Sparkles - 4
Each Tuesday, all of the employees and investors get a chance to walk through the new restaurant and see how the space is changing as the walls and fittings go into place. The couple from the renovation company handle most of the questions and take notes of any questions and suggestions.
One question that came up each week was the accessibility of the restaurant for people with different kinds of mobility issues. The drawings, plans and 3D model took into account all the government-mandated requirements and we tried to exceed them. The booths all had wheelchair access and the private rooms had wide doorways and a small storage area for coats, with fittings to hold things like crutches and canes.
A couple of the waitresses asked why there was only one wheelchair-accessible stall and they pointed out they often found the stalls too cramped even for able-bodied use. At their suggestion, all the stalls were enlarged to accommodate a wheelchair and a third washroom was added for people who needed assistance using the bathroom. The third bathroom was enlarged enough to accommodate three people easily and the addition of a changing table made it comfortable for changing a child's diaper.
It was one of the busboys that brought up the issue of the width of the doorways to the kitchen. They were fine for normal levels of use, but when the restaurant was busy, they tended to become crowded. A simple redesign to the layout made them oneway use and widened them. Before changing them in the new restaurant, 'Sparkles Daytime' got a retrofit to test out the idea. With the kitchen being designed and located to serve both restaurants, the idea made sense, and with a little time to get used to the new layout, the staff found things moved more smoothly.
I stand back and admire the growing number of metal-enhanced smiles I see each week. As we hire more employees, the number slowly grows, but it becomes more evident each week as the employees walk around and talk about the changes. The seamstress arrives in a different costume each week, and her smile slowly becomes more metallic each week. Each of her costumes is in the 'Sparkles' colours and is a wild version of one of the uniforms she is working on. They all are more suitable for working in an adult club or wearing to a dance club than in a restaurant, and she always arrives after almost everyone else.
I find myself spending more time managing the existing restaurants and getting things organized for the new restaurant than I do working in the kitchen. It's during one of my increasingly frequent complaint sessions that someone says, "Why don't you get someone to take over some of the routine work for you? Hire yourself an assistant."
I look up at the metal-encased smiles in front of me and grimace. "How am I supposed to find time to do that when I don't have enough time to do the work I already have to do? I need an assistant to find me an assistant."
This time I am watching as Charlene says, “There is already a process in place to handle it.”
The metal braces in The Hostess's mouth come into view as she says, “I’m already handling the interview process for the restaurant staff, adding finding an assistant for you to the list shouldn’t be difficult. What type of person are you looking for?”
It’s not something I had thought about, so I have a confused look on my face as The Seamstress asks, “Let’s start with the basics, male or female? Is age a factor? Do they need to have experience and if so, what kind?”
My mouth drops open as I try to process the questions coming at me. All I can do is shrug as the three of them grin at me. The Hostess takes pity on me and says, "Why don't you think about it for a while, then make a list of things for me to look for? In the meantime, I'll keep an eye out for someone I think might be able to handle the job. I've been doing okay with the restaurant staff so far, especially with the help I've had from Charlene and a few others in the building."
She's right. There are three assistant hostesses to cover all the shifts in 'Sparkles Daytime' and Charlene is in charge of the waitresses. I have more kitchen staff than I need at the moment, but when 'Sparkles' opens, all the staff will have full-time jobs if they want. Everyone she has sent to me for an interview has already been screened by her and all I've had to do is give them my okay and send them to the orthodontist. If I had an assistant like her, I could spend most of my time in the kitchen creating dishes for the restaurants.
The three ladies all laugh as I walk away shaking my head.
I spend over a week trying to put together a list of what I want in an assistant. I started by listing everything I could think of, adding more as I thought of things. Then I tried to narrow it down to what I considered important. The list is still impossible to make sense of when the Hostess knocks on my door and enters. Beside her is a petite female that looks as if she is a gymnast.
“I have someone for you to interview.” The smile on the Hostess’s face says she’s up to something, but I can’t tell what it is. “I’ve already told her what she is going to be doing if she is hired, all you have to do is give her the standard interview. She’s already had her appointment with the orthodontist and has been approved by him.” She places the file with the job application, resume and orthodontist’s records on my desk, then smiles at the girl as she leaves.
I glance at her several times as I read through the file, noting she has a little experience as a waitress and has just finished several courses towards a degree in business management. Her application says she is looking for part-time work, though she is open to a full-time position if it is offered. She waits patiently for me to start the interview.
The impression I had that she looked like a gymnast is confirmed when I read her application and see she lists she was one in school and volunteers part-time as an assistant coach at a local gym. Her application says she has applied to be a waitress, but I can see she is overqualified for the position.
I give her the standard interview, asking her the usual questions. She has a pleasant voice with a heavy British accent and smiles frequently, though she keeps her teeth covered when she does. When I have her stand in front of the screen for the video portion of the interview, I notice that she has a slight limp and her left leg seems a little stiff. It's hard to tell why, because she is wearing a long skirt. As she stands in front of the screen and says the scripted greetings word perfect without looking at the sheet, I have to wonder why she wants to work as a waitress. In my opinion, she's too good-looking to be a waitress and seems very relaxed and confident.
My cellphone chimes with a text from the Hostess saying, "If you know what's good for you, tell her you are hiring her. When you do, tell her I said to smile for you. The orthodontist can't wait to get his hands on her. Text me before she leaves, I want to congratulate her." The Hostess hasn't been wrong with the recommendations she's made for employees so far, and except for a few the orthodontist has rejected, all have been hired, so I take her advice.
Before I let her know she has been hired, I have a few more questions to ask her, so I get her to take a seat in front of my desk. As she sits, she touches the back of her left knee, and I notice that her skirt doesn't lay quite normal.
She notices where I am looking and the smile on her face fades. I ask her the questions about braces and a puzzled look crosses her face until I explain I am talking about orthodontic braces, not about the English variety that goes over the shoulders. Her answers are quite informative and I can understand why she has passed the two interview stages already.
Then I tell her she is hired and give her the message from the Hostess. For the first time since she entered my office, I see her teeth and understand why the orthodontist wants her as a patient. She has the most spectacular set of 'British' teeth I have ever seen. They're slightly too big for her mouth and all are just a bit out of alignment.
While I'm trying to figure out a way to politely ask all the questions I have going through my mind, the Hostess walks through my door and says, "I think you are going to enjoy having your new assistant around. As soon as I saw her resume, I knew she was perfect for the job."
Then she turns to the new assistant I didn't know I was hiring and says, "Why don't you properly introduce yourself to him and answer a few of the questions I know he is having a hard time trying to find a way to ask without being impolite. I also have a few I would like to ask, but I'm not allowed to ask them, so maybe we can get together sometime and have coffee."
My new assistant smiles at me and I get another good look at her mouth. "My name really is Bertha Goodebotton as it says on my application, but I prefer Birdy. I was born in London, but we moved around a lot because of my father's job and I never was able to get my teeth fixed on the NHS plan because we moved so often. I've been into gymnastics since I was a little girl and studied ballet whenever I had a chance."
Then she lifts the left side of her skirt a little and the bottoms of her metal legbraces comes into view. "I saw you watching me as I sat down. I find it easier if I wear long skirts until people get to know me. A group of us were on the train to a competition when there was an accident. The rest of the group was close to the front of the train when the accident occurred and were uninjured. I was at the back stretching my legs and was one of the few with more severe injuries. A heavy goods lorry ran through a barrier and hit the last car, derailing it."
She takes a pause to sip from the bottle the Hostess hands her, then continues with, "My left knee had to be rebuilt and I was told I probably wouldn't walk again. I proved them wrong, though I do need the legbrace to be able to walk. My left leg is shorter than the right and I wear heels to make up for the difference. The alternative is to wear shoes with a built-up heel and sole, which I don't think is appealing."
"My right leg is fine most of the time, but they made me a legbrace from it as well while I was in the hospital. While I was learning how to walk again, I kept spraining my right ankle and it was simpler and cheaper to have me wearing a legbrace than to keep delaying my recovery every time I sprained it." She taps her left leg near her upper thigh and says, "This one is a full-length brace and supports my entire leg. The one on my right leg goes from below my knee to my shoe."
She smiles at both of us and asks, "Does that cover most of your questions?" Then she looks at me and says, "Your question about braces threw me off at first because I thought you were asking about my legbraces. To properly answer your questions, I very much want to get my teeth fixed. The orthodontist already has a treatment plan arranged for me and he's told me he will do it the way I want it done."
"I've never considered myself to be disabled, and I don't want to be treated as if I am. I just do some things differently than many people and move a bit slower sometimes."
I grin at her and say, "Welcome to Sparkles, Birdy. I think we are going to get along fine."
