local bosses

Monday and Tuesday are total catch-up days. I love the mindlessness of them.

Laundry. Apartment cleaning. Emails. Phone calls. Closet organization. Groceries. Library. The usual stuff.

I go to Agata & Valentina (where I shop almost every day) with a plan to buy something healthy for dinner. Fish, I'm thinking. Instead I end up with a pound of baby back ribs. I ask for extra sauce and the person helping me tells me to go to another counter to get it.

Standing at the second counter is a well-dressed, middle-aged women in some kind of fur jacket. I ask for the sauce and the guy behind the counter tells me where to go to buy some. "I don't want to buy any, I just need some for the ribs I just bought," I say.  The lady jumps in;  "Just please put some sauce in a plastic container and give it to her."

Then the lady points to some kind of fried thing and asks the same guy what it is. "I don't know," he answers. "But I'll find out for you."  The woman patiently responds, "You should know what it is; you work here. Plus, if you know what it is you'll be able to sell it better." (Turns out it's some kind of potato nugget). 

I ask the woman if she's in the food business. "I am," she replies. "Actually here."  

"Are you Agata, by chance?" I ask.  "I am," she tells me.  I am honored to finally meet her.

On my way home I pass the bagel place and notice that the pricing sign has't been changed. The egg salad sandwich is still listed at $4.45. I stop in.

Coincidentally the boss is also in.  She's female and Asian — not  male and Jewish. I mean, the place only serves bagels and deli food. I tell her the story of the other night. She apologizes and says, "I totally agree with you. We should always go by the prices printed on the sign." I thank her, and then the guy who helped me the other night suddenly appears. "Oh, hi," I begin.  He is all smiles. The lady-boss then says, "Next time you're in, whatever sandwich you order is on the house." This is surprising and unexpected. But even but more surprising and unexpected is the big hug the deli guy gives me.

I love a happy ending.