Their conversation attracted the attention of the old men playing chess. Even the children playing on their skateboards paused to look at Matthew talking with the man. It was almost as if this was a miracle.
The man sensed this and looked at Matthew, saying, "Tell me, who is the fool here for bringing me along for food? You, or me?"
The man was acting weirdly. Matthew said crossly, "Well, I'm no fool."
The man scoffed. "I'm no fool either because there's a fool paying for my food."
He had imitated Matthew's tone. It was simply aggravating. Matthew rubbed his nose. This guy had probably resorted to digging through the trash for food because of his mouth.
They left the front yard, and Matthew walked toward a nearby pasta shop. However, the man stopped him by saying, "I won't eat from here. It tastes horrible."
Matthew believed that taking someone out to eat meant catering to their tastes, so he didn't argue with him. "Lead the way then."
The man quickened his footsteps and brought Matthew to another pasta shop. He walked right in and said, "I'll have an Alfredo pasta with three servings of bacon, thank you very much. Three servings of bacon, ya hear that?"
The owner looked at Matthew as if he were an alien. He ordered his employees to cook the food.
The man sat down and asked, "Aren't you gonna eat anything?"
Matthew shook his head. "I've already eaten."
The food was quickly served. There was more bacon than pasta in it. It looked like there were just a few strands of pasta swirled in the cubes of meat.
Matthew drooled. "How much is that?"
The owner smiled. "55 dollars."
55 dollars? Matthew looked at the prices on the wall. "Isn't the pasta only 10 dollars?"
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