Jimmy G showed up right before the service for the two parties. They both went off just about simultaneously, or since the banquet chef, Victor and Bill were doing the service, they ran through one and went directly to the other. Based upon their size, these were a piece of cake, no warmer trucks, nothing but preparation, cooking and dish-up.
After the dish-up they sat in the chef’s office and drank a second beer, Jimmy G’s first. They did not sit long, only long enough to watch through the big window as the stewards and kitchen crew cleaned up the kitchen. Bill and Jimmy G would get a break, a good once actually, nearly an hour and a half if they waited until 3:00 to start the setup for The Falstaff Room.
After that second beer, when he and Jimmy G were set free from banquets, Bill headed off to where he would find Beverly. He knew the way better now and finding their secret place was much more easy.
She was waiting for him.
“Hey,” she said.
He said, “Hey.”
She was sitting on the stairs. He sat next to her. They did not kiss or touch. They sat a moment both looking straight ahead at the window before them.
“Been awhile,” Beverly said.
“We’ve been busy.”
“Very.”
“Working hard?” Bill asked.
“Lots of hours. You’ve seen me.”
“I go straight from banquets over there,” Bill said.
“I know.”
“Bet we’ll get a good dinner play tonight.,”
“Serving turkey again?”
“Yeah. But turkey’s easy, real easy, as easy as dish-up from the banquets. It’s sliced, just about portioned and kept hot on the steam table.”
“Really think you’ll sell turkey?”
“Lots of it. People don’t get it all year round so they eat it now.”
“Well, I hope you have an easy night.”
“Me too. No reason to think we won’t.”
“So what’s up with you?” Beverly asked.
“About what?”
“Anything. Everything.”
“Mostly nothing,” Bill said. “Same stuff different day.”
He wanted to ask how thing were for her at home, but he didn’t. He wanted to ask her what they were doing sitting there side by side, why they were sitting there. He didn’t ask that either. Mostly he figured she’d tell him as soon as she was ready.
“I think he’s going to leave me,” she said after a time. “He hasn’t said anything and hasn’t given any real indications. But I’m starting to feel him pulling away from me.”
“Pulling away how?”
“Distancing himself. I can’t actually describe it, but, you know, he’s not initiating any sex, not making the jokes and comments he used to make. Simple things like when I’m getting dressed he used to say ‘nice ass’ or ‘let me kiss that’ or something like that. Now, nothing. Not just once or twice. I mean nothing.”
“That’s rough,” Bill said. “What are you gonna do?”
“I have no idea,” Beverly said. “Not a clue. I guess I’m gonna wait and see what happens.”
“Well, what about you?” Bill turned and faced Beverly, fixed it so that their eyes met and they were now talking to each other fully engaged.
“What about me?”
“What do you want? I mean you, Beverly, sitting here facing me. In your life, just for you, what do you want?”
“I don’t know. But I’ll tell you one thing I don’t want and that’s a cheating husband.”
“That’s a start.”
“I want to go back to school and get my degree. Not that there’s anything wrong with being a waitress, but I don’t want to do this all my life.”
“Keep going,” Bill said.
“I’m not even sure if I want to be married at all. Not to him, not to anyone. I’m starting to think I want to be alone, just me, take care of myself and not be responsible to anyone but me.”
“Sounds like you have some ideas,” Bill said.
