Moving On

Our best waiter gave notice last night and no, it wasn't an April Fool's joke. This is wonderful. It means we've been successful. She came to us 3 years ago as a referral from a friend who worked for Big Brothers/Big Sisters. She wasn't formally a "little" (as the organization calls the kids) but she definitely needed some positive influence in her life.

She was 17, an abandoned redneck. Her mother had remarried years ago, actually had helped break up the marriage of someone we know (dear friend of a friend type thing, oh joyful small-town life), so had her father and neither of them had any time for her. Her boyfriends tended toward the abusive type and she had a volatile streak in her as well. I remember our Harvard educated waiter recoiling in shock as this young woman described going to a party out in the woods where two girls started fist fighting and instead of trying to stop them, everyone else pulled their trucks in a circle and turned on their headlights so they could get a better view.

She was arrested a few years ago for beating up a girl who had slept with her then boyfriend. The assistant DA (also a customer of ours) was pretty relentless in pursuit of the case and through it all this young lady waited on the DA's table and gave excellent service.

Cut to now. She's just about to turn 21. She's had a boyfriend who loves her dearly and treats her like a queen for the past year, maybe a bit longer. She tries to get her friends politically motivated, harassing them to register to vote. She is unflappable. She handles multiple large parties. She's charming and gracious, possessed of poise and confidence. In short she is a beautiful young woman ready to get on with her life.

One of the reasons she's leaving, other than it's just time for that to happen, is to help care for her 6 year old nephew who was born quite ill and was never expected to live very long. She's always been a big part of his life although her relationship with her sister has been like the rest of her familial relationships, a bit fractured. I hope her family does not let her down again.

As for our part in all this, I don't know what it is but I'd like to think that by providing a supportive atmosphere, training to earn a good living, gentle guidance and unbridled love we have been able to help a scared young girl come in to her own.

Best wishes sweetie.

Comments

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Damn! I just finished putting on my make up and now I have to re-do it. I broke down and sobbed reading this. I love this girl. She has come such a long way (and she knows it too). I am incredibly proud of her. I do fear her family will, once again, betray her. But maybe that will get her to move out of the area. Her boyfriend stays here just for her. Can you actually believe that she was afraid to tell me? She didn't want to let us down. She feels bad leaving us but says she just can't fake it with the customers and she doesn't have it in her anymore. Her tip average has been dropping, she hasn't made it on the weekly sales sheet for two weeks now. She says she just wants to be a customer and friend of ours. She said it was hard because she loves us but it feels like the right decision. I am happy for her, sad for us.