The first order did not come in until after six. It was a four-top, husband, wife and two kids. Next table was the same, and early on it was all family. People traveled and had to travel for the holidays and lots of people stayed in hotels because they were not visiting family or because it was their preference. Families with little kids had to put the kids to sleep. Maybe anyone they were visiting would be coming to the hotel. Maybe they were feeding the kids before they went wherever it was they were going.
Bill knew his wife would be eating at home with her family and then later on they would be going to her aunt’s house. Bill would miss that but he would drive to her parents’ house to sleep there. Tomorrow before going to work he would drive home to feed the cats. Either someone in his wife’s family would drive her home later in the day or he would pick her up after work and they would go home together.
It was their first Christmas in Cleveland. They didn’t have an established routine as yet.
Jimmy G stayed out of the kitchen mostly. Bill did the cooking and he wasn’t unhappy with this. Rosie and Edelgarde came along from time to time to sneak kisses in the doorway as they held up the mistletoe. Jo Ann was ever herself, business as usual and some very cheerful merry Christmas wishes and thoughts. She was pleasant and happy and openly happy that it was slow and she could get out early.
At one point, when there was nothing working, around quarter-to-eight, Bill went out to Jimmy G and told him to watch things so he could run off to the men’s room. Jimmy G said his usual “Ya,” and went into the kitchen. Bill lit himself a cigarette and slowly, very casually, headed on down the ramp.
He wasn’t surprised when Edelgarde met him. They hadn’t planned this and it wasn’t a pressure thing. They simply shared the cigarette he had lit and walked together to the distant staff bathrooms. They went into the same bathroom, the women’s, laughing and having a good time the whole way.
On their way there, they didn’t run into a single person. No one was in the main kitchen and nothing was working there except for a bare-bones dish-washing crew. The dish-washing area was not on the way to where these bathrooms were.
They did not spend a long time in the bathroom. They kissed a little. They watched each other pee, just because, and they played a little.
“Foreplay,” Edelgarde said.
“Merry Christmas,” Bill said.
“Jimmy isn’t doing much today, is he?”
“Did you expect him to?”
“I don’t expect anything. I do my job and stay as much out everything I can stay out of.”
“Smart,” Bill said. “I get into everything I can get into,” he said.
“You can say that again,” Edelgarde said.
“Course I try to stay out of the politics.”
“Of course.”
They kissed and petted a little more, enough for Bill to stir Edelgarde up pretty well. She laughed and said he could think about her finishing herself herself if he wanted to. He told her that was a great thought, a wonderful image.
They walked back slowly, as leisurely as they’d walked getting there. They didn’t hide being together, were only careful exiting the ladies’ room making sure no one got the view of them inside together.
Back by Kalista, Bill asked her to make him an espresso. Edelgarde helped herself to a pastry and asked Kalista if she could have an espresso. Kalista made two doubles and gave them each one.
Jimmy G was working a few tables. First thing, Bill read the dupes. Then he surveyed what was already working and what was needing to be done. Then he stepped into his place and took up with that which needed doing so as to complete the orders.
