I Remember The First Time (4)

"Promise me you'll always remember:  You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think..." -A.A. Milne-


I remember the first time that someone "double-questioned" me...  This is the first of a handful of things that I'm reporting to you from 'Mardi On The Square IV':  A guy approached me sometime around 11:00 p.m. and asked me if he could go back up to the Veranda (our rooftop bar) if he went and got some Jimmy John's (a sandwich) to bring back.  I told him that he could.  He asked, "you sure?..."  I REALLY WANTED to reply, "no, I was joking, you can't bring any food up there..."  Do you remember not too long ago when the guy asked me, "do you promise?" after I told him that the walk to Jimmy John's was not far?...  :)  By the way, I also get this when I tell some of our customers that they have to pour their drinks into plastic cups because glass is not allowed upstairs.  "Really?" and "Seriously?" are the two most popular questions...  :)

I remember the first time that I told you a related story...  Okay, so on Fat Tuesday (Mardi On The Square IV), we were serving our customer's drinks in souvenir purple plastic cups that they could keep and take home with them.  I still manned my normal workstation to ensure that our beer-drinking customers transferred their beverages from bottles into our standard clear twelve-ounce plastic cups, and also to keep a headcount so that the Veranda didn't exceed capacity (200 people).  The Veranda reached 200 customers at 11:20 p.m., at which time I had to start a line to go upstairs (yes, just in case you're keeping score at home)...  So two guys walk up to me, I explain that glass can't go upstairs (the guy in front has a bottle of beer), and then the second guy, showing me his purple plastic cup, tells me, "this isn't glass..."  I look at him and his cup before deadpanning, "I know..."  He THEN PROCEEDS to transfer his drink from his purple plastic cup into one of our clear cups as I watch in PURE ASTONISHMENT...  "You know that you didn't have to do that?" I asked him, still in total amazement...  It was at this point that he realized that his friend had a bottle of beer.  "Oh" was his sheepish reply - "I thought that he had the same thing..."  :)

I remember the first time that I did something SPECIFICALLY because someone asked me not to do it...  So this customer has passed me SEVERAL TIMES on Tuesday night, going up the stairs, then down the stairs..., then UP the stairs, then DOWN the stairs (this happens on occasion).  At some point, this girl says, "Don't judge me (see Adam, it's catching on) by the amount of times I'm walking back and forth - I'm very energetic..."  Well, OF COURSE I'm going to judge you now...  ;)

I remember the first time that I was confused...  Another weird thing that happened a few times on Tuesday night with these customers carrying their souvenir purple plastic cups was that random groups of them would DUMP THE ICE/DRINKS from the cups into the trash can (unsolicited, of course) before continuing up or down the stairs, like they could have the drink in their cups in one bar, but couldn't bring it to another???  In case you're wondering, I had no comment for this, and I just smiled...  :)

I remember the first time that someone tried to swindle me...  Okay, so I manned my workstation on Tuesday night not wearing any beads.  Not even an hour in, a nice lady (probably around 100 years old, if you really believe that I'm 100 that is) stopped and did a "double take" as she was walking past me before she gave me a nice strand of her big pinkish (they weren't pink, but pinkish - SUE ME...) beads.  I was given beads by a few more generous young ladies before the following occurred:  As a group of girls was leaving (and they were a good ten yards by me at this point), one of them asked me if I wanted a set of her beads (and she had a good neckful going).  I said sure as I walked toward her.  As I reached her, she grabbed the pinkish strand of beads that I was wearing and asked if she could have them.  I replied that the person who gave them to me was still upstairs and would be mad if she came back down and I wasn't wearing them.  At this point the group walks away, without the girl in question giving me any of her beads.  Tricky, tricky, tricky...  :P

I remember the first time that I felt like I was 100 years old...  (this could also be subtitled "I remember the first time I wondered if someone had EVER watched t.v. or been to a movie theater...")...  This happened a few weeks ago at work.  A group of guys and girls was walking by me having a conversation (I'm not sure what it was about) when a girl in the group suddenly EXCLAIMS, "SYLVESTER STALLONE?!  I don't even know who that is!..."  Hmmmm...  Really..., you don't know who ROCKY is?...  Yeah, wish I would have said it, but I didn't...  :)

I remember the first time that I heard a really cool name...  Okay, the judges have made their decision, and there is a tie for the official 'Bikini Hill Name of the Month.'  The winners are Castelluccio and Verissimo...  I mean, if you're a girl, don't you have to at least CONSIDER never getting married, just so that you can keep one of these last names???  And yes, I DID have to look back and make sure that I was spelling BOTH NAMES right...  :P

Have a SAFE and HAPPY Valentine's Day and I'll see you again tomorrow!