Into my silence, my boss asked, "Is that a problem?"
"No. Of course not." And then, desperate for more information, I said, "So, I'll be apologizing to…?" I let the sentence trail off, hoping he'd fill in the blank.
"The customer. Who else would it be?"
"Sorry." I winced. "I guess it was a stupid question, huh?"
"Eh, I've had stupider. Don’t worry about it."
I bit my lip, not wanting to continue. But I had to, for his sake as well as mine. "So, while I'm at it, can I ask another one?"
At this, he laughed. "Sure, why not?"
I knew I was pushing my luck, but there was something hehadto know. "Don't take this the wrong way, but are you absolutely sure that's a good idea?"
He was silent for a long moment before saying, "You're right."
Relief washed over me. "I am?"
"Yeah. Thatwasa stupid question."
"Oh." I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to think. "I know. I'm doing a horrible job of explaining it." Fearful of losing my nerve, I took a deep breath and continued. "It's just that when I apologized before, it only made things worse. That lady? She kind of flipped out, actually."
"Yeah. I saw. Remember?"
"Right. So, it's not that I'm unwilling to apologize. It's just that, well, I don't know if it will turn out so great. I mean, what if she doesn'twantany more apologies?"
"Trust me. She does." He hesitated. "Listen, I shouldn’t be telling you this, but she's the reason you still have a job."
I blinked. "She is?"
I couldn’t imagine how. After my failed apology attempt, she'd stormed out of the restaurant, leaving a trail of insults in her wake. It wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement.
But my boss said, "Yeah. She is. Just between you and me, I went to bat for you, but my boss wasn't having it, which meant that corporate wasn't having it."
Disappointment coursed through me. The primary reason I was so desperate to keep this job was because it was a foot in the door, a way to someday use my college degree.
The steakhouse was a tiny part of a huge company. When I'd interviewed for the job, I'd heard encouraging stories about how they hired from within and made a point to promote people who worked in – as my boss had put it – the service trenches.
The bartending job, I could do without. But the job it might lead to? Well, that was something I desperately wanted.
Had I already burned those bridges?
No. I squared my shoulders. One way or another, I'd make this right.
My boss was still talking. "The way it happened, she came in a couple hours later, said she didn't want you to get fired." He paused. "But shedoeswant that apology."
As for me, I was more than willing. Trying to plan ahead, I asked, "What about her date? Does he want another apology, too?"
"No. Just her. It's set for Monday afternoon. You'll be ready?"
This time, I didn't hesitate. "Definitely." And I meant it, too. It would be unpleasant. I had no doubt of that. From what I'd seen so far, the woman had a crazy streak a mile wide.
But maybe, I reminded myself, I wasn't being fair. If she'd taken the trouble to come back in, that was a good sign, right?
My boss said, "Great. Then it's settled. To quoteher, it'll be a good learning opportunity. And I agree."
At this point, I wasn't going to argue. So I thanked my boss for the second chance, confirmed I was still working tomorrow, and ended the call on a positive note.
In three days, I'd be apologizing. But for now, I had other things to worry about, so I silenced my phone, shoved it back into my pocket, and continued down the stairway, only to pause on the final step.
I heard yelling. The way it sounded, it was coming from Jake's office. And, the yeller was Bianca.
Of course.
