Oh, What a Night...

Every now and again I have a perfect storm of things come together in a way that I can't help but laugh. As I wrote in my previous post, the new restaurant was wildly unsuccessful for me. I am not saying that I have regrets because I met people there that I hope to keep up with that i never would have met otherwise. I also saw some things that made me have a new found appreciation for the old Steak House where I'm going back. I literally saw a guy holding a raw piece of meat put it down to make a salad (without washing his hands in-between). I mean, seriously, where else are you gonna see something like that?

So there I was yesterday, in my second-to-last night at this God-(or at least customer) forsaken establishment and, oddly enough, the other guy that was supposed to help set up didn't show to help me. No worries, he's still a good person, and, truth be told, I'd rather set-up by myself, it gives me time by myself which is very useful for an introvert, as I am learning. The really good news then, was that I could get the first table that walked in! Yippee!!

So in came my guests, and much to their...well, I'm not sure what caused it, but once I made the sales-pitch, they were out the door. Oh well, I didn't take it personally, I mean, our prices are a bit high, so no worries, right? Another couple came in about ten minutes later and they loved our food, my service, and the prices didn't seem to throw them for a loop. I was, as they say, 'back in the saddle'.

There was more good news. My friend Joanna and I were going to work a table of sixteen together. That's good news because she understands what needs to be done and we are usually on the same page. We decided last night that I would do all the talking and she would do all the beverage service. After I went through the menu with these slightly intoxicated people, I stood and answered questions for fifteen or twenty minutes. No worries, after all, its my job and I was quick with the jokes last night.

Well, thanks to some drinks, a handy sales-pitch and the will of God, we were rocking this table. Almost everybody had one appetizer and most had two. Everything was running smooth as silk and I had just rung in the sixteen entrees when it happened. The sky opened up and the rain was being tossed about by the howling wind. It was a type of storm that could only happen in a Southern summer. It was, to use a word correctly, 'awesome'.

What was less awe-inspiring to me at that moment was the fact that the power went off. That's right, we don't have a generator, so now we are out of power for...the rest of the night. When I went to the kitchen to ask our beloved chef if he was indeed making our food, I got a 'come back later' invitation. I got that same invitation a couple of more times before I finally found out that our entrees were about to leave the kitchen.

Joanna and I were extremely fortunate. Our people were relaxed, understood what was going on and continued to drink. They weren't going to let unavoidable circumstances stand in their way of having a good time. I genuinely liked these people and it was a good thing they were so relaxed because in all the confusion of making and serving food in the dark, we were a rare tuna away from perfection.

When I told the chef and my manager that we needed a tuna 'on the fly', they both questioned me. 'Are you sure'? 'Didn't you order 4 tunas?' They asked me questions as I could barely see their faces. Do you really think I remember out of sixteen people how many people ordered tuna when I am waiting on a table in the dark? Really? Oh, but the conversation persisted.

Me: "Dude, all I know is that there's a guy missing a rare tuna"
They: "Are you sure"
Me: "Yeah, I'm fairly certain that there's a guy without a tuna who ordered a tuna. I don't know or care whose fault it is, but I am almost positive that there is a man without food in front of him."
They: "Well, can you check and make sure?"
Me: "Ok I will walk back to the table to make sure, if that'll make you feel better; in the meantime, please start a rare tuna".

Finally, we brought our patient guest a rare tuna, which he gleefully partook of. Catastrophe averted. Problem solved. Joanna and I started to tally up the bill- which was interesting, as the party wanted to split the bill unevenly amongst nine people- all credit cards.

When the chaos was finally over, Chris and I had a quick jack and coke and we cleaned up the restaurant. They wanted me to stay for a drink when we were finished but I had to go home. All the talking and stress had rendered this poor introvert completely useless. I got into my car and called my brother to tell him about my experience.

About a half-mile from my apartment, I got pulled over by a policeman (yes this is the same night). Of course, my registration was due two weeks ago and he was not pleased about my California drivers license or the fact that I hadn't printed off my proof of insurance for a couple of months. Geez, I thought. This is like a line out of a country song. When he came back from his cruiser, he told me he would 'do me a solid' and let me take care of this stuff without further penalty. He was a good guy, too.

When I finally got home, I had to thank God that he had shown me the end of myself all day and proved one more time that he would come through in his own way. There hasn't been a promise of an easy life but he has promised that he is working out everything for my ultimate good because I am found in Jesus. It was a night of my being reminded of my limits and his boundless power. It was a solid reminder that I apparently needed.

Trusting God is hard sometimes but I am learning.