It was the middle of February and the construction phase of the build out for the restaurant was completed. Dan and Mr. Foreman walked up to the door of the pizzeria. Dan was so nervous that he could barely talk. He had the last check for the construction job in his pocket. Handing it over was going to put a considerable dent in his business accounts.
Opening the door, Dan walked into his pizzeria. Amazed, he looked around at it. It was exactly how he imagined it. He walked over to the pizza station and got behind the counter. He mentally went through the steps of creating a large pizza finding that the setup was perfect. He walked over to the secondary kitchen and entered it. It was exactly how he had wanted it.
Coming out of the second kitchen, he checked the two bathrooms. The men's room had a toilet and a urinal. The women's room had two toilets. Pleased, he went back into the main room and turned around looking at it. He said, "I love it."
James said, "We'll go through the final checklist and make sure that everything works to your satisfaction."
Mr. Foreman said, "It looks good."
"Thank you," James said. He looked around and said, "This is my favorite time in a project. I stand here looking at it and remember what it looked like when we started. Do you know what I feel?"
Smiling at the question, Mr. Foreman answered, "You feel the same thing I do at moments like this. You feel pride."
"That's right. Pride," James said. Looking over at Dan, he said, "Let's get to that checklist."
The three men went through every inch of the pizzeria. The toilets were flushed. The faucets opened up and allowed to run. Every light was turned on and off. Every piece of kitchen equipment was turned on and off. Every door was opened and closed. No detail was overlooked.
The inspection took almost three hours. By the time it was done, Dan was convinced that his money had been well spent and Peter Foreman was convinced that he had found an assistant. Dan said, "I'm ready to sign off on it."
Dan and James went to the pizza station and signed the documents. One of the documents was an agreement to serve as a reference to future customers. Dan had smiled when he learned about that. Dan handed James the check and said, "This was money well spent."
"Thank you. I'm glad you liked it," James said. He said, "I just wish that I could see it with the tables, chairs, and decorations."
"I know what you mean," Mr. Foreman said looking around the room.
Smiling, Dan said, "I am scheduled to open on the first of March. That happens to be a Saturday. However, I'm throwing a little pizza party for my friends Friday night. I'll open the doors at five and close them at ten. You are both invited to attend. Bring your families and be prepared to have some fun."
James said, "I'll be there."
"Same here," Mr. Foreman said.
"That's great," Dan said.
Shaking Dan's hand, James said, "Now that our business is done, I'm going to head out."
Before James had a chance to leave, Mr. Foreman put an arm on his shoulder and said, "I hope you don't mind, but you and I have some business to discuss."
"We do?" James asked. He was hoping to go home and take his parents out to dinner with the money from the job. He did that after every job. They had helped him get into the business and it was his way of thanking them.
"Yes, we do," Peter said while leading James towards the door.
Dan waved to the pair and said, "Have fun."
The day after the inspection, the tables were delivered. Dan and Eric wrestled them into place. There were two tall bar tables, four picnic tables, three dining room tables, a long conference table, and six patio tables. The little tables for the Twister area didn't take much effort to put into place. The job didn't go as fast as Dan expected. Eric kept stopping and saying, "This place is outstanding."
Dan didn't mind the interruptions that much. He had needed the extra help for the conference table and one of the dining room tables. When everything was in place, he stepped back and examined the room. It was an odd collection of tables that let you know that you weren't in a standard restaurant. He said, "I like it."
"How come you have the picnic tables pushed up against the wall?" Eric asked. He had meant to ask earlier but his attention had been distracted by the basketball markings on the floor.
"So that people can sit on them," Dan answered.
"They're going to be staring at the wall," Eric said with a frown.
Dan went over to one of the picnic tables and sat on it with his feet on the bench. He said, "Not if they're sitting like this."
"You can't do that. This is a restaurant," Eric said sputtering.
"It is my restaurant and you can sit like this if you want to," Dan said. He said, "In this place, the rules are slightly bent."
"That is so cool," Eric said nodding his head. He sat down on the picnic table and said, "I used to sit like this at the park all of the time."
"That's where I got the idea," Dan said.
"You are so smart. So I guess it is almost ready to open now," Eric said looking over at Dan like he was some kind of genius.
"Ann has to paint the walls. She said that it would take her a week," Dan said. He also had to get the supplies in and finish hiring a crew.
"They are painted," Eric said looking over at the white walls.
"She's going to paint murals on each of the walls," Dan said. She was so insistent about painting murals that there was no way he could stop her.
"What kind of murals?" Eric asked.
Shrugging his shoulders, Dan answered, "I have no idea. I'm assuming they'll be scenes of Italy or something like that. She won't tell me."
"So what's next?" Eric asked.
"I'm going to hang the Nerf Basketball hoops and the Twister spinner," Dan answered.
"This place is so cool," Eric said.
Dan went to the refrigerator and took out two soft plastic bottles of root beer. He took them over to the picnic table and handed one to Eric. As he opened his, he asked, "How are you doing on the articles?"
"I'm working through my personal definition of happiness. I tell you, I'm not used to thinking of life like that. I mean, I've been drifting along accomplishing nothing. I wasn't heading anywhere," Eric said.
"Reading them made me realize the same thing," Dan said nodding his head in understanding.
Eric looked over at Dan and said, "You know when I'm really happy?"
"No," Dan answered.
"I love that CERT training. That's what I'd like to do," Eric answered. The first aid section had blown him away. He said, "I'm volunteering for a First Aid Squad."
"Interesting," Dan said. Despite his wild ramblings when introducing himself on the first night, Eric had surprised everyone at the CERT course. He was extremely attentive and interested. He studied the material with a passion. His gung-ho attitude was contagious. Eric was emerging as the team captain.
"I haven't figured out what I'm going to do to make a little spending money, but I don't need much," Eric said.
"You don't need much?" Dan asked. He took another sip of his root beer and then replaced the plastic cap.
"No. My biggest problem has been filling my days with something to do. That's why I've been working at the music store," Eric answered. He took a sip of his root beer.
Wondering how Eric expected to support a family on the kind of money earned at a record store, Dan said, "I'm sure that you have bills."
"Sure, but my lottery money takes care of that," Eric said shrugging his shoulders. He had hit a lottery while vacationing in Florida. The first thing he had done was to buy a car. He would never have to work another day in his life if he didn't want to do it.
"How much did you win?" Dan asked. He knew that Eric lived in a little studio apartment and drove a used Kia Optima. Eric loved that little car.
"I took the cash option for forty three million and some change," Eric answered.
Dan laughed in surprise. There was no way that Eric acted like a millionaire. Shaking his head in wonder, he said, "Sometimes I have no idea what to make of you."
"My parents say the same thing," Eric said shaking his head. He looked around at the cardboard from the packing that had protected some of the tables. There was a large pile of it stacked in the empty corner. He said, "Let's take the trash out to the trashcan."
It seemed to Dan that there were a thousand things to do before he would be able to open the pizzeria. His checklist appeared to be a thousand items long. He was reviewing the things remaining to be done when Ann walked into the pizzeria carrying a box of paints. She put it down on the floor and asked, "Dan, can you carry in the rest of the painting supplies?"
"Sure," Dan said putting down his checklist and heading out the door. He expected another box of paints. What he found was a huge stack of boxes. He came back to the door and asked, "Which of this stuff am I supposed to bring in?"
"All of it," Ann answered walking around the room looking at the walls with a smile that went from ear to ear. There were a lot of blank walls that demanded her attention.
Dan made a dozen trips carrying in boxes of paints, drop clothes, brushes of every size imaginable, and a couple of sealed boxes that contained only God knows what. On his last trip, he sat down on the picnic table and said, "That's the last of it."
"Good, after you pull the picnic tables away from the wall you can go," Ann said. She went to one of the boxes and grabbed a roll of masking tape.
"Go where?" Dan asked.
"I don't know. Just go," Ann said without looking at him. She went over to one of the other boxes and pulled out a package of plastic drop clothes.
"Are you going to tell me what you're painting?" Dan asked.
"Nope. It's a surprise. That's why you have to go," Ann answered. She knelt by the wall and started unfolding the drop cloth.
"I do have to do some work in here," Dan said. There was no way that he was not going to work over the next week. The soda company was delivering the drink fountains in two days.
"You can come tomorrow morning. I'll have everything drawn in and covered," Ann said while taping down the plastic drop cloth.
Dan watched her work for a minute and then went to pull the tables from the wall. He asked, "When will you leave tonight?"
"I won't leave until I'm done," Ann answered. A shiver of excitement went through her body. She said, "I'll be here all week."
"What about..."
Ann looked over at him and said, "I've got everything I need in those boxes."
"Oh," Dan said.
"Now pull those tables away from the wall and go," Ann said turning back to her work.
Dan pulled the tables away from the walls. When he had finished, he turned to watch Ann at work. She had laid the drop cloths the entire length of one wall and was working on the next one. He said, "I'll leave a key for you on the pizza station."
"Great. Lock up when you go," Ann said without looking at him.
Dan went over and asked, "Can I give you a kiss goodbye?"
Ann turned and kissed him. It was a very passionate kiss to let him know that she wasn't upset or mad at him. She said, "Go take care of Sally for the next few nights. She wants to talk to you about moving day. I just hope that we don't have to rearrange the whole apartment."
"Okay," Dan said wondering why they would want to rearrange the apartment. Of course, his mother rearranged the living room on occasion for no apparent reason. His dad referred to his mother's forays into home decorating as feathering her nest. He guessed it was a woman thing that he'd never understand.
"I'll see you in the morning," Ann said turning back to her work. She couldn't wait to get the pencil in her hand. This was the moment she had been waiting for her whole life.
The entire Parker family was gathered around the dinner table for a nice quiet meal. With Dan's busy schedule, family dinners didn't happen with the kind of frequency of old. Dan's father said, "I think this is going to be one of the last few times that we'll be able to sit around the table like this. You're going to be opening the restaurant soon."
"I know and I'm going to be working a lot from now on. I'm not going to have much time for a personal life," Dan said eyeing the food appreciatively. His mother had made Chicken Fried Steak with mashed potatoes and green beans.
Looking across the table at him, Dan's mother asked, "What about you and your lady friends?"
"I'll try to do as much with them as I can, but it is going to be hard until I get the business settled," Dan answered. He was worried that the long hours at the pizzeria were going to strain their relationship. He had no idea how he was going to be able to spend any time with them. It would get even worse when Alison returned.
Diana smiled at Dan and said, "Moving in with them is the perfect solution for Dan."
Looking over at Diana, his mother said, "That won't keep him from being too busy to spend much time with them."
"That's true," Dan said surprised by the suggestion of moving in with Ann and Sally. He hadn't given the matter much thought, but it sounded good.
Dan's awkward hours were a bit of an inconvenience for the family. Dan's father nodded his head and said, "It is a good idea."
"Why do you say that?" Dan asked looking at his father. He wondered if he was getting thrown out of the house.
"Well, you are a young man striking out on his own. Your hours have gotten a little irregular to say the least. It might not be a bad idea to move in with them. At least you'll be able to spend a little time with them," his father answered surprised by Dan's reaction to his support of the idea.
"I was talking to Ann and Sally about it. They really love the idea of having him live with them," Diana said.
"You don't say," his mother said looking at Diana. She wondered what Diana was planning.
"When did you talk to them?" Dan asked looking at his sister. She was pointedly ignoring his question.
His mother asked, "Why are you so interested in Dan leaving, Diana?"
Diana shrugged her shoulders and answered, "I figure that when he leaves that I'll be able to have Steve spend the night without getting into a fight with him."
"He's not spending the night," Dan said looking over at his sister. Although she was eighteen, he didn't like the idea of her having a boy spend the night.
"Dan, leave your sister alone," his mother said. The last thing she needed over dinner was another argument about Steve. Dan's resistance to Diana dating was worse than her husband's.
"Dad, you're not going to allow this, are you?" Dan asked turning to his father.
"Your mother and I talked it over. I don't like it, but I have to agree that it is a whole lot safer than the alternative," his father answered. He wasn't thrilled at all about having a boy spend the night at the house, but his wife had laid down the law after he had made the mistake of mentioning a threesome one time too many.
"But..."
Interrupting him, his mother said, "You aren't exactly a role model for celibacy. How many nights a week do you spend at their house?"
"Three, sometimes four," Dan answered thinking that this discussion wasn't going too well. His father was supposed to lay down the law and his mother was supposed to support him.
Diana smiled across the table at Dan and asked, "So what is the big deal about me having Steve over on occasion?"
"I don't want to think about that happening," Dan said holding a hand up in the air. He hated it when she rubbed his face in her private live like that. He decided that when Ann was finished with the mural that the three of them would have a long talk. Maybe Sally and Ann could talk some sense into Diana.
Wanting to change the subject, his mother asked, "Are you looking forward to the day when you move in with them?"
"Yes. I think it would be great," he answered. He was definitely going to talk to Ann and Sally about it once he got the business going. He hoped that they would like the idea.
"I'll tell them that," Diana said.
"Yeah, right," Dan said thinking nothing more of it.
Kevin Rayyis limped over to the dining table where the owner of the restaurant was working and sat down on the chair. He wasn't quite sure what to make out of the place. Thick plastic drop clothes were hung around the entire place hiding the walls from view. He had never seen such an odd collection of tables in a restaurant. Every table was different except for the picnic tables. If the tables didn't look new, he would have sworn that the owner had bought whatever he had found at garage sales.
"I used to cook pizza at one of the chain pizzerias when I was in high school," Kevin Rayyis said sliding the application form that he had just filled out over to Dan.
"Good," Dan answered. That was the one remaining position that he had to fill. There were ten days to go before the pizzeria opened and he hoped to fill it soon. Dan picked up the application and read the experience part. At least that part was fairly short, a part time job in a pizzeria and a stint in the military. He said, "It says here you were in the Army for the past three years."
"That's right," Kevin said, "I joined up right out of high school. I was given a medical discharge five weeks ago."
"What are your long term plans?" Dan asked worried that the guy would work for a couple of weeks and then leave when something better came up.
"Right now, my only plan is to get a job and earn some money," Kevin answered. He didn't have any definite plans for his future. His plans had been cut short by an IED in Iraq. He said, "I'm afraid that I'm not going to be a good employee for a while. I've got to take care of some medical issues and that's going to make it tough to schedule me."
"I'm sure that we can work around that," Dan said. He was expecting to be there all of the time anyway. It was just that he needed some help during the busy times of the day. He said, "I'll need you around lunch and dinner. Can you schedule your appointments around those times?"
"I'll do my best, but we're dealing with VA hospitals. An eight o'clock in the morning appointment might get you out at five in the evening," Kevin said knowing that his answer would hurt his chances of getting hired. He'd rather be honest about the problems up front than to get fired later.
"So you know how to cook pizzas," Dan said wanting to get the interview back on track.
"That's right," Kevin replied.
"I'm a perfectionist when it comes to pizza. It has to be done exactly the way I want it done," Dan said. He looked at Kevin and asked, "Can you handle that?"
"Sure. It might take me a pizza or two to get back into the swing of things," Kevin answered.
"Don't worry about that. I'll train you in how I want them prepared. We'll start you off at the preparation station and then move you over to the oven. Everyone here will work the preparation station. Can you start tomorrow?" Dan asked.
Kevin smiled for the first time since sitting down and answered, "I can start now."
Pleased to hear that, Dan said, "I'm going to have you cook thirty personal sized pizzas every day at lunch hour and in the evening until we open. Our grand opening is the first of March."
"What are you going to do with that many pizzas?" Kevin asked. It seemed to him that it was a waste to cook a bunch of pizzas like that before it even opened.
"We're going to going to hand out samples at various shopping centers. Two hundred and forty slices of pizza every day. Each one of those pizzas will be advertising Parker's Perfect Pizza and they will have to be perfect," Dan answered.
"Sounds like you are going all out on this," Kevin said.
"That's right," Dan said. Tom had said that he let his product speak for itself. No one made a better pizza. All of the expenses would be written off as a tax deduction for the business. He said, "We're going to be selling fifty medium pizzas a day by the end of the second week."
Kevin shrugged his shoulders and said, "Sounds good to me, I guess."
"Welcome aboard," Dan said holding out a hand.
"Thanks." Kevin said shaking Dan's hand. He looked around at all of the blue sheets of plastic hanging from the ceiling. It was kind of hard to tell what the place was going to look like. He asked, "What's with the plastic?"
"My girlfriend is painting a mural and doesn't want me to see it until she's done," Dan answered. He raised his voice and shouted, "She can finish anytime now!"
"Don't rush me," Ann shouted back from behind the curtain she had arranged around the area where she was working.
"Oh," Kevin said. He looked around and asked, "Do you want to show me around this joint?"
"Sure," Dan answered. He rose and said, "Follow me."
An hour later, Kevin left wondering if he could actually handle the job. It was far different than at the chain pizzeria. Rather than cooking the pizza in a pan he was going to use a paddle. It sounded easy enough, but he suspected that it was much more difficult than it sounded.
In his previous job at a pizzeria, he had been hidden away in a back room preparing pizzas. Now he was going to be doing it right in front of the customer. That worried him a lot. After his recent injuries, he hadn't exactly been a people person. He wondered how that would work out.
Friday night, Dan stood in front of the video store at the far end of the shopping center. He had bribed the manager with a large pizza to be able to hand out samples. He was being helped by Sandra, one of the waitresses that he had hired. She was a little chubby but had a bubbly personality. She definitely wasn't shy and talked to everyone who passed by.
He and Sandra stood around a little table with a stack of pizza boxes on it. Each personal pizza was cut into quarters. When he would run low, he would send Sandra over to the pizzeria to have Kevin cook up another five. He also had small paper cups with some root beer.
As customers walked up to the store, he said, "Free samples of Parker's Perfect Pizza. We're opening on March First."
Despite the chill in the air, most folks stopped to try a slice and get a brochure advertising the pizzeria. Without exception, the reactions to the pizza were very good. Small crowds gathered around the table discussing the pizza and talking to Dan and Sandra. More than one customer said that it would go well with a video night. Pizza and a movie sounded like a perfect combination. Once the idea was mentioned, other people bought into it.
As the pizzas disappeared, Dan smiled thinking that all of these people lived close by and would constitute the core of his business. It seemed to him that his advertising campaign was getting off to a good start. He wouldn't know for sure until he opened the doors for business though. Every time he thought about it a whole new flock of butterflies were released in his stomach.
Lazlo Zalezac