A Gallery for Nick Chapter 4

Barney started to make his way towards Nick's house. Geoff had dropped him off near the centre of town. That meant a short walk along the High Street. It wasn't very far at all. He normally quite enjoyed a stroll through town. There would always be lots of people who looked as if they were enjoying themselves.

They all look so relaxed, he thought. Perhaps I look like that as well. Perhaps they all find it hectic too.

A notice in the window of the Pizzeria Giovanni caught his eye.

"Wanted," it read. "School boy or girl to wash up and clear tables, six hours a week. Flexible shifts available. Must have good references. Apply inside"

Perhaps this would be it, thought Barney. He’d wanted a part-time job for a while, but he'd never been able to find one that would fit in with his swimming sessions. And when he did find something that would work, they always asked him about what he did in his spare time. He would then tell them about Nick, and they would either say straight away then, or in a letter a few days later, that they would have liked to offer him the job, but that they thought that he was already overburdened and probably wouldn't be all that reliable.

Perhaps it would be different here though. They said they wanted someone who could be flexible. Barney took a deep breath and went in. It was quiet inside. The tables were covered with red and green tablecloths, places were set and everything looked ready for lunch time. There was a strong smell of coffee and steam was coming out of the machine behind the counter. No-one around, though. Barney walked through the whole restaurant and still couldn't find anyone. He wondered whether he should give up the idea and just carry on to Nick's. It would probably be a waste of time in any case.

"Can I help you?" asked a voice with a slight foreign accent.

Barney turned round and saw a tall black haired man. He had quite dark skin. It was quite difficult to work out how old he was. Was this the person he needed?

"I've come about the job advertised in the window," he said, suddenly wishing he hadn't bothered.

"Ah, good, good," said the man. "Let's fill in the form. Come, come." He invited Barney to sit down at one of the tables. "Then you get the interview, yes?"

Barney suddenly felt a bit panicky. Maybe it would all be a bit too difficult.

"Will this take long?" asked Barney. "Only I've got to go and see my friend soon."

"Ah, the one in the wheelchair. I seen you with him. Poor one. What the matter with him?"

"Shall I just fill this form in?" asked Barney. He didn't want to have to explain about Nick.

"Yes, you do that. You want coffee? What your name? I am Giovanni. I own restaurant."

"I'm Barney," Barney replied. "No, no coffee thanks." 

He felt a bit panicky now and almost wished he hadn't bothered with this. The last thing he wanted was a cup of coffee. It would just make him feel sick. So, he set to filling in the application form. There were the usual questions. Name, age date of birth, the name of two referees, and then of course, what experience had he had. He was about to put none. But then he remembered, he had really had lots of practice at washing up at home. He'd often helped out in fact. Well, why shouldn't he put it down? He'd got nothing to lose, had he? Even if it didn't help him to get the job, it wouldn't actually stop him getting it would it? It might   just give him a chance, though. He finished putting all the details on the form and then read it through again.  

"You finished?" asked Giovanni. "You sure you no want coffee?"   

Barney was almost tempted now that he had finished filling in the form, but he knew that if he stopped now he would be very late getting to Nick's.

"What else you do in spare time, apart from wheel that boy around?" asked Giovanni.

"Well, I swim," answered Barney. "Every day. I'm training for the county." Barney felt himself blush. He thought he sounded as if he was boasting.

"Whew!" Giovanni whistled. "What a boy! I bet you won't find washing a few plates hard. But I have to ask Mrs Giovanni what she think first. She really the boss, you know."

"What will I have to do?" asked Barney. What did they mean by saying the work was flexible. "I mean, how often will I have to work? Can I choose when?"

"Yes," he continued. "We have two other boys and a girl working for us. As long as we have someone here every night between eight and eleven, that's alright. You sign up for which two nights you want to do every week. We try to have two people every Saturday."

"Sounds great," said Barney. He could really see himself doing this job.

"I let you know soon," said Giovanni. "Must ask the boss first. I got your address."

It was quite late now. High time he got to Nick's. But he had a feeling that he might be lucky this time.

The sun was in his eyes, making him blink. If it hadn't have been so cold it could have been spring. Barney felt quite pleased. He was sure something really good was about to happen.