Rod, again - Chapter 12, Ninjas in the night

Rico sat nervously and tried to ignore the woman next to him. This day was going from bad to worse. Earlier, Nina had yelled at him when she found out he’d given Chet’s carrot cake to Rod. Even worse, during her tirade she’d referred to the cake as “crap”. This characterization was the last straw for Chet, who overheard from the kitchen. He stormed in, threw his apron in Nina’s face and quit, leaving the job of cook vacant. Nina had sourly filled in for the rest of the day. Rico was glad to leave work but sad about how the days events had unfolded. He’d come to the courtyard with a renewed sense of purpose, determined to find out something useful about Rod’s diet and prove himself to Nina. This new “bench companion” could make his task more difficult.

Rico had only glimpsed at the woman as she passed in front of the bench. Blond hair. Thin. He hadn’t really looked at her but he imagined she was beautiful. She’d only spoken briefly, and in a whisper at that, but her voice was sweet.

Rico continued to look straight ahead, trying to concentrate on Rod's apartment. He could feel beads of sweat forming not just on his forehead but all over his face. One side of his Magnum P.I. Moustache had detached and was sticking out like a caterpillar looking for a fresh leaf to climb onto. Rico lifted a shaky hand to his face and faked a quiet cough as he pressed it firmly against his upper lip.

It looked as if Rod and his girlfriend were sitting down to dinner. Rico slipped his binoculars into his hand, doing his best to conceal them as he pretended to wipe his forehead, all the while stealing a quick glance. Rod was just digging into what appeared to be a spinach salad. Rico was excited - he’d never witnessed Rod eating spinach before. He tucked the binoculars away and opened his notebook, momentarily forgetting about the woman next to him. Slowly, Rico began counting the letters from A to S. Writing “spinach” was going to take some effort.

Debbie tried to focus on the apartment windows but she found herself distracted by the quirky behavior of the man sitting nearby. He seemed nervous and she wondered if she was the cause. In the dim light, even his creepy moustache seemed to be trembling. Every time Debbie tried to turn her attention back to the windows, he did something new and unusual. She wondered if maybe she should just leave. After all, she had a busy day ahead of her tomorrow.

Debbie gazed at the apartment windows, now pretty certain that Rod’s was the leftmost one. She could make out two people moving about, setting a table, preparing food. Neither looked large enough to be Rod, however. The quirky guy was up to something again. Debbie glanced over just in time to see a small pair of binoculars cupped in his hand. He’s spying on them, she thought, how rude. But why would anyone be spying on Rod?

The man stuffed the binoculars into his pocket and opened a notebook. Debbie couldn’t see what he was writing, but he appeared to be having difficulty. Some sort of learning disability, Debbie reasoned. She began to feel sorry for the poor soul. He seemed harmless enough and he was clearly scared. Debbie decided to take a chance.

“Excuse me,” Debbie whispered. The man was so engrossed in his task that he didn’t react. “Excuse me.” Debbie repeated, this time touching his shoulder lightly. The man jumped a little and looked at her with frightened eyes. Debbie smiled reassuring. “Can I help you with that?”

Rico gulped, unsure how to respond. “No.” he whispered hoarsely. “Thanks, but I’m fine.”

So proud, Debbie thought. “I’m sure you are,” she said, still smiling.

Rico closed the notebook, too flustered to finish his entry. He’d have to remember that “spi” stood for “spinach”.

“I was wondering,” Debbie continued, “If I might borrow your binoculars. Just for a second?”

Rico considered denying that he had any binoculars. He also thought about running away as fast as he could. Running away, that would be the best plan. But the day had left him tired and this woman’s kind manner was comforting. He reached into his pocket and retrieved the binoculars. “Here,” he said quietly.

“Thanks.”

As Debbie raised the binoculars, she casually asked, “So, what’s your name?”

Rico’s mind raced. Name? What should he tell her? What was a good ninja name? Rico considered a few options and then realized if waited much longer to reply she’d know he was making something up. “Rico,” he uttered, much to his dismay.

“Hi Rico. I’m Debbie” Debbie replied, still looking through the binoculars. She was scanning the window and adjusting the focus, trying to sharpen the image. The man sitting at the table appeared to be bald and thin, nothing at all like Rod. He was looking away from the window though and she couldn’t see his face. Debbie waited, hoping he would turn his head.

“So, “ Debbie began, trying to sound nonchalant. “Why are you so interested in what’s happening in that apartment?”

Rico swallowed. “I-I’m not.” he lied. “I’m, I’m just bird watching.”

Debbie stifled a giggle. The dark barren courtyard seemed an unlikely place for such an activity.  Rico was a poor liar. She liked that about him. Rather than confront him, Debbie chose to ignore his lie. “Are you watching Rod or Cindy?” she asked, still looking through the glasses.

Rico decided it was pointless to continue lying to this woman. She was obviously some sort of super secret agent or something. Rico recalled how silently she had approached the bench. He trembled as he realized he was sitting next to a real ninja. No wonder she was so calm. Fearing for his life, Rico told her everything about his mission, praying she would spare him. It never occurred to him that he could have asked her the same questions.

As Debbie listened to Rico, she wondered how desperate a restaurant would need to be to pursue a single particular customer. The notion was crazy. She was only half-listening until Rico started explaining that Rod used to be larger, “big and stinky” is how Rico put it. Up until that point, she had almost convinced herself that this was a different Rod. She felt her breathing quicken as Rico described the old Rod, the one she’d last seen. The man in the window finally looked her way. There was no denying it, it was the face she remembered from their time together in Minnesota. Debbie gasped and handed the binoculars to Rico. “Thanks,” she said, “I need to leave now.” Debbie got up quickly and hurried out of the courtyard.

Rico glanced at the window as he took the binoculars. Rod was looking toward him and starting to get up from the table. Rico grabbed his things and followed her. When he got to the corner of the building, he looked around but there was no trace of her. Ninja, Rico thought, wistfully.