"Ten menus sir?" The waitress asked Luka in Croatian.
Luka looked around and shrugged. "Da, molim.. Hvala.." He muttered good naturedly, ushering his friends to a large booth.
"I will pay.." He said determinedly as his friends sighed.
"No.. Luka, I insist that we pay for your meal.. It's the least we can do for thanking you, for letting us come along." Kerry smiled.
Dave nodded. "Yeah.. and make up for Carter putting glue in your dinner.."
"Hey! It was an accident!" Carter sighed, wounded.
"Yeah.. sure it was.. What sort of moron grabs something out of the cupboard and dumps it in.. You're lucky it was just glue and not rat poison.." Dave grumbled.
"Okay.. Stop fighting and order something.." Mark grunted angrily. "I'm
going to have a nice big steak.. What about everyone else?"
"I just want a good cheeseburger..." Dave shrugged. The group nodded
collectively.. It was bar food.. There wasn't that much of a selection
to choose from.
"I'll have the finger food platter..." Carter sighed.. "And a big coffee..."
The doctors sat and drank, chatting about the day's events. When Luka finally started discussing meeting his father in law for the first time, there was a sudden hush over the table. "It's okay.. We're okay now.. He's a good man.. Good hearted, only wanted what was best for her.. He's old.. Lonely.. I pity him really." He smiled sadly and dangled a finger in his water glass, plinking at the sides.
Luka's morose expression turned to one of disbelief and good natured sadness as he was regaled with the exploits of Carol, Benton and Doug. Even though Abby was with him now, he still missed the closeness he'd lost with Carol. The cold and soap-opera-ish exit she'd made had left him broken hearted and no amount of wild sex with Abby could change that.. It couldn't hurt though and Abby was quite a nice girl. She had more demons in her closet than he cared to know but he was certain they were all out in the open.. After all, what else could she be hiding?? Divorced alcoholic with a bi-polar mother, things couldn't get anymore interesting.. Could they?
**
The hungry doctors talked and drank till the food arrived and they were ravenous.
Elizabeth daintily picked at her garden salad and battered jumbo shrimp. Carol munched on her bruschetta, smiling at Doug as he hand-fed her his onion rings between sickeningly sweet kisses.
Finally when everyone had finished eating and Luka had excused himself to go to the bathroom, the group split the cheque between themselves. When Luka returned from the bathroom (He'd washed his hands like a good little doctor, not like 'certain' desk clerks that shall remain nameless.) the physicians had paid the bill, left a hefty tip and were standing in the foyer looking quite guilty and nervous.
"Hey Luka.. We really gotta get outta here man.." Dave said his voice trembling, and his eyes flitting around the room.
"What is wrong?" Luka replied glancing around the busy restaurant.
"We're skipping out on the bill. Carter and Dave conveniently forgot their wallets and we don't have enough to cover it." Carol glared at the men, winking at them, when Luka looked around for an angry owner with a baseball bat.
Dave nodded. "Yeah we better make a break for it."
As the waitress came up to give them their complimentary mints, Mark and Doug grabbed Luka by the arms and hustled him down the street.
They stopped outside another pub, laughing and breathless from their 'narrow escape.'
The doctors stumbled into the bar and were deafened by the most horrible caterwauling known to man; Karaoke singers.
***
"If I had a meeellion dollars!!!!!!! If I had a meeeeellion dollars.. I'd buy you a house.. I'd buy you a house.. and some furniture for your house.. Maybe a nice chesterfield.. Or an ottoman-" The crooner swayed on stage butchering the classic song sung by the Barenaked Ladies.
The doctors winced in the doorway waiting for the cacophonous noise to stop and the host walked on stage all smiles. "Even-ing all.. That was a song by The Nude Women... Give a big clap for Niro!!" He let the tone-deaf Niro, bow and walk off stage and Carter shook his head.
"No.. Not good for hangovers.. Going home now.. Bad singing.." He muttered.
A very large and very angry Croatian with the loftiness and breadth of a solid oak wardrobe towered over Carter and sneered. "Bad? You bad American! You sing.. You do better.." Niro cocked a brow evilly and handed the microphone off to the walking talking totem pole.
"Me? Sing?!" Carter stared at his friends with wide fearful eyes.. "I don't think-" Suddenly the eight-foot brick shithouse with legs grabbed Carter by the scruff of the neck and threw him bodily on stage.
"SING! Sing for me!"
Carter nodded nervously and rolled his eyes. "Oh yes.. Yes of course.. Oh Godly Supreme Phantom of the Opera.."
"WHAT!?" The very large man's eyes rolled crazily in their sockets and he clenched his fists, shattering the salt-shaker in his hand. He looked at it dazedly and licked the salt and blood from his wounds, with an evil crazed grin. "Sing! NOW!"
"Uhh... Carter.. I don't think it'd be such a bright idea to piss this guy off anymore than you already have.." Mark warned, giving the thug a wide berth.
The man pointed at Mark. "You.. You sing too.. Want to hear you sing!" His meaty fist and index finger aimed directing at the balding skinny doctor.
"I.. I don't sing.. Sorry.." Mark mumbled nervously.
"Mark! Don't you take your own advice? Go up and sing.. Give the man what he wants.. We'll just plug our ears.. Don't worry, luv..." Elizabeth grinned.
"I can too sing!" Mark whined. "I've sang the baby many lullabies, and they put her right to sleep."
Dave laughed. "Yeah sure boss.. Probably just a defense mechanism.. You know. 'Oh gee.. Daddy's singing again.. The sooner I pretend I'm asleep, the sooner he'll leave..' Believe me, I've heard you sing, man.. It's not pretty.."
"Dave!!!!! I don't think this is the time to be rude to your boss.. Little John does not look amused." Kerry nodded to the hairy beast that had started to walk toward their table.
"Go sing, skinny ugly man or I will hurt you AND your friends!" The
human tank growled grabbing 'skinny ugly man', also known as Mark, by the
crotch and flung him in the direction of the stage.
********