Page 15 of Raging Inferno

Chapter Five

Burn Me

Aside from the call about a gas odor, it was a slow night at the firehouse which meant we had a lot of time on our hands. My partner, Frankie, was bored and in the mood to bust balls. Lucky for me and the rest of the guys, a new probie was assigned to our ladder a day ago and most of the night was spent breaking the poor bastard in.

“You cooking tonight?” Frankie questions, tossing a football over my head. Colt catches it and tosses it back, almost clipping the back of my head.

“He’s talking to you, Casale,” Colt says.

“Yeah, that shrimp dish you made last week is calling my name,” Frankie asserts.

“The one with the zucchini noodles,” Colt agrees.

“You fucks are spoiled,” I mutter jokingly as I make my way toward the freezer. I’m not complaining. I enjoy feeding the guys. The kitchen is my throne around here and when I’m on duty everyone eats like a king.

Tony and the probie, Pete enter the kitchen as I sift through the freezer for shrimp.

“Casale is cooking,” Frankie announces.

Slamming the freezer shut, I rise to my full height and meet their gazes.

“Not without a trip to the supermarket. Nothing in here but a loin of pork,” I add tapping my hand against the stainless steel door.

“You can cook?” Pete asks, lifting a shocked eyebrow.

“Watch and learn, kid,” I tell him before turning to Frankie. “You’re driving, go grab the keys to the truck while I call Gab to make sure she got to night school.”

“How’s that going?” Tony questions.

Pulling the phone out of my pocket, I think about the loaded question for a moment. So much has gone on since that first meeting at the high school.

“How’s it living with a teenage girl or how is she doing with school?”

“I meant the school thing. I’m no fool, I imagine it’s some kind of hell living with a teenager of any kind,” Tony answers.

“As a guy who has five sisters, I can attest it is one hundred percent torture living with a teenage girl,” Frankie interjects, patting me on the back. “That is why I am never reproducing. My luck they’ll all be girls and I’ll have to relive those years,” he says, shuddering at the thought. “God, the thought alone gives me the creeps.”

“It’s not that bad,” I counter.

So what if she takes an hour in the shower. It doesn’t matter that I can barely find the counter in the bathroom anymore or that I almost washed my hair with a bottle of Nair. I’ve gotten used to smelling like a fruit salad too. Her room looks like a bomb went off inside and there are clothes everywhere but, she takes the garbage out every other Tuesday and since she returned to school, she’s really been trying.

That first day back, she met with Melissa just as she promised. Together they went over her credits and adjusted her schedule, adding two more classes. Melissa also helped get her enrolled in night classes on Mondays and Wednesdays. On Saturday’s she volunteers at a nursing home for extra credits too.

With a full plate, she hasn’t seen her mother and I’m not pushing the issue either. Gabby doesn’t need any distractions. Lisa knows how to get in touch with our daughter. If she’s going to make it right, it’s going to be on her own merit with no interference from me.

Lifting the phone to my ear, I listen as it rings three times before Gab picks up.

“Hey, Dad, I’m walking into class,” she says in one breath.

“Alright, I was just checking to make sure you got there safely.”

“Yeah and don’t worry about me getting home, Sienna said she’ll drive me.”

“Sounds good,” I say, following the guys toward the truck. “Call me when you get in the house.”

“Okay. Oh and don’t forget to sign the progress report Ms. Moscato sent home. I have to bring it to her tomorrow.”

At the mention of Melissa, I flashback to the night we saw her at Jose Tejas. One glance and I couldn’t stop myself from staring. I wasn’t even inconspicuous about it and when Gabby caught me ogling her teacher, she started giving me the four-one-one on her. It wasn’t much but, I know she’s not married, she’s got a kid and lives next door to Gab’s best friend. After I paid the check, Gabby insisted we go say hello and despite my protests, I followed her like a dope. That’s when I overheard her talking about me. Well—it was more like I heard her shout my name.

---