After the kidnapping

After ordering the ‘everything you want’ breakfast, Gabe handed the menu to the waitress and smiled at his brothers.

As Jack smiled back at Gabe, he said, “You probably shouldn’t have done that.”

Gabe was still smiling.  “And why not, little brother?”

“Look what happened last night when you ate too much.”  Kellan then  sipped from his coffee cup.

“That, was an aberration.  Won’t happen again in another twenty years.  Besides, I’m not drinking any of the Weed with breakfast.”  Pleased that he had stuck his brothers with the bill, Gabe kept up his self-satisfied appearance.

“Look, Gabe, we don’t mind paying for breakfast, well, maybe a little bit, but we knew that once you got up here you’d be okay with the trip.  Are we right about that?”

“For now I am.  We’ll see what happens after breakfast.”

Kellan laid his baseball cap on the table, sighed, and then said, “Gabe, what else can you do now, but come with us?”  Gabe’s attention turned to the area behind his brothers.

“Well, don’t look now, but there’s a woman behind you that I’ve known for a long time, and I don’t think she’d mind some company for a few days while you guys take off for the wilderness.  What ya think of that?”

Kellan turned, but didn’t see anyone, in his mind, anyway, that might be a possibility.  Jack looked behind them.

“Oh, shit.  That can’t be who I think it is.”  He returned his gaze to Gabe who was laughing uncontrollably, although in a quiet sort of way.

Kellan was perplexed.  “What, who, who’re you talking about?”

Jack rubbed his head with both hands, muttering, “Oh God, Oh God, no.”

Gabe stood up and walked over to the woman as Kellan watched.  

While placing a hand on the woman’s shoulder, Gabe said in a low voice, “Mavis, it’s been a long time.”  The startled woman, turned, and when she saw who it was, let out a squeal and gave him a gargantuan hug that seemed to last forever.

Kellan, who was following all the action, asked Jack, “Who the hell is she, Jack?”

“Mavis Telluride;  I never understood it, but she used to have the hots for Gabe like you wouldn’t believe.  My God, he knows a woman in every city in the United States.”  He clanked his fork on his water glass.   “Gabe’s not all that attractive; I don’t know what the hell he has going on, but women seem to fawn all over him.”

Breakfast came as Gabe continued to visit with the woman.  Jack and Kellan morosely began picking at their eggs benedict and corned-beef hash.  Five minutes later, Gabe returned to the table and politely asked the waitress if she would warm up his breakfast.  Just as politely, she assented and picked up his plate.  Gabe winked.  The waitress giggled.

“Ah, now that was a surprise,” Gabe said.  Jack and Kellan continued to eat and said nothing.  “Well, boys, looks like I’ve got a place to stay for the next week.”  Defeat was in the air.  Jack and Kellan were silent

“What, no comments from the kidnappers?”  Gabe chuckled.  After his plate of food came and a little more flirting between the waitress and him, they ate in silence, broken only by Gabe’s recurrent chuckling.  

Jack finally said something.  “Apparently, you’re very pleased with yourself, Gabe.”