The Waiting Room
~ Chapter Twenty-Eight
FIRE!
Sparrow
continued to look at the website address that Sam had given him,
casually leaning an elbow onto the counter, as he pondered his next
move.
Jessi_Mexicali_Dishes.com
Aye, Jessi, I
remember ye, me spicy girl. He fondly recalled the many times he made
his way down to the ship’s galley to find her in the heat of
the
kitchen, making those wonderful hot and spiced
dishes…looking so
saucy herself…letting him taste from her spoon the fantastic
dish
she had made for the day…the flavors…the
spices…her…it always
made him feel like he was on…
“FIRE!” screamed Sam.
“Uh?” Sparrow jerked back to reality. In an instant
he
saw Sam carrying a pot of water from the sink, running towards him.
The pirate looked down to see that his billowing shirt sleeve had
touched the flame of the gas stove and was now burning the material.
“Bloody ‘ell” he shouted, waving his arm
in his attempt
to extinguish the flame.
From the corner of his eye he saw
Sam take position to toss the water at him.
“No! Wait ye
whelp! Do not throw…”
But it was too late. Sam heaved the
water from the pot, drenching the Captain from head to foot.
“...the
water.” Sparrow finished, as he stood there dripping. He gave
Sam
an evil eye.
The sound of applause came from the doorway.
Both Sam and Sparrow turned to see Ed Wood standing, clapping,
smiling like a banshee.
“Fantastic! Great! Couldn’t have
directed a better scene!” He shouted.
“What a great bunch
of guys you are today. You all know how to make a director feel
special. Out there we have scenes from King Kong…in
here…the
classic clip of Dorothy throwing the water on the Wicked Witch of the
West…swell…just swell I tell you…but
you know Captain…next
time don’t forget your line…you know the
one?”
Wood
put his hands up near his face and started to wiggle downward towards
the floor.
“I’m melting, I’m melting…that
just seals the
scene.”
Sam glanced at the pirate and saw that his anger
had transferred to Wood. He best try to diffuse the situation
quickly.
“Can I help you Mr. Wood?” he asked, handing the
wet pirate a hand towel. Jack pushed Sam’s hand aside and
strode
towards the door, his boots squishing on the kitchen floor.
“I’ll
be back to talk to ye!” he promised Sam as he let himself
out.
Wood had stepped aside to give the wet and angry Captain
leeway. As the kitchen door swung close he turned back to Sam.
“To
answer you question my fine young man, it is not I who requires help,
but the men out there. They’re getting a bit grumpy. Erh,
more like
an angry mob, waiting for lunch. Agent Sands claims to have requested
a second helping but I guess that message got lost on the
way.”
“Yes, yes, of course.” Sam said as he ladled
portions of
the pork dish into bowls. Sam had given thought to Sparrow. He knew
he would be asking him how he had gotten to Mort’s computer
and
most likely would be asking to help him too. He was a thought ahead
of the pirate, he prided himself.
With his back to Wood,
blocking the director’s view, he withdrew a small package,
opened
it and dumped the contents into one of the bowls, the blue one with
the yellow stripe. He whisked the powder quickly until all tell tale
signs had disappeared. He then placed in on the push cart among the
other colorful bowls and gave Wood a small, quiet smile.
“Lunch
is served Mr. Wood. Could you get the door?”