Dex (17 page)

CHAPTER
twenty-four

“Dex!” Alicia bolted into the kitchen nearly knocking Dex over along with a bowl of rum
raisin pancake batter.

“Geez, Leesh! What?” Dex snipped, making sure the bowl was stable.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” Alicia apologized. “I just had the most amazing conversation with my old boss in L.A.”

“You’re not leaving again are you?” Dex was a little surprised at how much that possibility worried him.

“No,” Alicia dismissed. “Actually, it was about his celebrity friends who went on Saturday Night Live to make fun of themselves.”

“Hilarious,” Dex chided dryly.

“Think about it, Dex,” Alicia suggested.

“Okay. I just did. So what?”

“You should do it.”

“
I
should do it?”

“Yes. Jazz thinks so too.”

“That makes no sense.”

“It makes all kinds of sense,” Alicia insisted. “Everyone would see how cool you are.”

“But I’m not cool,” Dex whined. “I’m embarrassed.”

“Exactly why you should do it.”

Dex thought for a moment. It’s not like he had much to lose at this point. “If I were going to do something like that, how would I do it?”

“We’ll re-open your lunch stand with a new sign.”

“What kind of sign?”

“Depends on the menu. But something clever.” Alicia’s phone rang. “It’s Lola. Jazz’ll be here in a few minutes. Think about it. We’ll help you.”

Dex looked through the pantry and refrigerator trying to decide what he could make for his grand re-opening. He didn’t want to go too bold, but he couldn’t play it overly safe either. He was flipping the last of the pancakes when the doorbell rang.

Alicia came into the kitchen with Jazz, who quickly snatched a pancake from the almost full plate.

“So, what did you decide?” Alicia asked, also grabbing a pancake.

“To make extra pancakes when I’m hungry.”

“Sorry mate,” Jazz said. “Didn’t mean to steal your meal.”

“Just kidding,” Dex said. “So, what do we do?”

Alicia smiled. “It’s new sign time!”

#

It was nearly midnight when Jazz, Alicia, and Dex finally posted the risky grand-re- opening sign proudly on the front lawn. There it was in bold black and red marker on a large white sheet of heavy oak tag:

DEX THE FOOD DUDE - GRAND RE-OPENING!

TODAY’S GAGBAG SPECIAL: UP-CHUCK ROAST with CARROT HURLS

TODAY’S DESSERTS: ‘TOSS-UR’ COOKIES, STRAWBERRY-RHUBARF TARTS

Dex was determined to take it all in stride and get back to work. How else could he save Poppy’s Kitchen? Success was the only answer. Besides, he was never going to be able to show his face in school again if he didn’t turn things around.

#

It wasn’t much past dawn when Dex peered out the kitchen window to see the line for his lunch stand beginning to form. He would prove to everyone that he was still a good chef who deserved to stay on TV, because his cooking really
was
that good.

With nearly no sleep, Dex pushed the wheelbarrow to the door excited and ready to open shop. He was just about to leave when one of the wheels got stuck crossing the saddle. He tried pushing it harder, but that did nothing except make him sweat. He got down on his knees to investigate, but he found nothing that explained the problem. The wheel just didn’t want to move.

There was only one solution.  Dex took a long look at all the neatly-packed food nestled inside the wagon and sighed heavily. He would have to lift the dumb thing. There was no way. That sucker had to weigh a buhjillion pounds. Jazz and Alicia met up for breakfast and Vince went to work extra early. Marla had a late shoot and was still sleeping. The only one left was Geema. And he worried that she’d hurt herself carrying empty laundry baskets.

Dex got out his phone and called Kyle. “Yeah, yeah, it’s Kyle,” his voicemail answered. “Leave a message at the burp. EHHHHHH.”

Great. He was probably showering. There was no one else he could think of. It’s not like he could call Sarah and ask her to come over and help him do what all her other boyfriends could do with one pinky. No. He’d have to man up and do it himself.

He walked over to the cart and tried lifting the front end. He got it a couple of inches off the ground, and some of the sandwiches tumbled to the back. So much for presentation. He could take everything out of the cart and start all over again, but that would take forever. Besides, if he didn’t get out there soon, it would get too late and he’d lose customers.

He took the deepest breath he ever took in his life and used every ounce of strength he had to lift the back end of the cart and push it forward. It moved. Only an inch, but it moved. If he could do that another ten times, he might be able to get it over the saddle before noon. He was so frustrated, he kicked the cart. A move that was nothing short of a miracle. The cart went right over the saddle like it had done every day for months.

So maybe it wasn’t exactly the most heroic effort, but he still got the job done by himself. It beat having to ask for help and being rescued. It made him wonder about Sarah. He hoped she had wanted their kiss to mean more than a moment of pity. There was no way of knowing yet. He could ask her, but that would be dumb. No sense in putting that cart before the horse.

It was a little after seven and the line already stretched halfway down the block. Dex braved the morning chill as he went down with the wheelbarrow to greet the first customers of the day. He had to admit, seeing Rhonda and other familiar faces made him feel better. There were also a bunch of new people. He was glad Kyle showed up.  It was going to be a busy morning.

CHAPTER
tweNty-five

Dex yawned over a bowl of garlic cloves. It was his first day back on the set of his show and he was a lot more tired than he wanted to be. His director would be calling for ‘action,’ in less than an hour. Wrong day to be making One-Pot Chicken Supreme, a dish loaded with cut-up chickens that had him chopping every vegetable the local farm had to offer.

The morning had been nuts with his lunch stand opening early and closing late. By the time he and Kyle had gotten everything back in the house, they had to run to catch the bus. Then when Dex got to school he had an algebra test and had to make Italian Wedding Soup in International Cooking. To make matters worse, Sarah had been absent.

There had to be some way to keep his eyes open
that didn’t involve coffee. That stuff always made him run to the bathroom.

“Dex, glad you’re back, kid,” Ezra said, coming in from the back entrance of the studio kitchen.  “Here’s a little something for you.” He handed Dex a chocolate bar wrapped in dark purple foil with foreign words imprinted on the cover. “A friend of mine, maybe you’ve heard of him, Bobby Flay, picked this up when he was filming a special in Guadalajara. He said you should try it in your Dexican Cocoa Loco.”

“Bobby Flay? THE Bobby Flay?”

“Only one I know, kid.” Ezra put his finger to his lips. “But keep it quiet. Bobby still works for the
other
network.”

“Oh, I won’t say anything,” Dex promised. “Bobby Flay tried my cocoa recipe?”

“Said it was outrageous,” Ezra offered matter-of-factly. “You can eat this one if you want. Bobby gave me a whole case of them and I can tell you each variety has a fascinating flavor profile.” Ezra gave him a tap on the shoulder. “Later, kid,” he said and left.

The good news was Dex felt totally pumped. Bobby Flay thought his hot cocoa was amazing. That trumped Alicia getting him a latte when he was visiting her studio in L.A. Dex started chopping garlic like a machine without even remembering how tired he was.

#

Preston walked by the studio kitchen and nearly fainted when he saw Dex working at the counter. What was going on? Preston had taken over Dex’s time slot after the live lunch horror, and he was planning to keep it that way. Things were going deliciously. Why was the little punk standing in Preston’s spot smiling and using his favorite Ginsu knife?

Preston was so disillusioned he never noticed Ezra approaching him.

“In my office in five, Preston,” Ezra directed, pointing to his watch. Then he ran backstage, calling for an audio check on a faulty mic next to the food processor.

Preston got off the elevator and walked down the hall to Ezra’s office scratching his head. He couldn’t imagine what the stodgy creep needed to discuss. Preston had already assured him that sales of his new products were underway and going slowly, but surely. The market was a little sluggish, but that certainly wasn’t his fault. So what if it would take a little longer to get everything moving. No big deal.

Besides, it was undeniable that his ratings were noticeably improved when Dex was out of the picture. That meant that given the chance, people still wanted to watch him.  Preston would make that nitwit Ezra sit tight while he worked his usual magic. And this time when he did, there’d be no room left for error.

Preston marched into Ezra’s office ignoring the secretary’s direction to have a seat in the waiting area. He helped himself to a chocolate-covered cherry sitting in a box on Ezra’s desk and then took a seat.

“Ah, so here you are,” Ezra remarked taking his seat. “And you’ve already insulted my new secretary and eaten my chocolate.”

“Your secretary? Sorry, I hadn’t noticed. I just assumed the chocolate was out for us to celebrate.” Preston smiled as he remembered the one point he knew would be the all-important clincher. “I’m sure you noticed how well I did in the ratings last week.”

“I’m afraid that’s not quite the case, Preston.” Ezra closed the box of chocolate. “Truth is we’ve hit the wall. Your products aren’t selling. We’re going to have to pull the plug on our investment.”

“That’s preposterous. Simply mad.” Preston could feel the panic grip his throat. “We have a contract you know.”

“It expired.”

“Expired? That’s amusing. I didn’t realize.” Preston began to wring his hands. “Well at least I have my show.”

“Yeah, about that…Preston, I’m sorry. We’re expanding ‘Dine with Dex’ to an hour. He’s taking over your time slot.”

“But my ratings went up!” Preston repeated, as if Ezra hadn’t heard him before.

“Yeah, and the second Dex came back, his ratings were nearly twice as strong as yours were while he was away.”

“He wasn’t away, Ezra,” Preston sneered. “He quit! He walked out on you, on all of us! He simply cannot handle the pressure of working here. He’s already proven that.”

“Ehh, that was a fluke. He was working in front of the kids from school. Would’ve made any kid nervous.”

“Exactly my point. He’s a kid.” Preston softened his voice, summoning every ounce of sweetness he could muster. “Don’t toy with me Ezra. We’re men. You’re talking about a kid here.”

“A kid whose ratings went through the roof with that lunch fiasco.” Ezra stood up and sat on the corner of his desk. “I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome if I had planned it myself.”

“Surely there must be something I can do to change your mind.” Preston was repulsed to hear himself beg and suddenly wanted to throw up.

“No, there’s nothing.” Ezra reopened the box of candy and popped a chocolate into his mouth. “Not unless Dex forgets how to cook altogether and his New Year’s special is a total bust.” He laughed. “But, I don’t expect his goose to be cooked any way but gourmet, and neither should you. Heck even that kid’s mistakes have turned to gold.”

Preston sat motionless.

Ezra began to chuckle again, but stopped himself. “Preston, it’s been a good run, but, I’m going to need you to clean out your office.”

“But I have a show scheduled for today,” Preston argued.

“Change of plans. Your last appearance will be the guest spot on Dex’s New Year’s special. It’s airing live.” Ezra handed Preston the schedule. “You’ll have plenty of time to thank your fans and tell them you’re moving on.”

#

Preston was pacing back and forth fighting the impulse to throw everything that wasn’t his personal property right out his office window. Yvette was at his computer frantically typing.

“Anything yet?” Preston demanded.

“Are you sitting down, Pressykins?!?”

Preston took a moment from his pacing to glare at her.

“Oh, right,” she said watching him pick up speed as he resumed. “Well, I did some digging and found out a bit of interesting news about, uh, ‘Poopy’s Kitchen.’”

Preston glared at her again.

“You know,” Yvette prodded, “that slop joint the kid talks about all the time.”

“Of course I know. ‘My Geema’s restaurant,’” Preston whined mimicking Dex. “What about it?” Preston asked in his own voice.

“My friend Nan over at Meridian Bank told me, in the strictest confidence, that the old hag who owns the place can’t afford to keep it. And the bank has the right to sell it.”

“So?”

“So, she said if you bring her a check today, you could own the place by tonight!” Yvette wrapped her arms around Preston’s shoulders.

“You’re kidding!” He reached into his drawer and pulled out a silver pen.

Yvette dropped her arms and began kissing his neck.

“I guess Ezra is still playing it cheap and safe with the newbies or Dexy would’ve already paid that bill.” Preston smiled and took out his checkbook from his jacket pocket. “Yes, it’s such a shame that a handsome, well-informed businessman might just beat him to it.”