control myself any longer. I hated that he was treating me this way. Hated his selfishness and his hypocritic ways.
He stood up, furious and threw a twenty dollar bill down on the table and pointed at me. His face was so red I thought he'd explode from the blood pressure. His chest heaving in and out in an attempt to control his temper.
"THAT'S IT YOKAS! WE'RE THROUGH! I'M GETTING A NEW PARTNER TOMOROW!" He yelled, as he pivoted and stalked out of the diner, leaving me at the table.
I sat there, dumfounded by what I had just witnessed. We had small fights from time to time but this was different. This was a cut strait to his heart and to mine. His was an anger that was between lovers, not friends and partners. Something was going on. Something that I hoped to understand.
By the time I got to the curb he was gone. The only thing I could think about were the two tears that had escaped from his eyes before he turned from me. This time I knew it was for good.