Day 2.
Setup was exactly the same. Jimmy G and Bill made their rounds, gathered the things for the Falstaff Room. They made two trips, both leisurely and pleasant in that they stopped to chat with all the people Jimmy G knew, which was everyone.
The main kitchen was slow, nothing going on for this day except the little bit of cooking for the Falstaff Room. Two of the chickens roasting were for the personal dinners for the banquet chef, Jimmy G, Victor, Kalista and Bill. Three others were for the rest of Jimmy’s banquet crew, the regular crew that worked every day whether they had banquets or not.
The calendar board always on prominent display on the wall next to the chef’s big window which overlooked the kitchen showed that Wednesday and Thursday were big days. Wednesday had a lunch and a dinner party, the lunch for 300 and the dinner for 450. Thursday had the breakfast for 400, a lunch of 350 and a dinner for 675. Friday had one big banquet for 1100. That would be in the grand ballroom.
Jimmy Banquet Chef took Bill on the side before he and Jimmy G made their final trip to the Falstaff Room. Jimmy Banquet Chef explained that Bill could make as much overtime as he wanted. All he has to do was let him know how much he wanted to work. Bill told him he would be happy to work as much as he could because he was into making as much overtime as he could. He told Jimmy Banquet Chef that he was used to working long hours, that he worked from opening to closing down in Columbus on what was supposed to be a split shift but which worked out to be a straight-through workday.
And so they had an understanding. Jimmy Banquet Chef told Bill he would give him as much work as he could so long as it didn’t conflict with the Falstaff Room service. He told Bill he could always use a good carver and a good all around cook. He told Bill he would check him out when he helped make the scrambled eggs for four hundred people.
After the Falstaff Room was all set up and Jimmy G and Bill were ready for work doing the service, Jimmy G and Bill sat together out on Kalista’s station with Victor and Jimmy Banquet Chef. They ate roast chicken with a scrumptious gravy, fresh-made mashed potatoes and deliciously-prepared broccoli sautéed in garlic and butter. It was pretty much a meal fit for a king. Kalista added a wonderful Greek salad to it all, the real deal.
Caesar passed by several times. He was clearly dismayed by their including Bill with them. Caesar had gone to have words with the chef about the incident inside the Falstaff Room kitchen when Bill stopped him from touching things.
Bill did not hear from the chef as yet about Caesar’s complaint. He would discover later in the week that the chef and Jimmy Banquet Chef had a good laugh over Caesar’s complaint. He would also learn that the chef told Jimmy Banquet Chef it was about time someone put Caesar in his place.
The girls of the Falstaff Room did exactly the same things the same way as they had done the day before. Jo Ann was in first and set up what remained to be set up. There wasn’t much since Rosie and Edelgarde had left it all the way it was supposed to be the night before. Then, when Rosie and Edelgarde were in, Caesar went through the room and checked out everything the way he had done the day before. He lined up the girls, checked them out, checked their fingernails, adjusted their uniforms, made sure their little French Maid’s aprons’ bows were straight.
After the inspection, Rosie came close to the service window and winked at Bill. “Bastard,” she said to Bill about Caesar.
