Even though he didn’t have to, Bill took a leak. Then, kind of exploring, he found his way to the main kitchen and all around it making a mental map of where the stock pots were, where all the different rooms were: the dishwasher/pot washer areas, the big sink area where they defrosted the vegetables, and all around.
Bill took himself a good twenty minutes before he went back to the Falstaff Room. He checked out some of the walk-ins around the main kitchen seeing what was inside each. He found the deep-freezes too. One was filled with frozen vegetables of all kinds. Some had meats.
He tried to memorize what he could, tried to keep track of what was where. That was hard. It was hard to imagine that one day in the not-too-distant future he would know where everything was and know how to use all the equipment too.
Jimmy was sitting on his little make-shift seat when Bill came back. He did not seem at all concerned for the time Bill had spent away. In fact he did not seem concerned about anything. He sat reading a Greek newspaper.
“We start in a little while,” Jimmy said. “Ask my aunt for two espressos,” he said.
Kalista was busy cleaning up. Rosie and Edelgarde were both standing out there, off to the side and a bit down and out of the way along the wall leading to where the pantry’s walk-in was. Bill could see they were counting money.
“Jimmy asked me to get an espresso,” Bill said to Kalista.
“For you too?” She asked.
“Please. If you don’t mind.”
“I no mind. I get you anything any time.”
“Well thank you.”
“Two minutes,” she said.
Bill smiled at her, stepped off to the side, the same side where Rosie and Edelgarde were. He stood leaning against the same wall by which they were standing.
“Jo Ann thinks you’re a pretty good cook,” Edelgarde said. “We do too.”
“We like that Caesar doesn’t like you,” Rosie said. “That speaks well of you. He’s a pig.”
“I’m gonna have more trouble tomorrow,” Bill said. “We had a little moment inside the kitchen there.”
“We know all about it,” Rosie said. She smiled. “Caesar said something to Jimmy, Jimmy told Kalista, Kalista told us.”
“What you did is good,” Edelgarde said.
“I’m on probation,” Bill said.
“You’ll be fine. Guaranteed,” Rosie said.
“How’s that?” Bill asked.
“Well,” Edelgarde said, “in case you hadn’t noticed, almost the entire kitchen crew is Greek. Not only are they Greek, but a lot of them are related, you know, aunts and uncles and then all cousins. So Jimmy G and Jimmy the Banquet Chef are first cousins and Kalista is their aunt.”
“I’ve been getting the picture,” Bill said.
“So Kalista told me that she likes you,” Rosie said. “And she told me she told both Jimmys to make sure they take care of you.”
“So that means the chef won’t mess with you unless you really mess up,” Edelgarde said. “And since there is no love lost between the chef and Caesar, you’re on the winning side there, especially since you’re acting on behalf of the kitchen.”
“Which you were,” Rosie said.
“Greek Mafia always prevails here,” Edelgarde said.
“Good to know,” Bill said.
“So,” Rosie said, “I’d like a steak for dinner tomorrow.”
“She’s kidding,” Edelgarde said.
Bill thought she was only half kidding. Bill knew waitresses and he knew that they would take almost anything they could get, especially regarding their dinners and eating special food, the forbidden fruits, the foods they were not allowed to eat. So even though Edelgarde said she was kidding, Bill took it as that she was only half kidding, and he knew that sooner or later both of them would be hitting him up for whatever he would give them.
And he would give them plenty. All three of them.
