A Different Tack Maybe

So, once again I am trying to decide whether or not to nap for a few hours. Would it do me any good or would it be better to try to abstain and trudge through the day? I face this question all to often for no good reason.

Some fifteen years ago I faced this question and chose rest.

It was a weird week.

I had made a harrowing trip with a good friend cross country to the Indy 500, but I think that is a story for another time. Jack was staying in town for a few days then flying out on a Saturday morning at about 0530. The evening before his flight was Prom night. Oh yeah, and I was to start my new job at 0830 that morning. Earlier that week I had been been kicked out of school, asked to go to the Prom by my ex-girlfriend, confirmed that the school was going to allow me to attend the Prom and made preparations while showing Jack around town. Jack was very understanding about me going to the Prom and ditching him with some friends, he even claimed to have had a good time.

It was a strange evening, fairly uneventful except for me having to borrow shoes from someone. Nice guy but I cannot for the life of me remember his name. I do know that he wore a size nine shoe. And he was over six foot tall. He handed me the shoes and I just stared at them for a few moments. I wear twelves and he is about a half foot taller than me. "How in the world do you not just fall over?" The smallest shoes I'd ever seen on someone over six foot. I wedged the front of my feet in as far as I could and got my closest taste to walking in high heels.

Uneventful evening, but long. I think that I got back at about 0400 and Jack was still up. We decided to hang out for a while before I took him to make his flight. I got him off safely and made it back to the house. 0600 and I gotta be at work for my first day at 0830. I figured that I could take a nice little two hour nap and be good to go. It's not like I was going to be trying to save lives or anything, it was just a job washing dishes. Not to belittle the profession or anyone who does it, I just knew that I didn't need a full nights sleep to function. I do have a strong work ethic. When I take a job, I do my best to get it done. I just wanted a little nap.

So I woke up from my nap, feeling like I had just gotten the most fantastic two hours sleep. And it was too, all except for the fact that it was spread out over four hours. I'm two hours late for my first day of work. There is much jumping and cursing and speeding of cars as I rush to the Catering Company. When I get there, there is much apologizing and promises of it never happening again. The head cook, Jason Fulman, was fairly ticked of at me and told me that if he had anyone left to do the job that he would just tell me to leave. That wasn't the case and I was put to work back scrubbing pots and pans. Fulman pointed out a few things mumbled a bit and told me to get to work.

There was a guy there that showed me the ropes of the pot and pan station. Showed me where everything went and said that he could help me for about an hour before he had to leave. Feeling rather abashed at being this late to work, I just decided to go head down/ass up and get it done. Thirty minutes or so later, the guy says that I seem to know what I am about and that he has to leave. I had no idea that he meant 'leave'. I figured that I would see him sometime in the next week or so and maybe get his name then. I worked there for close to five years. I never saw the man again. Never was able to get a name for him out of anybody either. For all I know he had been the deposed dictator of some third world country and he had left to go retake his former glory. Just as good a guess as any I suppose.

Well, I got all my work done, cleaned up the station and look around for what else needed cleaning. It is a catering business so things kinda go in waves for a dishwasher. This was a bit of a lull, so I went to go see Fulman to see what else he wanted me to do.

"Um, Excuse me, Mr. Fulman? I got the pans done and was wondering what you wanted next."

"Really??" he said incredulously, "You got them all done?"

Fulman looked at me as if I had just told him the sun was the moon.

"Yeah." I had worked in a kitchen since I was fourteen. I was pretty sure I knew when there were no more pans to wash.

"Really?" he repeated. Still looking at me like I was a moron for trying to fool him.

"Yes, really"

We stood there for a few quiet moments in the midst of the chaos that is a catering kitchen. I didn't know if it was just because I had been late that he didn't believe me but I figured that I better show him.

"Would you like to come check?" I asked

"Yes I would.", he spat back at me instantaneously.

We wandered back to the station and he starts looking around. He looked everywhere back there. He looked under tables, in the garbage, checked the racks to see if the pans were actually there and clean before he stopped and turned to me.

"No one has done that before." he said mystified. Only for a second then it was back to business. "You ever make a fruit tray?"

I nodded and then we were off. One week later, Fulman disappeared on a drunken bender while out catering a function. No one seemed all that concerned. I found out it happened every few months or so. The Catering Company had a comical revolving cast of characters that would come and go. The next time that Fulman worked there, I was kind of his boss.