Alvin saw Professor Wilson off. It was already ten o'clock, and he still had to hurry back. He needed to keep the restaurant running—after all, the school didn't pay him, and he had to earn his living expenses there.
After saying goodbye to Olivia, he left the office and made a round of the school, giving the little troublemakers a scare. Seeing them look so nervous, Alvin nodded in satisfaction. Then he climbed into his pickup truck and drove back to his restaurant.
By the time he got back, it was almost eleven. Alvin parked by the roadside. Dom cleverly opened the door himself and hopped out, then shut it with a forepaw. He shook himself, his glossy black fur rippling like water in the sunlight.
After a satisfied yawn, Dom ran to the entrance and greeted Thor. The two wolves bumped heads, then Dom went to the other side of the door and lay down.
A pile of construction debris sat by the entrance. It looked like Uncle Cheng was making good progress.
Alvin pushed open the restaurant door and saw Jessica listlessly polishing glasses behind the bar counter. She seemed to be in a better mood now that the repairs to the house were progressing. When she saw Alvin come in, she gave him a big smile.
It wasn't lunchtime yet, so there weren't many customers. A young Latina woman and a Black woman spotted Alvin and hurried to their feet.
The Black woman's eyes filled with tears. "Oh!" She opened her arms and gave Alvin a tight hug, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you! Thank you, Alvin! You're my savior. You're a good man! Thank you!"
Her words left Alvin bewildered. He awkwardly wondered where to put his hands, then looked at Jessica for an explanation. Jessica watched his helpless expression with amusement and mouthed, "Food truck. Archie."
Oh, now he understood. Alvin gently eased the Black woman away. "You're Archie?" Then he looked at the other woman. "And you're Lilith?"
The Latina woman lived up to the warmhearted reputation of South American women. She gave Alvin a passionate hug and left deep lipstick marks on both his cheeks. "Yes, I'm Lilith. Thank you, Alvin! God will bless you!"
Lilith was quite attractive, probably no older than thirty, with a curvaceous figure. The pressures of life had simply left her looking a little worn.
Alvin's food truck had given her hope for the future. "If you're free, I'd like to invite you to dinner at my place tonight, to thank you for your generosity." She looked at Alvin with shining eyes, as if she had plenty more to say.
Jessica gave a heavy snort from behind the bar at the invitation, which clearly came with extra perks. The glass in her hand let out a strained creak, as if it might shatter at any moment.
Alvin shivered. He patted Lilith on the shoulder and gently eased her away as she leaned against his chest and gazed up at him.
Alvin smiled. "I've heard your thanks! All I hope is that you'll run the food truck seriously and work hard to build a good life. This world is too cruel to us, but we can't give up hope!"
Alvin's words moved the two women. They kept wiping away tears and repeating, "Thank you!" and the like.
The two Black boys sharing their table even stood up and thumped their chests with their fists in the very Black way, then pointed at Alvin. The gesture basically meant, "Bro, I'll remember what you did for me. If you ever need anything, just ask! I'd go through fire and water for you!"
As the principal of a community school, Alvin was pretty sharp. He beckoned to the two boys. "Come here, boys."
The two excited boys hurried over. They were just about to greet him when Alvin raised a hand to stop them. "Skipping school is a serious offense at my school!"
Only then did the boys realize that Alvin was the de facto ruler of the three nearby blocks, a great benefactor—and the terrifying principal of the community school.
Their dark faces seemed to turn pale. They lowered their heads, trembling as they awaited the principal's judgment. They'd clearly been in trouble before and knew that arguing would only make their punishment worse.
Seeing that they were taking responsibility, Alvin smiled magnanimously. "Since you've got enough energy to skip school, you can clean the sidewalk outside!"
When the two boys started to dart for the door, Alvin continued, "Not just today. You'll do it for the next week. I usually get up at five in the morning, and when I'm up, I want to see the sidewalk outside my place clean enough to lie down and sleep on. It's eleven now. If you hurry to school, you can still make it in time for lunch."
The two boys exchanged a despairing look, then trudged out after saying goodbye to their mother.
Archie wasn't angry to see her sons punished. Instead, she hugged Alvin. "Thank you so much, Alvin. You're the only one who can keep those boys in line now. Sometimes I'm afraid they'll end up in prison like their father." The sentimental woman started wiping away tears again.
Alvin smiled at the two women. "It's getting late, and I need to start cooking. Go sit down. Lunch is on me—I'll treat you to a steak."
Without waiting for them to refuse, he waved them back to their seats. Then he went behind the bar, tied on an apron, lit all ten burners, and set ten small iron plates on them. He brushed them with olive oil. The steaks had already been marinated, so as soon as the oil was hot, he could put them on the plates.
After getting things started, Alvin turned around and tapped Jessica on the head. She was still watching Lilith and muttering something unkind under her breath. "Go get Uncle Cheng. Have him eat, then take a break before he gets back to work."
Clutching her head, Jessica glared resentfully at Alvin, then ran upstairs to call Uncle Cheng.
As the smell of steak spread through the restaurant, customers began trickling in. It was the same every day, as if they all knew exactly when to show up.
Each serving came with a half-inch-thick, palm-sized steak, a portion of pasta, and a fried egg. Alvin gave the first one to Uncle Cheng, who was sitting by himself in the corner of the bar counter. "Try my cooking. Don't be so reserved, Uncle Cheng. Make yourself at home—you're a customer now."
There was no table service, since the restaurant only offered one dish: teppanyaki steak, twenty U.S. dollars a serving. Drinks were only sold in the evenings. Jessica busily served every customer a glass of lemonade, then used wooden trays made of pine to carry the cooked steaks to the tables in order.
Many customers had come because of the restaurant's reputation. The nearby residents were all busy earning a living at this time of day and wouldn't come in for lunch. They only showed up in the evening, when Alvin's restaurant had quieted down, to have a beer and unwind together.
Standing at the stove, Alvin listened with amusement as a few young men in suits, who looked like a bunch of professionals, heard a blond guy brag about how he'd boldly ventured into Hell's Kitchen alone and discovered the restaurant. He went on about how unusual the steak tasted, how its aroma mingled with the taste of terror in Hell's Kitchen to create a unique experience.
Alvin knew the guy. His adventures in Hell's Kitchen could fill a whole book of jokes. But since he was doing his best to advertise the restaurant, Alvin decided not to call him out.
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