I think I had 9 tickets going at once at one point yesterday. I know all but two tables were full and I was on my own. Everyone got fed. I didn’t get too weeded. No one complained. So I guess I am getting the hang of this.
Then, while out on a date last night, I saw a table of people I had served earlier. My date did not believe I recognized the customers because, as one who is in the biz, he says he always thinks he recognizes guests everywhere. But then I told him the nuances of what they ate (fries no chips for two, fries for one, one extra side of slaw, two ice teas, one Bud Lite) and how they wanted to split the check, but I forgot to do it–he thought I might be right. Ya think?
He laughed and got the group’s attention, telling them he had seen them at my restaurant when he was eating there and how the food was great but the service sucked. Very funny. But the customers had no clue their beloved, adorable waitress was me, and they said, actually, they thought the service “was okay.”
Geez, it’s such a small town, I think I see my customers everywhere–and I really do.
The new owners are begging me to stay on, having got wind of my catering, event planning and journalism backgrounds. “I’ve seen your resume,” laughed the new owner. I did not laugh back. I was too perplexed as to how he had seen my resume. No one has ever seen my resume at the restaurant.
“My sister is on the board of the yacht club, where you applied to for a job last week,” he laughed some more. “She called and asked if that was the same RG who was working for me, and how you had incredible experience.” Yeah, just not as a waitress. But wait, your sister? A board member? She saw my resume?
Good Lord. No wonder the yachties never called me back for a second interview. Oh well, the new owners seem to want me to hang in. And I’m making money and feeling more comfortable. But small-town stuff, yes?
My date doesn’t live here, but he’s down here all the time and he knows everyone. I am sure my being out to dinner with him will cause a slight stir with the local boys. But it’s so low-key, so small-town in these parts, there’s not much to really tell. “Hmm, she ate grilled fish, he paid.”
“But is it too quiet down there, too small of a town?” asked my pilot girlfriend from Fort Lauderdale when we talked on the phone yesterday.
It’s really quiet. Most nights I am asleep by 9.
It’s very small. I may not know everyone, but they all seem to know about me and where I work and how I just got to town and so on and on.
Too quiet? Too small? Maybe. Right now, though, it’s close to just about right.
Comments
11 responses to “Such a Small Town”
I’m glad for you 🙂 Now just wait until you need to buy something embarrassing at the grocery store 😛
I know it’s kind of hard to compare the two, especially since you have only been in your new locale briefly, but what do you prefer – small town or big city (D.C.) ?
and your small town REALLY is small compared to mine, sugar! i know how bad it can get here, so i truly don’t envy you…ok, a little, the keys seem so heavenly 😉 xoxo
I’ve always preferred small towns. Never been a city person
Joe–Thanks, and um, and I hadn’t even thought about that!
Mike–I miss a lot about D.C.–my two great girlfriends, the different neighborhoods, the restaurants, the energy of the city. I don’t miss anything about Fort Lauderdale except a couple of girlfriends. The rest of it was horrible. I love the Keys because peace and quiet is just what I need right now. Beyond the summer, I cannot say. But I do know this–small town or not, it was sunny and 80 degrees here today, and spent it out on a boat!
Savannah–Nah, it’s all okay so far. It’s just really small!
Kim–Right now, I agree.
Hang in there, RG. Small town life is not so bad at all. It’s exactly the intimacy that we all need. And causing a stir is always a good thing. 😉
This is my first time ever commenting on a blog (and I have read a lot over the past few months). Your blog has compelled me to stop being a lurker and tell you that just reading your blog over the past 18 months has been an inspiration and wonderful thing to read. I wish you nothing but the best in all that you do. I love how you make things like moving away from everything you know seem effortless. I think you should definitely pursue writing a book. I love your stories and your cute little doggie reminds me a lot of my pug. Thanks for sharing your life.
namaste–Oh I’ll be fine for now. As for causing a stir, I can’t seem to help myself!
Cristy–I so appreciate you deciding to de-lurk on my blog. Thank you for the good wishes. As for effortless–ha! Not so much, but I’m glad it seems to be. Now that I am away from Fort Lauderdale, I am hoping to focus on the book and work, and that’s about it. Given my lifestyle here, I certainly have the time.
Hmmm, I’ll have to zip in and take you to dinner, just to give more for them to talk about.
So I heard you went to the D.B.A. today. You didn’t invite me? Booooo. I also heard that 2 miles from your condo you got lost while driving a golf cart, ran out of battery, and ended up at the KW Grille, not begging for a plug outlet, but ordering a margarita. Nice! 😛
you make it sound perfect!!!