Here's a longer chapter. I'm also going to mention that I received inspiration from a couple local establishments. One is a now-infamous restaurant featured on a Chef Ramsey show. I have never been there, and it's way out of my part of town, but I heard about the place from a friend, and I immediately started thinking of comic possibilities, especially for a restaurant where the food was actually good. The other is a long-gone restaurant called the Flying Crane, where the food was very good, and the owner really did complain about getting good reviews.
It was 7 in the morning, two hours from the opening of the Silver Linings Restaurant, and there were already people at the door. Pat, Donnie and Von were waiting in the back for the delivery truck. "Patricio ordered three times as much as I recommended," Von said. "It might last us through lunch."
Dr. Lilly was in the kitchen with Tiffany. "Remember, this is a challenge," the therapist said. "And remember, the reason you're facing this challenge now is because you already did well. Look at the review: `excellent service from a young woman named Tiffany...'"
"Oh my god, they know my name," Tiffany said. "People are going to ask for me. Oh my god, I can't do this."
"Tiffany! Remember what we always talk about with Chinese? To them, `crisis' and `opportunity' mean the same thing. Well, this is both of those things: A crisis, because you weren't prepared for this kind of success, and an opportunity, because you have the success you were hoping for so soon."
"Actually, that's a misunderstanding," Pat grunted as he passed with a crate of beef. "There's a combination of two words that can mean `danger' and `opportunity' separately. When they're together, the best translation is `critical point'."
"Okay, thanks for that, Pat," Tiffany said sardonically.
"Hey, Tiffany, look at me. That still works. This is the critical point, for you and the restaurant. If you can make it through today, then you can keep going..."
"And if I don't, everything's gone, Patricio's broke, Pat's going to leave me..."
Pat leaned in and kissed her on the lips. "I'm never leaving you, Tiff," he said. "If we end up on the streets, we're sharing the same cardboard box."
They opened half an hour early, and twenty people crowded in. Pat was behind the counter, and Tiffany was waiting along with Donnie's aunt Jasmine. "We won't serve sandwiches until 11," Pat said in answer to the most persistent question, "but we have eggs, sausage, bacon and home-baked cinnamon rolls." Jasmine took the bulk of the orders for the first hour, while Tiffany worked her way up to more activity. The cinnamon rolls proved to be a hit. Dolores made four big batches, and they still ran out by ten. The next hour was the closest they had to a lull. Pat came out and talked to Tiffany,and they kissed briefly.
The lady reviewer came in at 12:30. The restaurant was crowded, with a line of people back to the door. A skinny white waitress met her at the door. "You here for a cheesesteak sandwich?" the waitress asked.
"Yes, they say yours are the best," the reviewer said.
"Well, we're out of steak," the waitress said. "Would you like a burger instead? We're out of ground beef, too. How about our signature crab cakes? Well, we're out of crab. Or would you like a little ice cream? Too bad, we're out of ice cream. Oh, you aren't a reviewer, are you?"
"No," said the reviewer.
"Good. My boss says if another reviewer comes in, we're throwing him out on his fat ass, because the review we got yesterday could put us out of business," said the waitress.
"What review? The only review I saw said you were great."
"Exactly, and that was all over the net! Now we've got more customers than we can possibly handle, we've got almost half our people out foraging for enough food to get through the rest of the day, and god only knows how much that will cost! So, do you want to sit down, or wait in line?"
"I'll take a table."
"Well, we're out of seats, so get in line. Just as well, I've got too much on my plate as it is."
It was 1 before the reviewer got to the counter. A black man took her order. "What would you recommend?" she asked.
"Well, we got brauts, we got grilled cheese sandwiches," he said, "and we got some fine lasagna baking in the oven."
"I'll have a grilled cheese sandwich," the reviewer said. "Give me a coke, too."
"You bet, that will be six-fifty." The reviewer paid and found her way to a seat at an empty seat at a table where some other people were eating. A big, cheerful black lady served the three already there, and chatted with the reviewer.
"Oh, I'm a waitress from way back," the server said. "I was waitin' tables, oh, well, since before you were born. I'm outta retirement to help out here. Oh, and it looks like your order's up! I'll get it." She brought the sandwich over. "Say, what are you doing there?"
The reviewer stopped herself from hiding her tablet. "Oh, I'm a freelance writer," she said. "I like to work around town. I think this place has the right kind of atmosphere."
"Well, that's nice, but I'm afraid we can't have people hanging around just now," Jasmine said. "And please, don't go writing any reviews about how great we are. We've got more than we can handle as it is. Not to mention, you seem nice, and I'd hate for Patricio to have you banned from the restaurant." At that, the reviewer knew she knew.
But the reviewer was looking up at a newcomer she recognized as a "human interest" story writer for one of the big papers. The first waitress intercepted him as he pushed his way through the crowd, and was clearly doing her best to dissuade him from his purpose. But he made his way to the counter, and announced in his smarmy, obnoxious way that he was a reporter interested in an interview.
An old guy was already coming out from the back, and the reviewer was sure it had to be the owner. The woman trying to restrain him was presumably his wife. "You want an interview?" the man said, sounding ominously calm. The waitress was trying to make some kind of signal, pointing at the reporter's super smart phone. The old guy looked at the phone and smiled, and at that exact moment the waitress winced and covered her eyes. "You want an interview? How's this for an interview? I'll break that phone or whatever it is over your head, and then we can have an interview about what it was like to have the phone broken over your head!"
"Patricio!" the waitress exclaimed. "It has a camera!"
Patricio lunged forward, but fortunately, his wife was joined by the black guy, and he was held back while the waitress pushed the reporter out the door. At that point, the reviewer decided it was time to make her order to go.