Chapter 43

We approach a one-story building at the edge of the warehouse district. The word "Bamonte's" is written in golden lettering on the front window. The restaurant itself is fairly empty, the dim lighting illuminating the restaurant and bar area.

Upon entering, a large man in a charcoal gray suit gets up from his table and approaches us, "My friend, welcome."

The man opens his arms and Oswald gets on his tippy toes to hug the man. Afterwards, Oswald turns around, "Don Maroni, this is Trixie. Trixie, this is my boss Don Maroni."

Oswald steps out of the way as Maroni takes my hand and kisses it, "Pleasure. Your table is the one by the window in front. Please, enjoy."

I smile politely, "Thank you."

Oswald takes me by the waist and leads me to the table. The table for two has been set up to include complimentary bread and a bottle of wine. Oswald pulls out the seat for me, and I tentatively sit down as he pushes the chair in, allowing his hand to brush my shoulders as he hobbles back to his seat. We open up the menus. For such a small restaurant, the prices are outrageous, although it makes sense, the price on seafood has been going up ever since they declared the Gotham River too polluted to fish…

"The marinated eel is lovely," Oswald comments.

The what? I find marinated eel under the "fish" section and...that's the most expensive item on the menu! Is he insane?!

"Well, yes but...it's quite expensive. I think I'm just going to go with a salad-"

Oswald cuts me off when he reaches across the table and places his hand on mine, "Let me treat you tonight, my dear. I can afford it, and trust me, it's delicious."

Our waiter comes around, a scruffy man wearing a leather jacket over his waiter's outfit, "Good evening, Penguin. Out on a date tonight?"

Oswald balls up his fists, his cheeks becoming slightly red, "Ha! Mr. Frankie Carbone, ever the jokester! On waiter duty tonight I see?"

I've never seen Oswald this...snappy. He looks at Frankie with dark, daring eyes. His movements seem relaxed but controlled almost to a fault.

"Pfff! Waiters decide to go on strike, so me and the boys gotta fill in, now are you gonna order something or what?" Frankie asks, his voice low-toned and gruff.

Oswald closes his menu and slams in onto the table, "The marinated eel for the both of us, please."

Frankie chuckles sarcastically as he collects our menus, "Good luck paying for that, schmuck."

I look around and notice that there are only three waiters on staff, including Frankie. The other two are large men who look like they barely fit into their waiter uniforms. Hired muscle, and Frankie must be their leader. But there's something I couldn't help but notice between Frankie and Oswald…

"You like him," I realize aloud as Frankie disappears into the restaurant kitchen.

Oswald jerks his head up, "Wha, what do you mean?"

I giggle, "You know what I mean Oswald."

"Well, what if I do? Does that make you jealous?" he challenges, his eyes wide and wild.

I grab the bottle of wine and uncork it, pouring a glass for Oswald and myself, "Of course I'm jealous, but there's a difference between jealousy and vengefulness," I put the bottle down, "for example, the friend I exchange letters with, Ed? He...he likes another woman, and while I may not necessarily approve of the two of them as a couple, if that's what he feels will make him happy...well, who am I to stop him? So yes, I am jealous of Frankie, but that's not going to make me antagonize him, and besides, he seems to be doing a good job of that himself."

Oswald chuckles, a devilish grin growing on his lips, "Oh, very well said Trixie, but you don't fool me. You'd poke his eyes out given the chance."

My words were completely honest, but Oswald and I see things differently to say the least, "I meant what I said Oswald."

His laughter stops as he registers my playful but serious tone. He interlaces his fingers together, smiling, "You...are a very strange woman Trixie," he reaches over and places his his hand on mine, "and I love you for that."

Frankie comes around balancing two dishes in his hands. He places them both before us, "Eat up."

"Thank you, Mr. Carbone," Oswald smirks tauntingly.

He rolls his eyes, "Whatever."

As Oswald had said, the marinated eel is lovely, of course tarnished by the fact that Frankie may have spit in either one of our dishes. This doesn't seem to bother Oswald much, as he scarfs down his dish.

As I finish my eel and Oswald wipes the last of the sauce off of his mouth, I can't help but notice how the dim lighting reflects off of his slick black hair, his cute smile, or how well his albeit strange suit compliments his small, slim figure. It's rather endearing, however abnormal. He leans back in his chair, and at the sight of his vest and crisp white shirt, I imagine myself unbuttoning them...perhaps...going further…

I snap myself out of this delusion. Did Frankie drug my food? No, he'd have no reason to help Oswald, quite the opposite. Due to their work situation Frankie would consider Oswald a competitor. If not drugs, what is it that I'm feeling so suddenly? Perhaps it has something to do with the atmosphere, or maybe it's the certain event set to conclude the night but still, shouldn't I be dreading it, rather than anticipating it?

"Here's the bill," one of the large men throws a thin piece of paper onto the table.

"Thank you, Gabriel," Oswald thanks before examining the paper, "uhm...Gabriel, these aren't the prices stated on the menu."

Gabriel raises an eyebrow, his slight accent clipping his speech, "Oh yeah, they raised the price on fish because of that oil spill in Coast City."

"But these are not the prices listed on the menu. I've been tricked," Oswald protests.

He shrugs, "I don't make the rules 'round here."

Oswald digs in his pockets and pulls out all of the cash on hand. Gabriel snatches the money and counts it up, "Uh, you're short forty bucks, Penguin."

Oswald's teeth clench at the sound of that name, but only for a second, "I, I didn't expect prices to be so high. Like I said, the menu deceived me."

"Is there a problem here?" Frankie asks, approaching our table.

"No Mr. Carbone, I was just going to finish paying for our meal," I reply, sliding a one-hundred dollar bill across the table.

Gabriel snatches the bill and holds it up, amazed.

"Keep the change," I encourage, gesturing them away.

I watch as Gabriel takes the money to the register, organizing the bills so that he can collect the tip. But just as he holds up the extra sixty dollars, Frankie snatches them from him.

"I'll take that," he declares, stuffing the bills into his pocket.

"Oh, c'mon Frankie! I's been due for a raise for forever! I've got kids to feed, you know!" Gabriel calls out.

Not looking back, Frankie continues walking to the kitchen area, "Your kids can starve for all I care, Gabe. My table, my tips."

"Maybe it's time we leave," I suggest to Oswald.

He nods, and we get up from our table. Maroni looks up from his exclusive table, "See you kids! Don't get into too much trouble out there, those muggers have been getting damn aggressive!"

"I already feel like I've been robbed," Oswald whispers as we exit the restaurant.

Oswald holds Trixie close as they make the walk from Bamonte's to the Gotham Art Gallery. She smiles, slightly squeezing his arm while she kisses him on the cheek. She's so happy, as if she's had a wonderful experience with a wonderful man, when the exact opposite is true.

He'd planned this date to prove to her what a cultured, respectable man of society he's become, but so far, simply everything has gone wrong. While Maroni put on an exceptional performance as per usual, Frankie and Gabriel mocked him with that infuriating name...Penguin. Not to mention that Trixie detected his feelings for Frankie almost right away. Is it that obvious? Either way, it's embarrassing to say the least. And to top it all off, he didn't even have enough money to complete the bill, forcing Trixie to pitch in. How humiliating.

"I, I apologize for making you pay," he tells her, as the cold wind of the Gotham night whips the two of them.

She shrugs, "It's not a problem, Oswald. I was actually surprised when you tried to pay for the entire bill yourself. It would've been ridiculous."

"But it's the gentleman's duty to pay," he argues, tightening his grip on her arm.

She rolls her expressive brown eyes, "In this economy? I think most guys would go broke trying."

Ah Trixie, what with her strange sense of humor, her odd sensibilities. They amused him to no end.

He likes how her tanned, golden skin contrasts against his own pale skin. He runs his hand through her long, dark hair, thick and beautiful. And yet, there are imperfections, an unevenness in her eyes, a slight chubbiness in her cheeks, and a bridgeless nose. But there's something about her that transcends her appearance. For all of her flaws couldn't hide the fact that she cares about him, respects him. And in the end, that's all he could ask for.

Author's Note:

PusanGal: Awe, thanks, and thank you for working this holiday season. I'm too young to legally hold a job, but I've heard working retail can be a nightmare during the holiday season, I hope you didn't have to face those Black Friday crowds (or at least got compensation for it). I'm so glad to hear that my story brought you a little joy during your off-hours

HellsButterfly13: Hey, good to hear from you again! I'm happy you're still onboard with us, and don't worry, while I'm constricted to what the show does with Ed, that doesn't mean I don't have plans for him ;)

Fuchsia Grasshopper: You're right, he does everything for a reason, and he explains his motives behind the date in this chapter. And to be honest, I just included that fall to get out of the awkward situation that was building there. Natalie's suggestion for a cane was a reference to the umbrella, but he doesn't use it as a cane until Episode 7, and we're still on Episode 4, so, it'll come with time. I like updating quickly too, but after Jan 5th I'm going on a brief hiatus for reasons I'll explain then. And I can't wait for Gotham either, and I'll definitely be posting on your birthday :)

LoverOfRumpelstiltskin: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy it but as I've explained before, I have no intention of changing the T-rating. That, however doesn't mean I can't work my way around it ;)

Thanks! :)