dale dixon . d6 . fin

DALE DIXON

"Dale? Gina have you seen your brother?" The sound of my name has me freeze, my fingers covered in a layer of crushed pickles. I had planned to put the mixture all over Gina's favour counter stool, eager to see her squirm at the unpleasant feeling and smell of pickle up her butt crack. Damn, they had noticed me missing way too quickly. I must have got my calculations wrong. Where had I gone wrong? Did dad's daily meeting to the bathroom move along quicker than usual?

"Dale? You down here?" I hear the creak of a door, and light fills the doorway to the basement. Bugger, gotta think fast! Quickly I push the jar behind one of the discarded folding chairs, wiping the goop onto my pant leg, yuck. Whipping over the cooler door I quickly duck in, poking my head out innocently at the sound of dad's voice. "You called, old man?"

"Dale, what are you doing down here? The restaurant is busy-" yeah right, we were never that busy, "we need your help- what is that smell?" Oh shit, he was going to catch me out!

"I was just inventorying the cold stock ya know, pops, someones got to pick up the slack." Dad rolls his eyes. "And I dropped a jar of pickles, you know me, butter fingers." I give him an innocent smile, a small shrug of the shoulder. "Accident."

"Just get back up to the restaurant. You're on the grill."

You see the family own this Burger joint next to the crematory, and Barry's Handy shop. The burgers are pretty good! But business tends to get stolen by the pasta/pizza joint across the street. Pop's doesn't like the owner. Mum thinks he's handsome. I think his kids are cool, easy to manipulate. I've had my fun with them. Once I convinced one of the youngest that his brother was actually an alien, and for a whole month he refused to look him in the eye scared that his brother might eat him.

"Fine. I'll be up in a sec."

"Dale, now."

"Pops! No need to get your whitey tightys in a knot, coming now."

"Dale-"

"Pops."

Pops groans, rolling his eyes in annoyance as he holds the door open for me. It was so easy to push his buttons, and I took every advantage over it, much to his disapproval. it wasn't my fault he made it too easy, too fun. "Don't worry, I'll flip those burgers like my life depends on it." Marching into the kitchen I take a quick peak over my shoulder, Pop's wasn't looking. Grinning I give him a silent salute before slipping out of the kitchen and into the restaurant. Sorry, Pop's, but I won't be flipping not burgers today.

I give Ma a quick kiss on the cheek, before slipping onto the bar stool next to Bene. Ma was an odd woman, very excitable over the smallest little things. She was wants to be involved with us kids, part of the little gang. I love her and all, but she can be a little smothering. One time she was so sacred that she was losing any sort of relationship with me, she forced me to participate in this Mother/Son bonding session and it was an actual nightmare.

"Oi, down in the basement I have the pickle goop ready to go," I whisper mischievously, playfully poking him on the shoulder.

Bene grins at me, putting down his keyboard. "Gina's gonna smell like stale burgers for weeks," he purrs, side eyeing our sister who cleaned a few tables by the window. Gina groans, eyes drifting out into the street at Pop's rivals son. She had a major crush on him. I didn't quite get it. The guy was dumb, and was obsessed with dancing. Gina was a a lot like Ma in terms of being a bit of an oddball. She blamed it on puberty, her obsession with our neighbour and pretty much any other boy that looked at her with sex eyes (she liked to call them). She was always talking about boys, thinking about boys- and the occasional lady too.

"She's going to be so mad."

"So mad."

Matching grins paint our lips and we burst into laughter, Gina looking up at us suspiciously. I give her an innocent look, wiping the grin from my face. "Doing a good job, sis!" Bene gives her a enthusiastic thumbs up.

From the corner of my eye I see movement, Pop's was making his way into the kitchen. That was my cue.

"We'll sort the rest of the details out tonight, Bene, I gotta go." I duck out to of the store, the gentle jingle of the stores door seeing me off.

"Welcome to Barry's Burgers and chips- DALE!"

See ya, Pop's. Winking, I shoot down the street, it was time for a club meeting.