**OnlineHost** Welcome to Taco Bell Chat!

ungrateful_customer: /drives up to window

I'M IN A HURRY

NietoMosquito: yes'm! mr. tom'll get ya yer grande combo quicker'n y'n drop a hat!

NietoMosquito: y'know, i'm startin't like this job! i'm a pretty lucky fella! not a lot'o folks get'ta eat free b'ritos fer lunch an' dinner!

NietoMosquito: 'fact, i

ungrateful_customer: SHUT UP AND JUST GIVE ME THE FOOD

NietoMosquito: yeppers!

/hands food through window, turns around to fetch hot sauce packets

NietoMosquito: would y'care fer any hot sauce! mild, hot, or fire! take yer pick!

NietoMosquito: but b'ware! th'fire sauce is awful spicy! poor ol' tom put some on'is tacos fer lunch, an'it was so spicy that smoke just'bout poured out m'ears!

NietoMosquito: (just kiddin', but still it was awful hot!)

NietoMosquito: tell y'what, i'll just give y'a heapin' handful o' all the sauces, s'that way

/turns back around

ungrateful_customer: /scoffs, drives away

NietoMosquito: wull how 'bout that! guess hot sauce ain't fer everyone! can't blame'r though!

overbearing_manager: Tom, a word.

NietoMosquito: yessir!

overbearing_manager: I know it's your first day, but I just don't know if this is going to work out.

overbearing_manager: See that clock up there? That's the drive-thru clock. We've been over this. You need to get the orders out the window as quickly as possible. Stop with all the chit-chat.

NietoMosquito: real sorry, sir! it's just, i'm not used t'workin on th'clock!

NietoMosquito: an'y'know, that's what's s'great 'bout baseball! i sure miss it! th'grass is real green, an' everyone's havin' fun!

NietoMosquito: an'y'know, that feelin' a throwin' a baseball out there! a ball into th'ether! an' knowin' it'll come back t'ya!

NietoMosquito: that there's th'promise o' everlastin' life! that y'can throw a piece a'yerself out there, and it'll always come back t'ya!

NietoMosquito: but 'know, baseball's s'great 'cause it doesn't have a clock! y'can just keep on playin' and playin'!

overbearing_manager: Well, life isn't like that, because the clock on your life hits midnight and you die.

overbearing_manager: And Taco Bell is not like that, because if you do not get people their orders in a timely manner, you will be fired.

overbearing_manager: This is your last chance, Tom, I swear to God. Shape up.

NietoMosquito: gee

i'm sure sorry, i'll try t'do better

sometimes it seems like i'm not gonna have no luck, like there ain't a nook in this world t'hang ol' tom

overbearing_manager: Yeah, seems that way, huh, Tom? I mean, I read your resume when I hired you.

overbearing_manager: I called your bosses at Radio Shack and Yankee Candle. They laughed about you. They said you were a joke.

overbearing_manager: And if there's one thing, one thing, I can take from my stupid decision to hire you, it's the fact that, at the very least, I got to be in on this joke. This stupid, sad, hilarious joke that is Tom Nieto.

NietoMosquito: mm

NietoMosquito: /wipes eyes

NietoMosquito: hohhhhhh

/turns around

PECOTA: HELLO! I ORDERED! THREE SPICY CHICKEN BURRITOS!

NietoMosquito: y-uh

/sniffles

/looks around

PECOTA:

NietoMosquito: sigh

/beams

yessir! comin' right up!

NietoMosquito: here y'go! quite a spiffy bike y'got there!

PECOTA: THANK YOU!

NietoMosquito: oh! don't fr'get yer hot sauce!

PECOTA: OH! THANKS!

/revs motorcycle

YA!

NietoMosquito: /salutes

**OnlineHost** Later...

PECOTA: /takes bite out of burrito

HMM!

PECOTA: /takes hot sauce out of bag, pours on burrito, takes a bite

I HAVE NEVER TASTED! SUCH FLAVOR!

PECOTA: HMM

/bows head, reflects

PECOTA: NO MAN! IS AN ISLAND!

PECOTA: /raises arm, snaps fingers

**OnlineHost** Welcome back to Taco Bell Chat!

overbearing_manager: uh, Tom? Phone's for you.

NietoMosquito: phone call? fer ol' tom? wull whoopee!

/excitedly hops over to phone

NietoMosquito: yessir or ma'am! this is mr. tom nieto, at yer service! how'n i help ya?

NietoMosquito: what's that?

NietoMosquito: ...th' new britain rock cats?

NietoMosquito: ...y'need a manager?

NietoMosquito: . . .

NietoMosquito: /drops phone

NietoMosquito: /stares

NietoMosquito: . . .

NietoMosquito: . . .

NietoMosquito:

NietoMosquito:

NietoMosquito:

NietoMosquito:

**OnlineHost**

The idea that you can throw a piece of yourself out there, into the ether - a ball into the ether - and it comes back to you. This is the promise of everlasting life, that it's not going to end. It's going to come back to you.

- John Thorn