Marble’s Marvels

Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Elio Cappelli caught Aidan and Kate locking up. While his rivals across the road hosted for a measly eight diners, his restaurant had all twenty-five tables taken, a huge ninety-six diners leaving satisfied, with full bellies.

"How is that place still going? They only had eight customers all lunch," Martin, his assistant manager said behind him. "We're creaming them."

"Don't gloat, Martin. Don't forget how we got this busy." Elio turned away from the window. "I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. And Aidan and Kate are far from that." Martin nodded an apology.

Martin had worked for him for long enough to remember Marble's Marvels for the beast it once was, catering for a hundred to a hundred and fifty guests, depending on the night of the week. Aidan had that kitchen running so smoothly, Elio often wondered how he did it. Cooking fresh from scratch at that capacity was no mean feat. His team had trouble keeping up with pre-cooked produce. "Let's clean up thi

s place."

The restaurant looked like someone had thrown a grenade in it, with every table littered with plates, bowls, cutlery, and glasses. It would take his six waiters half an hour to clear away, moving around the remaining stragglers, who were finishing off their coffees and digestifs.

While he helped stack dishes from one table, he remembered how difficult setting up Elio's was four years earlier. His rival had such a huge reputation for providing home cooked British food that diners flocked from surrounding villages and towns.

As he carried the plates to the kitchen, he recalled days when his restaurant only catered for eight customers at lunchtimes. They were dull, scary times, when he wondered if he had done the right thing opening across the road from such a well-established business, where all the locals knew and liked the owners.

Aidan and Kate had been gracious when he opened the doors, offering help where it was needed. So confident were they of their business' success that they could afford some humility. Elio had taken them up on their offer, sometimes popping over there to ask for produce his chefs had run out of or needing change. They accommodated him as much as they could.

Those first two years were the toughest, most gruelling of Elio's life, the constant worry of never knowing from one month to the next if his restaurant would turnover enough capital to pay the mortgage. Luckily, he always found a way. Elio put his hair loss down to stress caused by this place, even though every male in his family had lost their hair. Hereditary factors didn't even come into it; it was the restaurant's fault.

The transformation happened shortly after the crash. Elio had lived above the restaurant for two years by this point and knew some of the locals. Vinnie's collision split the village apart, creating a crack dividing the two halves. It proved fortunate for Elio's, as Christian Ashcroft, the father of the drink driver boycotted Marble's Marvels, taking his friends with him, setting up in Elio's. Almost overnight, he had half the locals eating his food. Elio had befriended Chris Ashcroft.

It was a hard time to live in Bishops Drake. Being friendly with Chris meant he had to be careful not to be seen talking to Aidan and Kate. That was the hardest part; he liked his rivals. They were good, decent people.

The division between the Ashcrofts and Marbles went further than the restaurants. The two pubs in town took sides as well. The King's Head, owned by Aidan's best friend, threw out Ashcroft and his lot. The Red Lion's owner - a good mate of Ashcroft's - barred Aidan and Kate in response.

While Elio hated the conflict, the wound-up energy, he began making some decent money, the restaurant coming into its own, competing with Marble's Marvels.

After the funerals, he started receiving diners from across the road, locals loyal to the Marbles, who informed him that standards had dropped considerably over there. They told him that Aidan was falling to pieces, that the business was flailing.

At around the time of the first anniversary, Aidan and Ashcroft almost came to blows in the King's Head. When villagers saw Aidan cracking up, they started eating at Elio's, leaving Marble's Marvels to its self-pity.

Aidan Marble managed to alienate a significant portion of the village with his attitude, which only went to help Elio. He hated seeing his rival in pain, but every outburst brought with it more customers for his restaurant. Aidan was chasing them in.

Placing the stack of plates next to the sink, where the pot wash tried keeping up, Elio went back out to pick up more. They had a huge night ahead of them: a party of thirty-five and a booking of twelve, plus numerous other reservations. Wednesdays could be up and down. Some were frantic, others quiet; there was no reason for it.

At fifty-six, Elio tried to do less of the physical work these days, opting to manage the restaurant from behind the bar, or in front of the line in the kitchen. He left the heavy lifting to his staff, most of whom were Bishops Drake residents.

"I'll take those, Elio," his assistant manager said, picking up another stack.

It was sweet, Martin looked out for him like that. "Thanks. I'll bring the cutlery in." He didn't need to help. Elio should be counting the tills, making sure the float was ready for dinner service. The rest of the staff could set up tables for the evening. True to his word, he carried the silverware to the kitchen.

Behind the bar, he did a till read, ripping the paper, and checking the day's takings so far. Just shy of fifteen hundred was excellent for a lunch service. Elio thought of the profit margins, which were considerable for food, but not the drink.

Feeling a siesta coming on, he sat back in his office chair upstairs on the first floor, stretched and yawned. His wife would have loved how much money the restaurant took now, had she stuck around long enough to find out. b***h! He was in this for himself, his baby, his beloved eatery was all he had.