first. She’ll do the rest, and she’ll let me know when you’re ready to wait tables, so be a fast learner. No real money until then.”
“Thank you, si—Donald.”
“Billy Wollard,” he said, nodding at me. “He was a dreamer, too, but got a case of realism faster than I did. He’s got the instincts, but New York is full of very talented people.”
If I heard that one more time, I thought I’d scream. I think he saw it in my face.
“Anyway, good luck, Emma Corey.”
He walked toward the counter, and I headed for the kitchen door, my legs trembling with every step. I found a uniform that looked like it would fit. It was a bit shorter and tighter around my bosom than I had anticipated, but as my father often said, “Beggars can’t be choosers.” I wasn’t a beggar, but I was close enough to it. I put my things in a locker and took the key. Then I sucked in my nervousness and stepped back into the restaurant. Marge Arnold was at the counter talking to one of the short-order cooks. She beckoned to me, and I hurried over.
“Emma, is it?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Marge, and this is Ralph Buckner, one of the day cooks. We call him Buck.”
“How ya doin’?” he said.
“Fine, thank you for asking.”
He laughed. “See?” he said to Marge. “There are people who give you a nice answer and not ‘What’s it to you?’ ”
“She’ll learn,” Marge said.
“With you as a teacher, she will.”
He went to put on a hamburger, and she turned to me.
“End of the day, after you start taking orders, it’s wise to give him a five. He’ll make sure to treat your orders quickly, even before some of the others here who don’t tip him. Word to the wise, tip well, live well. That’s New York, sister.”
“Works well in England, too,” I said.
She laughed. I was going to quote Samuel Johnson in Boswell’s Life of Johnson, but I doubted she’d read it. Johnson said he got a better, bigger cut of meat by giving the waiter an extra penny.
“Okay. I got a new table. We’re doing the first five booths from right to left and three of those tables across from them. You don’t let anyone slip over one of your tables. Some of these birds will peck away your customer if they see a chance. Never neglect one. If you’re busy, you tell him or her you’ll be right with them. You don’t let people think you’re too overwhelmed to give them good service, get it?”
“Yes, I do. Thank you. I appreciate what you are doing for me.”
“I like your accent. Work it right, and it will get you bigger tips. That, along with a good smile,” she said. “Let’s get you familiar with the menus, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You’ll taste everything over the next week, so if a customer asks about a choice, you can respond without sounding like a phony. You should know what’s in everything, too. People come here with allergies, salt restrictions, whatever.”
“The ingredients? Of everything?”
“Yes. What’s the matter?” she asked, seeing the expression on my face. She smiled. “The job’s more than you thought it would be?”
“A little,” I admitted.
“I know. Anyone who doesn’t do this kind of work thinks we just jot down a few words, tell the chef, and make sure the customer gets what he or she ordered, always with a fat smile. Then they write us a big tip. Not always big. By the way, you can get stiffed here, especially here. It’s New York, the place that made ‘Charity begins at home’ famous.”
“Stiffed?”
“They’ll leave you nothing if they have some complaint about the food, the chair, where they’re sitting, your attitude, how long it took to get the food… on and on. And remember: the customer is always right, even when he’s a big idiot, or she is. Women are often the worst tippers. Another thing: we get lots of Europeans here, and they’re used to the tip being included. I usually underline ‘gratuity’ before I give them the check.”
She smiled. “All right, relax, Em. You’re turning pale enough to ruin someone’s appetite. Just follow me around for a while and listen,” she said, and headed for a table.
Em, I thought. Only my girlfriends in school called me that. Julia never would, and Mummy certainly wouldn’t, especially in front of my father.
Marge paused and tilted her head. I hurried to catch up to her.
Treat it all like a part in a play, I