Chapter Six: The Flavors of Friendship
The bread baskets were removed and there was not a trace of the incident left to see. It was like a crime scene erased, with nothing remaining but the memory of a tragedy.
In place of it were now both of their orders. After the whole fiasco he had witnessed, Waluigi forgot what he ordered. The plate of spaghetti and meatballs in front of him quickly refreshed his memory.
Wario's Tour of Italy was eaten faster than the breadsticks - somehow. Waluigi didn't pay any attention to the matter, Wario could eat at whatever pace he wanted as long as he didn't rush Waluigi.
This was it. The moment Waluigi anticipated for a week now. He would never admit to anyone but the past week was spent researching Olive Garden. He had read reviews online that raved about the food. He watched food review videos talking about the best things to order. He even once looked longingly at pictures on the menu.
Picking up his fork, Waluigi's hand trembled ever so slightly as he reached for a noodle. He twirled his fork around to get a grip of the noodle and raised it to his mouth. It was now or never. He took a bite, chewed thoughtfully and then swallowed.
It was okay.
Waluigi frowned.
Maybe he didn't get enough sauce. He made sure the next bite had enough spaghetti sauce.
Still just okay.
Maybe it needed the flavor of the meatballs? He ate a meatball alongside a noodle, but once more the flavor was nothing more than alright. Finally, he had one more bite, this time with a lot of sauce, a meatball, and a noodle.
Despite his efforts, it still tasted like a standard plate of spaghetti and meatballs. He sprinkled some parmesan cheese on it in hopes of boosting the flavor.
After several attempts at trying to find a better balance of parmesan cheese, Waluigi had to face reality.
Olive Garden was just okay.
The rest of the night at Olive Garden went by in a daze. Waluigi couldn't pay much attention to much else, he was too much in a wave of disappointment.
The gift card paid for the majority of the meal, and Waluigi did what he could to give a semi-decent tip. The waiters did have to deal with Wario, after all.
The two were now in the parking lot. Wario was shoving a handful of the complimentary mints in his mouth. He noticed Waluigi wasn't as chipper as he was at the start of tonight.
"You okay Waluigi? Wasn't Olive Garden good?"
"It was just okay. I kept trying to make the food taste but it wasn't all that good. And I was so excited for it too." Waluigi sighed.
"Hmm…" Wario munched on more mints while thinking of a response. "Well can't you get more gift cards?"
Waluigi paused. Did Wario just suggest something smart? He did! He was right, Waluigi could always get another gift card and try something else at Olive Garden. Or he could even get a gift card for another place entirely!
"You're right, Wario! I'll start saving points on my credit card and I'll get more gift cards. Of course, whatever place I pick next I'll invite you."
"Oh yeah!" Wario cheered. "Did you at least like the breadsticks?"
"You know what? That was probably the best part of the entire meal."
"Good, because I snuck a bunch with me."
For the first time that night, Waluigi laughed at Wario's antics. Once he started he couldn't stop. He relived the night's events in his mind and laughed harder as he remembered more and more of what Wario did.
It made him realize that he was being stuck up and for what? Olive Garden of all things!
He apologized to Wario who only asked him why in response. Waluigi told him to forget about it and the two headed to the car to leave.
Waluigi looked out the window beaming. He had a better night than he could have ever imagined.
