Page 40 of The Need to Know

“Love salmon,” I agreed.

He ate some of his own salad, chuckling at me. “I’m really happy you like it.”

I licked my lips and grabbed a croissant. “I guess you do keep your promises.”

A cocky look passed over his face and I liked it.

“I’m pretty low key, so this is perfect for me,” I told him. “I always love passing this place by, so I’m happy I finally get to experience it.”

“Same,” Ezekiel said. “I’m always on the go, and even when I plan to jog here, I never come through. Guess there’s a first time for everything.”

I raised my champagne in agreement. “Definitely.”

“So, low key, huh?” he pressed further.

Otherwise known as boring to some, but I was comfortable in my routine. “All I need is an ice-cold beer and a good movie.”

“Solid,” Ezekiel seemed to agree. “So, let’s hear it about The Godfather.”

I paused in my eating, getting excited to talk about Coppola’s masterpiece. Ezekiel had been right. If I ever got a second boy cat, I would definitely have to name him Coppola.

“Okay—”

“Wait,” Ezekiel cut in. “You gotta pinch your fingers together like the Italians to talk about The Godfather.”

It was goofy, but I did it.

“I loved Sonny. He was my favorite. I really fucking needed the ending on Part I. But Michael? I knew, I just knew. He had this crazy look in his eye from the beginning. I’m not sure if it’s due to Pacino—fucking Pacino!” I had so much to say and there weren’t enough letters in the alphabet to help me form words to describe all that I felt. “Part I is my favorite, but I do love them all.”

Ezekiel appeared quizzical as he grabbed a croissant and some cheese. “Even III?”

For years I’d heard about how The Godfather Part III sucked, but really, I didn’t see it that way. I was too caught up in the whole vibe the trilogy gave to see anything to complain about. Well, okay, the third one needed Robert Duvall, but his absence wasn’t enough to make me wash my hands of the film.

“Yeah, Andy Garcia really channeled the hothead mentality James Caan had,” I said.

Ezekiel shook his head. “There was literally no plot to that movie.”

“So…? It was an experience.”

He chuckled and it made me laugh, too. It was going to take me a while to write up my review of the saga for Nasty Noir. I’d jotted down notes on my Notes app already, but there was so much I could say. Pacino was a GOAT, and of course, so was Robert De Niro in Part II.

I ate some more of my salad, wholly wanting to just stuff my face. Ezekiel was a damn good chef.

“So, what’s your all-time favorite movie then?” Ezekiel asked me next.

“Taxi Driver,” I confessed.

“Really?” He sounded surprised, and I supposed it wasn’t exactly an ideal film with its darker parts for some.

I took a moment to explain myself. “I don’t know, I just love the dive into a person’s loneliness and isolation. It’s relatable. Sometimes we all are experiencing our own existential crises.”

“That’s a deep way to look at it,” Ezekiel said.

“Lost in Translation’s another one,” I pointed out.

“Really?” Ezekiel wrinkled his nose, making a face. “Nothing really happens in that.”

“But something does. It’s about two lonely people who meet and connect at a point in their lives where they’re just lost and stuck.” I sank back on my calves, beginning to speak with my hands. “I guess I just really dig those films that study the theme of loneliness. They’re the most relevant. To be really starved…” I felt my collarbone. “…of human connection is a hunger like no other.” I blinked, trying to reel it in. “Not that I’m one of those people who can’t be alone, at least, I don’t think I’m severe with it.”