3.2 Tim

“Yeah, a pitcher of draft and a Caesar please,” Tim placed his order with the bartender. “You guys want anything?”

“Nachos,” said Neil.

“Wings,” said Antonio.
Neil grabbed a handful of peanuts from the dish at his elbow. “Good idea, Tony,” he said while shelling the nuts, “wings are more filling. Make ‘em spicy Tim.”

Antonio winced and said “Neil I promise, if you call me Tony again you will never shell another peanut.”

“Yeah, yeah, relax man,” replied Neil. And to Tim, “so what’s the deal with you and Sydney? Personally, the other girl playing darts is more my style. She could benefit from a little ‘Neil time’, if you know what I’m saying.”

Tim rolled his eyes and looked at the bartender, and said “just the pitcher, the Caesar and some spicy wings please. And a coffee for my friend Neil here.”

The bartender nodded and went off to fill the order, and Antonio and Tim looked at Neil, and then each other.

Antonio shrugged and said, “Tim I’m not sure that coffee will help Neil at this point, and if you’re not careful, he’s going to ruin things for you and Sydney.”

“What things??” cried Tim. “Seriously, what? I met her a few hours ago, and now we are having drinks.”

“Tim, my friend,” said Neil, “with the looks you two are giving each other, it’s pretty clear that you are going to get soooo lucky tonight if you play your cards right. She’s a looker, if you like that type. Now Summer over there…”

Antonio interrupted Neil. “You can’t deny it Tim. She’s hot. And she only has eyes for you. Are you going to get her number?”

“You two are pathetic! I feel like I’m in high school,” said Tim, rolling his eyes in disgust. “Sydney is very pretty, and I like her, and anything else, well, you can be sure I’m not going to be asking you two for advice. Now get out your wallets – I’m not picking up this round.”

The bartender placed the drinks and the wings in front of Tim, and Neil and Antonio threw some bills on the bar before heading back to their table. Tim noticed that Sydney was reading her blackberry, and thought that no matter what she said, she was totally addicted to that thing. Ah well, he could live with that.

He walked up to the table and put her Caesar down in front of her. "Your beverage, madam," he said, with an excruciatingly cheesy French accent. Ugh, he thought, someone shoot me now. I’m turning into Neil.

"Thank you garçon" she said, smiling up at him. "Now that's what I call service. But it took you guys a while - new bartender?"

"Hardly," he answered, watching her pick up a chicken wing and dip it in the accompanying sauce. He liked a woman who wasn’t always watching what she at. “These two bozos couldn't decide what kind of sauce to order for the wings. Who knows what we ended up with?"

Suddenly Sydney started to choke and sputter, and her eyes started watering. Obviously she got an extra spicy helping of sauce, and Tim knew that this place used real hot peppers in their homemade foods. Perhaps he should have ordered medium. He was just reaching to pour her a glass of water when he saw her reach for her Caesar and take a swig. Big mistake, he thought. I saw him put Tabasco in that.

“"Syd wait!" Tim tried to prevent her from making things worse, but she took a big swallow of the drink and her face turned the same colour as the clamato juice itself.

He knew he shouldn’t be laughing, but it was kind of funny. As Neil handed her a glass of water and Antonio gave her some napkins, Tim said "You did say you liked it extra spicy.” He saw the celery come flying his way and ducked just in time. By this time Neil and Antonio had joined in laughing, and Sydney, being a good sport, was laughing too.

“Oh my goodness, Tim,” she wheezed, “what did he put in that stuff? Fire water? Jus de brimstone? Molten lava? That is the spiciest food and beverage I have ever had. And you, Neil,” she said, pointing at Neil who was by now laughing uncontrollably, “you had something to do with this.”

“Me?” he shrugged in innocence. “Why me?”

Antonio held up a bottle of Tabasco. “It could be this bottle that was sticking out of your pocket, dumbass. What were you trying to do, kill us all?”

“Don’t worry about it Antonio. I’m sure Neil is going to eat this entire platter so it doesn’t go to waste, and then he is going to go and order a fresh platter for the rest of us. Aren’t you Neil?” Sydney smiled sweetly at Neil and pushed the tray over to him, pouring still more Tabasco sauce over the wings as Neil looked on in horror.

“One fresh platter coming up,” said Neil, jumping up from his seat to avoid eating any of the now fire-hot chicken.

Tim admired Sydney’s sense of humour and her ability to keep up with his friends, especially Neil, who could be a bit of a jerk from time to time. She seemed to chat easily with most of the people here, and he liked her friends too. He chuckled as he watched Antonio move over and sit near Olivia when Josh left the table. Watch out Olivia, he thought, Antonio can be very charming.

“Your friends are pretty funny,” Sydney said.

“I know, I’m sorry,” said Tim, “I know Neil can be a bit much, but I’ve known him and Dan almost my whole life. He’s really not so bad once you get to know him. A big kid, really. He’s in love with Summer, you know.”

Sydney smiled, “I figured that out a while ago. But he will meet his match in Luc.”

“Luc?” asked Tim.

“That guy over there. He just got here while you were at the bar. Super nice guy, lives in Montreal. He and Summer have been together for a few years now.”

“And they’re not married?”

“No. Summer has a thing about living here in Toronto, and Luc’s work is in Montreal. One of these days they are going to have to make a decision, but for now, it works for them.”

“And Olivia? What about her?”

“Liv?” smiled Sydney, looking over at her friend who was now fully focussed on Antonio. “Liv is a free spirit, and it will take just the right guy to catch her. Is Antonio going to give it a shot do you think?”

Tim looked at Antonio, who was leaning forward listening intently to something Olivia was saying. “Uh, yeah, I think it’s a safe bet. Antonio broke up with his last girlfriend about six months ago, and he has never been single for this long. He is really good with the ladies, so Olivia better watch out.”

“Oh, I’m not worried there,” replied Sydney, “Olivia is just fine looking after herself.”

Tim looked at her and his mood shifted slightly. “And you, Sydney?” he said, “are you just fine looking after yourself or do you have someone who looks after you?”