BooksBarbecue
Back The House Party
Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. April 2008
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. Author’s Note
  55. Acknowledgments
  56. About the Author
  57. About the Publisher

“You know it,” Jake said, and Al reached into the case below the counter and pulled out two cold bottles of Heineken. “I won’t tell if you don’t,” Al joked, as he popped the caps. Only the fancier restaurants in town had the pricey liquor licenses required to sell alcohol. “It’s not a crime if it’s on the house.” Jake winked, and took a long and very welcome drink.

“So, what’s the word on that house that got destroyed?” Al asked him. “I had a customer in here last week told me every window was kicked out. Teenagers?”

Jake hesitated. “I shouldn’t say too much, but it wasn’t just the windows. They kicked in the drywall, tore the cabinet doors off, the works. This wasn’t collateral damage. It was like the people at the party wanted to destroy it. It’s hard to understand.”

Al whistled. “No respect,” he said. “Some of these kids, they got no idea. They never had to work a day in their lives. You know, I used to have some of them come in here after school. They’d order coffee, or something to eat. They weren’t loud, and they always paid. But they’d steal stuff. Dumb stuff—the saltshakers, the silverware. It was nothing anyone would want. At first I thought I was imagining it, but I watched them, and the girls would just slip stuff into their purses.”

Jake looked down at the silverware. The most you could say for it was that it was serviceable. “Why do you think they did it?”

“I’ll tell you why,” Al said. “They’re bored. It’s like a game to them. When you’re given everything, nothing has value. All you have are these little thrills.”

“So what did you do?” Jake asked. “Kick them out?”

Al shrugged. “That doesn’t fly around here. You make a scene, you’re going to have angry parents in here. Nasty reviews on Yelp. It’s not worth it. But I told all my employees that when they come in, you give them the to-go forks, and clear the vases off the table when you take their order.” He gave a dry laugh. “I guess I’m lucky they didn’t break in here and throw a party. But they’re not all bad. Rosa’s friends are nice kids. It just comes down to how they’re raised.”

20

The School Board meeting for May was the last one of the school year, and it was usually sparsely attended. Tonight, however, parents were pouring into the auditorium.