Chapter 21 #2
Yes! One less competitor, Gina thought, resisting the urge to do a fist pump.
Kim piped in, “So, Joyce, it seems like you’re satisfied—when can we expect a check?” Kim handed Joyce the envelope with the completed forms Joyce had given them the day before.
“Yes, you were both great. You’ll get paid in two weeks; your hourly rate is ten dollars.
” Joyce handed them each forty dollars in cash.
“And here’s a tip. I like to reward good work.
” Joyce folded the paperwork and put it in her pocket.
“My next event is this Tuesday at noon in the Pritzker Auditorium in the renovated Chicago Library. I’ll need you both there by nine sharp.
It’s a sit-down lunch and there’s a lot of setup. ”
“We’re there—love that space,” Kim said. “Who’s the client?”
“It’s a big fundraising event put on by the city. Anyone who’s anyone in city politics, even our dear Mayor Borden, will be there.”
“Thanks for the opportunity, Joyce. We’ll see you Tuesday,” Gina said.
On the bus ride home, Kim and Gina reviewed every detail about the day’s event and how they would recreate some of the appetizers with less pricey ingredients.
“I got a look at the guest list and took a photo with my phone. We should check the obituaries every day and see if any of their relatives have died and where their funerals are held, maybe even crash a funeral or two,” Kim said.
Gina smiled. “That makes me think of my uncle. He always checked the obituaries every day. Said if his name was in it, no need to get dressed. We will be tracking this crowd for sure; we’ll be funeral crashers instead of wedding crashers.”
They hopped off the bus near Gina’s, and she drove Kim to her place. “I’ll pick you up around ten tomorrow morning, and then we can drive over to Rago’s. We’re scheduled to have all the food out and ready by noon.”
“Sounds like a plan, see you tomorrow, girl. What a fun day. Thanks for setting up the gig. I’m up for more of those, and I get paid more than my parents pay me.” Kim got out and ran up the stairs to her apartment.
On Monday morning, Gina drove to Kim’s and found her waiting outside. Her straight, long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she wore a crisply ironed, white collared shirt, black slacks, and black tennis shoes.
“Looking very professional,” Gina said, glancing over at Kim as she got into the car.
Gina took in Kim’s dimples, her beautiful smile, and her perfectly proportioned figure and had to tap her fingers on the steering wheel to distract herself.
Why am I feeling like this? She redirected her gaze forward and steered her car back onto the street.
“You ready to go blow Rago’s mind?” Gina asked.
“Let’s go get ’em, partner,” Kim said, and gently put her hand on Gina’s arm.
Gina felt a little tingle down her spine. “I talked to Aunt Angie before I left. She was in good spirits and she can’t wait to hear how it all goes. Once they taste her pesto sauce, we will have them in the palm of our hands.”
Louie Rago greeted them both at the door. “Uh-oh, the poison twins are back.”
“Thanks for giving us a second chance, Louie. You won’t be sorry; we promise.” Kim shook his hand.
“Before you make any more fun of us, taste this.” Gina handed him a small white bag.
Louie raised his eyebrows. “What have we here?”
“Old family recipe, almond cookies—try one,” Kim prodded.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, but why don’t you both take the first bite.” He handed them a cookie. Kim broke it in half and handed one half to Gina.
Gina savored the buttery almond flavor and crispness of the cookie. “I’ll eat yours if you don’t want to risk it, Louie.”
Louie took a bite of his as they intently watched his face and waited. “Hmmm, these are delicious. No one would have spit these out at your uncle Vinnie’s funeral.”
“Now, Louie, you know we didn’t have any notice, and Aunt Angie didn’t have any money to hire a caterer. We are so ready to feed you and all your colleagues.”
“I let all the funeral directors know there’s free apps and to bring their appetite. Believe me, these folks can pound down food. Last count, there’ll be about thirty attending.”
Gina handed Louie the typed menu. “Here’s what we’ll be offering.”
Louie held the menu and read it out loud.
“Caprese skewers with fresh mozzarella balls, cherry tomatoes with fresh basil, antipasto platter with sliced meats, cheeses, olives, and seasonal roasted vegetables, and garlic toasted crostini with pesto.” He glanced over the menu at them.
“I hope you’re serving breath mints after this. ”
“We’ll have several bowls of breath mints available. Of course, we’ll set those out with the coffee and tea along with the almond cookies,” Kim said.
“Wow, sounds like you gals covered all the bases. Everything sounds delicious. I’m guessing your aunt helped you with some of this.”
“The pesto is her recipe,” Gina said. “We won’t let you down, Louie. We even did a test run on one of our harshest critics, and he was almost licking the plates.”
“Louie, you wanted everything set up in the kitchen, right?” Kim had one foot out the front door.
“No, I think you should set everything up here in the lobby.” He pointed over toward the side near the ladies’ lounge. “I put some tables out there for you. I assume you’ll handle the rest.”
“You can go back and relax in your office—we’ve got this.” Gina propped open the door so they could unload quickly. Louie’s cell rang as he was walking back toward his office; Gina overheard his side of the conversation.
“Another musician who wants to be buried with his baritone sax. No problem—we’ve done lots of those funerals. I’m glad he doesn’t play the piano,” Louie said.
Gina laughed and then helped Kim set up with linen tablecloths, a few small flower arrangements, durable white paper plates, and napkins. They put everything out on colorful platters and stood back to admire their first official display.
“Looks pretty darn professional to me.” Kim took her phone out to take a “before” picture.
Louie greeted the directors—men and women wearing black suits, some with ties—as they arrived.
Gina and Kim waited in the small kitchen to the right of the lobby where they could see when the platters needed replenishing.
They could hear some of the shop talk interspersed with audible sighs indicating that they were enjoying the food; the pesto bites were flying off the platter.
Gina kept rubbing her hands on her pant legs, carefully watching their faces as they ate. There wasn’t one smirk, and more importantly, no one spat out a single bite.
Louie started the meeting in the main room, and Gina and Kim kept replenishing the food.
Several of the attendees preferred to stand up in the back next to the buffet table and listen, which afforded them easy access to more food.
Topics such as cremation, green funerals, a less toxic approach for the environment, and celebration-of-life-themed events were heavily discussed.
There were the older directors, who shook their heads reflecting on the good old days, and younger ones, who embraced the new age approaches.
Cell phones went off sporadically, as death waits for no one, and the person receiving the call would step outside. At the end of the formal meeting, Louie invited Gina and Kim up to the front of the room.
“These are the young ladies who provided the free appetizers today. The name of their catering company specializing in funerals is Last Bite.” Everyone laughed.
“I’d like to thank them, and if you are so inclined to hire them to provide food at your events, they have cards on”—Louie glanced to the back of the room—“the empty table behind me. I believe we ate everything you brought.” The room filled with applause and many comments.
“I’d like to hire them to teach my wife to cook!” one shouted out.
“Nothing like a delicious morsel or two to calm a saddened heart. Well done!” another director said.
Gina could not contain her smile, and when she glanced over at Kim, she saw her glowing. They practically pranced to the back, and as each person walked out, they handed them a mesh bag containing four almond cookies and their business card; not one person turned it down.
As they were cleaning up, Louie approached. “You both have my business. I will need to know that you can provide this level of service when I call you on a minute’s notice. We can talk later; I have a funeral to arrange. Are you available on Wednesday?”
“Absolutely,” Gina said.
“Great, I’ll let you know what time to be here. It’s a musician. You can let yourselves out. And, please, give my best to your aunt. She is a wonderful lady.”
Kim handed Louie a small white box containing ten almond cookies, a sticker with their Last Bite logo sealing the top. “These are for you. Sometimes you just need a sweet treat.”
“Thank you. I will enjoy these.” He walked back inside.
After he left, they both jumped up and down. “We did it! We did it!”
They loaded all the empty containers, platters, and leftover paper products, and got in the car.
A knock came from the passenger’s side window. Gina looked over and Kim put down her window. It was Louie with a small bag.
“Would you please give this to your aunt? It’s Vinnie’s World Series ring.” Kim took the bag.
“We’ll make sure she gets it,” Gina said.
There was silence in the car as they drove away. Kim looked over at Gina and repeated, “We did it!”
Gina nodded. “Amen. And we’re not working for anyone else but ourselves once this gets going. I can’t wait to tell Aunt Angie.”