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THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER WRITTEN IN
2006--AM NOW GOING TO CONTINUE WRITING IT AND SET A DEADLINE FOR MYSELF
OF JANUARY, 2011.
ANY CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM???
4.
JACK DRINKS
After Jack had worked at Picciolo�'s for two
weeks he felt as if he had worked there his whole life and wouldn't
mind staying there for there
for the remainder of his working years.
From the first day almost everyone welcomed him and made him feel at
home. The only one who didn't
was a waiter who had been there for years
and not only saw Jack but any new waiter as a threat. The others,
including the two old time
waitresses who were friends of Rose, took him
under his wing. They showed
him how to stack and carry the food trays,
the best way to get assigned side work done, the better, money making stations, occasionally taking the cooks out for a drink so
if he got an
order wrong they would fix it without bitching and, most important tip
wise, how to build up his checks.
The baker showed him how to
make the garlic bread and, after learning that Jack had worked making pizzas, some quick tricks to make a better one. The cooks explained the
different dishes they cooked including the ingredients, method of
cooking and proper
presentation. The bosses had him, and the other new
waiters, taste a different item from the menu everyday. It wasn't long
before Jack knew the difference between cannelloni and cannoli. He
learned about rollatini, zuppa de clams, gnocchi, spedini plus how to
make zabalogne. He learned,
by tasting, the variance of
spinach and
escarole.
Jack eventually came up with 'the perfect meal', which
became a special at the restau-rant: a hot and cold antipasto,
minestrone soup, salta en boca with a side dish of linguini olio, fresh
greens topped with crumbled bleu cheese and finishing up with zabalogne,
ex-presso and a Fiore De Alpa as an aperitif. With dinner he would
suggest a bottle of La Crema Christi. For many years this was also the
dinner he would order if he were trying to impress a trick.
Jack
immediately learned to ask for one of the patio stations. The advantages
were that when business slowed down it was the first station closed,
the money was excellent and when it rained it was closed and he could
get an extra night off if the inside of the restaurant was well
staffed. Occasionally he would volunteer to close as he found out, as a
rule, the later the customer the better the tipper just as a smoker and
drinker were.
It wasn't long before he got into a routine of
working Wednesday through Sunday start-ing at 4:30 PM and, depending on
business and weather, getting off between 8:30 and 11. He liked Mondays
and Tuesdays off as places were less crowded and lines a lot shorter,
even in season, not to forget that getting tickets for Broadway touring
companies was easier with a better selection of seats available on
Tuesdays. They were, also, the slowest restaurant days of the week.
Every
Monday he, Jim and Bob would go into Miami to see a movie. Before hand
they would stop at Jackson/Byron's department store where Jack would
cruise the men's room which was always very lively. After the movie they
would have lunch in a small Cuban restaurant and then walk around
Flagler Street window-shopping. Occasionally they would walk
around
Bayfront Park before catching a bus back to the beach. Once
a month, on
Tuesdays, he and Rose would make their Jordan Marsh trip. Most Tuesday
evenings he, Jim and Bob would go to the theatre whether a touring show
or one of the many local theatres.
Most days, in any case,
working or not, he would go to the beach, either to the rocks or Sixth
Street. He would swim, lay in the sun, read or, if at Sixth Street,
socialize with Jim and whoever else was around, keeping an eye on who
went into the tearoom.
In the evenings, whether he was working or
not, he would walk along the seawall be-tween Sixth and Tenth Streets.
If he wasn't working he would usually be there
around eight o'clock when
the he could still cruise the restrooms or on the night he worked, he
would go home, change clothes and take the walk to see who might still
be out cruising. Depending on the time of night and whom
he picked up,
especially if it was a tourist, he would suggest they go for a drink at
the Charles bar. Once again, depending on the time and whether he was
alone or not, he would either walk or take a cab to The Pin-up.
On
the nights, which were most nights, he went out drinking, he would wind
up at Wolfie's around four
in the morning, have something to eat, then
go for a swim before heading home to bed, most times with someone but
not always. He would wake up at noon and start the routine all over
again.
