Chapter 15
After Angie went to sleep, Kim and Gina decided to review the tasting menu for Louie at Rago Brothers. Everything had to be perfect, since his first experience with them at Uncle Vinnie’s funeral had been such a disaster.
Kim sat next to Gina on the couch and pulled up the menu on her laptop. “You do remember we have our final presentation in our class tomorrow?” she asked. “I put together a slide deck; we already talked that through. We are so getting an A in this class.”
“You’re damn straight! We’re getting an A-plus. I got in deep shit at work because I asked for the day off tomorrow. My boss said no more requests like that, or I’ll be looking for another job. He’s such an asshole.”
“Sooner than later, you won’t have to ask anyone for time off—we’ll be our own boss.
” Kim pointed at the menu. “I thought we should focus on our menu for Italian wakes and funerals first, then we can arrange another meeting for our Chinese clientele. Here’s what we thought we could pull off without too much expense and still look professional—I think we need to pare this down, but let’s decide together. ”
They both stared at the screen:
—Caprese skewers with fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and basil
—Antipasto platter with sliced meats, cheeses, olives, and roasted peppers
—Garlic toasted crostini with pesto
—Seasonal roasted vegetables
—Biscotti
Beverages:
—Red and white wine
—Italian sodas
—Coffee and teas
“I think this is all doable. My aunt said she could make a simple olive oil, balsamic vinegar garlic dip for the bread, and she has an easy biscotti recipe we can knock out in no time.” Gina couldn’t contain herself—especially her shit-eating grin—and she put up her hand. “High five!”
They slapped hands.
“I went to Jewel and Trader Joe’s, and we can absolutely get an assortment of premade items, and then it’s just some assembly with a dash of Aunt Angie’s magic.
But reality check, Gina, do you really think your aunt can handle all this?
I love her, but going from not working at all to having a full-time job and catering with us is a lot,” Kim said.
Gina took a deep breath. “I don’t know, but we have to give her a chance.
She looked so tired tonight. I think we keep her in the loop, and on the weekends, she can cook and bake.
She really needs to know she’s a part of our operation; we’re her ticket out of the land of poverty and toilet cleaning. ”
“I’ll pull up the slide deck for tomorrow, and then we both need to get some sleep. I have to keep working at my parents’ store in Chinatown until we start making money. Of course, they have me opening at six every morning.”
They quickly reviewed the slides and then Gina walked Kim to the door. “I’m so excited we’re partners, Kim. I have a really good feeling in my gut.”
“Me too.”
“I’ll pick you up for class tomorrow. Good night,” Gina said.
After Kim left, Gina made Angie another lunch, then wrote the Rago’s menu on a piece of paper and included a note: Good luck on day two, with a heart.
She got ready for bed, lay down in Thad’s room, and snuggled under his comforter.
She fell sound asleep and didn’t even hear her aunt leave early the next morning.
Gina’s alarm went off at six thirty; she wandered into the kitchen and saw her favorite coffee mug that Uncle Vinnie had given her, CUBS WIN, sitting by the coffeepot.
Her aunt had put a Post-it note on the mug: Good luck today at class—you I promised her I’d help her start packing. It would be great if you and Kim could come too. It’s going to be tough for her.”
“Aunt Angie was exhausted last night. Today is her second day of work. Did you hear she got a job in housekeeping at City Hall?”
“Housekeeping? What the hell?”
“It’s all they could give her with just a GED. She’s keeping her spirits up, but it’s hard labor. Sounds like there’s some kind of problem with Uncle Vinnie’s pension,” Gina explained.
“What’s going on with her pension? I sure hope they’re not messing with that. Vinnie earned every penny he made,” Connie said.
“I don’t know any details, but Angie is pushing as hard as she can without pissing off Cookie. Maybe we should wait until this weekend to pack her up. I don’t think she’ll have the energy after a full day of work.” Gina’s car was inching toward Kim’s apartment.
“We have to go soon. Beatrice has been up my ass about that damn storage unit key, and I told Ben I’d come by to get it from him.
Apparently, he took it upon himself to search for it at the apartment.
Knowing how close Ben and Vinnie were, he maybe knew all along.
Anyway, he said he and Angie will need to go to the locker before Beatrice gets involved. ”
Gina tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. “I’ll talk to her when she gets home around six.”
“That Angie. She sure is a good sport, getting herself a job.”
“She is determined to be independent as soon as she can. Kim and I are planning on going to the credit union at school after our presentation today and filling out some forms. We’re not sure if we’d qualify for a business loan, but we want to try.
I don’t know if they’ll give me a loan with my job at Panera, and I owe a lot on my credit cards too. ”
“That’s a good idea; sometimes they have small loans for start-ups. I’m so proud of you for starting your business. I can certainly co-sign for the loan.”
“That would help. I’ll get the paperwork and we can go over it together.
I’m almost at Kim’s. We have our first tasting scheduled with Louie at Rago Brothers next week; we already have a draft menu.
We’re starting with Italian and then we’ll do a separate one for Chinese, and maybe eventually do a combo.
” Gina felt a warm swell in her chest. Her mom’s unwavering support was something she realized not everyone gets. Kim didn’t have the same.
When Gina pulled up in front of Kim’s apartment, Kim was waiting outside with her backpack on.
“My mom’s on the phone,” Gina said when Kim got into the car.
“Hey, Mrs. Paloni, what’s up?”
“All good here. Good luck on your presentation. Gina, call or text me afterward and let me know how it went. I’ll plan to come by your place tonight around six so I can talk with Angie—and I’ll bring the sandwiches. Sound good?”
“Perfect. We can go over the loan papers together. Gotta go.”
Gina shrugged her shoulders, glanced over at Kim, and started driving to school.
“Did your mom say anything about the loan?” Kim asked.
“She cashed out an IRA that was supposed to be for college if I went. She is totally with me using it for this. That’ll give us ten thousand.”
“My parents are a hard no unless I marry a nice Chinese guy, and that ain’t gonna happen. I have my savings, so they can’t say anything about that.”
“I can’t believe they still can’t accept that you’re gay.” Gina thought again about her mom’s support. Though they’d never talked about it, Gina knew her mom would love her unconditionally, gay or straight, though she’d have to adjust a few expectations.
“They think it’s a fad that I’ll outgrow. They’re also still mad I’m not going to medical school like my brother. I don’t care anymore what they think. I am who I am.”
“I know it took a lot of courage for you to come out in high school. They’ll have to come around eventually, or not, I guess,” Gina said.
“Right now, we’re still in the ‘or not’ phase, so I only see them for Sunday dinner and when I’m working at the store. Thanks for always being there for me, Gina. It means a lot.”
“Always got your back. Ready to kick some ass on our presentation?”
“Absolutely. It will be so good to have this behind us; I know we’re going to ace it. I also did an Excel spreadsheet showing the initial investment and when we can expect to make a profit. I’ll show you when we get to school,” Kim said.
Once they got to school, Gina and Kim reviewed their presentation one more time. Kim added all kinds of fun visuals and had even designed a simple logo for Last Bite. They were first up, and everyone, including their teacher, Mr. Spiro, clapped after they were done.
“Very creative approach, ladies,” Mr. Spiro commented. “I have a good feeling about this. Please let me know if I can help you.”
“Do you know if there are any places we can apply for a loan or maybe find investors?” Kim asked.
“Let’s talk about it after class—I have some ideas.”
The rest of the class presentations paled by comparison, and once all the students left Kim and Gina approached Mr. Spiro’s desk.
He took out a folder labeled “Financial Backing” and spread out about ten forms in front of them.
“There are several small companies that support entrepreneurs. You can send your prospectus to them, and I’m happy to give them a heads-up.
Be reasonable and start small—I have no doubt you’ll be successful. ”
“Thanks, Mr. Spiro,” they responded in unison.
Gina looked over at Kim once they were back in the car, her eyes gleaming and her face sporting a huge grin. “Let’s go celebrate. I know it’s early, but we have to celebrate every little step.”
“Why not? How about we park by your house, and we can walk to Durkin’s, just in case we drink too much.”
“Sounds good.” They talked about their next steps as Gina drove home and got lucky finding a parking spot right in front of her place. “Let’s dump our backpacks inside.”