The Smallest Crack, The Biggest Hole

Casual comments can lead to disaster

Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay

Max Brekins was having a very difficult day. His Doctor had told him he had to relax more or his heart would explode, but Max couldn’t. He was glued to CNN and the more he heard about the atrocities carried out by Hamas against the Jewish people, the more he wanted to scream and yell. They had butchered innocents and there was very little he could do about it.

He missed Israel and felt like he was letting everybody he knew in the Promised land down. He had checked into getting flights back to the country, but there were very few airlines flying back to Tel Aviv. He lived a torn life.

Max was friends with Cybil Shantz and she invited him out for a bite. There were going to LaMouche Bistro, which was one of her favourite restaurants. Max was going but his heart wasn’t into it.

Cybil had received tenure at York University and she specialized in Philosophy. Max was a diamond broker. He looked very unassuming, but he had accumulated wealth beyond his wildest dreams. One of his goals was to make anonymous substantial contributions to charity on a very regular basis.

The restaurant which was located on Avenue Road and Davenport was extremely husy. If you didn’t have a reservation you didn’t get in. Max arrived a couple of minutes before Cybil. He waited in the lobby area and when she walked in, they hugged.

Cybil always looked like she had just jumped out of the shower and ran. She was tall and willowy with her hair falling around her shoulders. Max was the opposite, he was five eight and portly with a bald head and a moustache and goatee.

They were shown to a very nice table by the window, and menus were immediately produced. The waiter ran down the list of Specials and gave them a minute to contemplate what they wanted to order.

The first thing they ordered was a bottle of Pelligrino. The waiter then dropped some hot bread on the table. ‘’So, Max how are your parents?’’ Max shook his head ‘’I worry about them every day. The small ailments that never bothered them are becoming big deals.’’ Cybil took a piece of bread. ‘’I’m sorry to hear that.’’ Max looked around the room. ‘’The…