If we're gonna play house, I get to be the mom, ok?

So, apparently, at work I am the mother/nurturer figure. Who'da thunk it? After all, in the restaurant biz, 40 is actually pretty old. So, being the oldest one there pretty much sets me up for such a role.

Tonight I came into work, then started bitching about things not being in their proper places in my bar. A couple of hours later, a 20-something waiter(ess - a term I hate, but perhaps the sex of the waiter matters here) came up to me all proud of herself for being assertive with a customer on a power trip. I validated her ability to stand up for herself.

Later in the evening, the owner's son, who is trying to grow his hair long and is a line cook, came to me for assistance with his bandanna/'do rag - he just couldn't get it situated or tied right. I tied the back nice and tight and tucked in the sticky-outy parts. I know how to rock a bandanna.

Then much later, one of our other line cooks, who recently split up with his baby momma and is now dating Ginny, our pasty chef, was having an epic telephone conversation with his ex while I was cleaning up the bar. We were the last ones in the restaurant and, since I still had plenty of work to do, I didn't mind that he was having a lengthy, emotional and very Spanish conversation on the kitchen telephone. He knows that I don't know enough Spanish to decipher what was being said, but I didn't need to - I know enough about his situation to get the gist of his conversation.

I kept working and, as I was in the wine room unloading a new shipment of wine, I saw him heading over toward me. He didn't look so good. I asked him if he was okay and he said no. Then he just hugged me and started sobbing. I held him and told him that it was going to be okay. I told him that he had many friends here at the restaurant and that we cared about him and were there for him. Poor thing - my heart ached for him, as he was clearly ripped apart by the events of his life at the moment. Yet, at the same time, I was so impressed that he wasn't too macho to cry in front of me. I already knew that he was a good guy, but this confirmed it even more.

I offered him a drink and put my work aside in order to sit down with him. Pretty common scenario: Ex loves him and wants him back and is sorry for treating him like shit and vows to change; he wanted out of his relationship with her for a long time, but stuck around because they had a daughter together, who is now five, and because Ex had an older daughter (now 16) and he got on well with her; Ex pulls every guilt trip out of her bag of tricks, including putting each of the kids on the phone to tell him to come home; he feels like he must return to her because she says she'll change, but he started a new life with a new apartment a few months ago and is really happy - he and Ginny are great together and it's not too serious or anything, they're just having fun. He was so distraught. I listened to him and told him that I thought he should think about it for awhile before he makes any decisions about anything. I reminded him that he has many friends who care about him. I don't want to see him hurt by Ex and I don't believe that she'll change.

After he finished his beer and left, I went around the building turning off lights and turning the heat down. I notice that the closing waiter took a few shortcuts and left a stash of dirty dishes in the waiter area. I'll have a talk with him tomorrow.

Next time he does that, he's grounded.