I flip mine over and see the lunch and dinner menu which says served all day. I do not want any of that so I go back to the front which have several options that sound divine.
When Amy comes back a few minutes later, we’re at least ready to order. Both of the guys get steak and eggs along with bacon, sausage, and waffles. How? I know they’re big guys who burn through a lot of calories in a day, but not even Joseph ate like these two do.
“Don’t give us that look, Red.” Collin swallows half his coffee in one go. “Today is our last day of real freedom. We go on a plant based diet in two days. Let me have my eats today.”
“Do you want me to cook for you tonight? We’ll do a big last supper or something.”
“Ohh, yes. Please.”
“I’ll make you tofu tomorrow.”
He grimaces. “That’s disgusting.”
“It’s not. It just has no flavor. You have to give it flavor. It’s one of the few things my nana could eat near the end before she stopped eating at all.”
“What happened to yourabeulaif you don’t mind my asking.” Collin pours himself more coffee from the carafe.
“She got diagnosed with stomach cancer. It wasn’t fast. She fought for three years before it got the best of her.”
“Cancer sucks. My auntie died from breast cancer a few years back. I’m sorry about yourabuela.”
That it does. I hated watching Nana slowly waste away near the end. It broke my heart seeing her suffer and trying to smile through it for me. It was the hardest experience of my life, even more so than the attack from Joe. The pain her death caused eats at me every day.
“Thank you and I’m sorry about your auntie.”
Collin sits back and finally puts his coffee mug down. “Now that I have coffee in me, we need to talk about asswipe.”
“Let’s wait until after breakfast.” Hutch’s voice is firm. “No reason to spoil our appetite by talking about a piece of shit.”
“Like saying asswipe and shit doesn’t affect the appetite?”
They both stare at me like I said the sun was falling out of the sky. But to boys it probably isn’t gross.
“Are y’all nervous for Monday?” I ask to make sure they stay away from the subject of my ex for as long as I can.
Collin grimaces. “Terrified. It’s one thing to play at the college level, but for someone with a Hispanic family tree, it’s almost unheard of. It makes me feel like I have to work twice as hard.”
“That’s horseshit,” Hutch says before I can basically say the same thing. “You got there on your talent and that’s all that’s going to matter. You’re going to be a hero to little kids of all ages,ethnicities, and gender. It’s not going to matter your family came from Mexico. All that’s going to matter is your performance on the ice. Everything else isn’t important.”
I wouldn’t go that far. It will depend on the Raptors’ marketing department. They might want to play up his family background and the fact he’s Hispanic. I’m not sure what they’d say if Collin isn’t comfortable with it.
“Can I ask a question?”
Both of them nod.
“Both your parents are from Mexico?”
“Si.”
“Then how did you end up with the name Collin?”
He grins. “The cab driver who delivered me was named Collin. He happened to have a medical degree from a prestigious university in Ireland and was driving a cab while he waited to try and get those credentials transferred. My parents were so grateful to him, they named me after him.”
“Well, there’s a story you might want to share on your social media. Raptors fans will eat it up.”
“Social media savvy are you?”
“Nope, but Lucy is. It’s her major and she tells me tips and tricks all the time.”
