I'm not real crazy about being back working seven days a week but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Hopefully it will only be for a few months.
The good news is that I worked both double shifts at Mama Lucia's with a server who I absolutely adore. Of course he's a young guy, most all the servers are young enough to be one of my children.
This guy is smart, an excellent server and just as funny as me, if not funnier! (I know, can you believe THAT?)
We work well together, get all the work done efficiently and constantly help each other out; In essence we make a great team. His name's Drew but I call him Drewfus.
I remember a while back when another co worker was goofing around when he shouldn't have and broke Drew's brand new four hundred dollar glasses. The worker said he'd replace them but that was about five months ago and I guess has conveniently forgotten about his promise. The day after it happened Drew came into work (sans glasses) and I asked him if he could see okay without his glasses? He replied dryly "Well let me put it this way, I went to pet my dog this morning before I left the house and missed."
I still laugh about that one.
I had a party of eight in the back room today. It was a mom and dad with three kids, a couple of aunts and a grandma. They were very nice and pleasant to wait on. Drew had a table of four right next to me.
They ordered a couple of appetizers and the grandma ordered a Mozzarella Caprese, one of my favorites. When I brought the salads out she still had a couple of roasted red peppers left and a piece of Mozzarella. I asked if she wanted to keep and she said yes. I told her I didn't blame her one bit it was one of my favorite appetizers!
She agreed it was delicious, then looked at me sincerely and said "Have you ever eaten one in Italy? They are to DIE FOR!" I told her I hadn't but continued clearing dishes and refilling drinks.
I went back to the kitchen and told Drew what she had said. It went something like this:
"I can't believe she said that to me, I mean if I was young like you, maybe I'd see it. Perhaps I would be a college student and had maybe studied abroad for a year but obviously am a skinny malnourished looking waitress in my mid fifties and if I had enough money to travel to Italy and enjoy a lovely Mozzarella Caprese I sure wouldn't be slinging plates for a living at my age." He laughed and that's all it took to get the ball rolling.
Then we came up with several scenarios I could have tried.
"Why yes, actually last year when I was at the Cannes Film Festival we jetted over to Italy for a couple of days and must agree with you, they ARE to die for!"
He laughed and so did I.
The woman really didn't mean to be rude or condescending and simply making conversation, but seeing as we're almost two months late on our mortgage payment and I don't even have a car, can't see me going to Europe much less having money to buy food if I DID get there, hidden in a wheel well like that kid in Los Angeles who flew to Hawaii.
Then a few minutes later I came up with an even better one. We were in the back running food and told Drew, how about this one?
I SHOULD have said "You know last year Carmela, the dishwasher in the back and I flew to Italy for a couple of months and had the most amazing Caprese we've ever eaten. It wasn't as good as the Escargot we had in Paris two years before but was definitely exquisite and beyond compare!"
If there's one thing Drew and I excel at it's beating a dead horse.
I mean for Pete's sake, we're an Italian restaurant and one of the women at the table when asked what type salad dressing she would like replied "Do you have Italian?"
So after the meal I was boxing up the table's leftover food on an empty table next to them. Drew was right beside me boxing up his own table's food when casually commented to him "Do you remember that time Barb freaked out over nothing on us in Switzerland when we were staying at that chalet?"
None of the customers heard me but Drew did and had a hard time keeping a straight face.
The party I waited on was a great table and Grandma left me an over twenty percent tip. They never meant to or DID insult me, but was just a funny thing to laugh about.
I left for my ten minute break after clearing the table where my party sat.
I told Drew I was going to Prague on my break but would be back in ten minutes.
He took his break after I clocked back in and told me he was flying to The Netherlands, but would be back by five.
Around five I was hit with that ancient Chinese disease Dragon Ass. I had two cups of coffee and somehow limped through the dinner shift. Drew came back from The Netherlands around five thirty but was scheduled to close. (poor Drew)
I got cut from the floor around eight fifteen and by nine was through with all my sidework and ready to leave.
Drew, being a closer had to sign off on my duties so asked him in front of our boss Barb, if he could hurry and check me out because my flight was leaving in just over two hours?
She looked at me like I was crazy.
When I left, Drew told me not to wait on him at security because he had to close the restaurant but would meet up with me at the gate before our flight.
It was a long hard day, double shifts are not an old woman's Forte' but much easier to take working side by side with someone you enjoy working with.
Falling into bed soon and waking up to start my new work week at the airport.
When things look bleak and feel you can't go on, laughter is definitely the best medicine.
Thank You Drew, for making a long exhausting day number I can't even remember how long in a row a really pleasant one.
We should go on the road together sometime, we'd completely kill it!
Til next time...
COTTON the comedienne wannabe.
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