A few stressful weeks

Dear Readers,

I’ve had a really rough few weeks lately. Three weeks ago, my uncle, who’d been battling cancer, passed away. I took a few days off from working crazy hours at my brother’s restaurant in order to represent the both of us at the funeral.

            For a funeral, it was a good one. Luckily, the viewing was by invite only for non family members. The actual funeral service at the church was something I just really can’t put into words. The church was packed and there were people standing in the back. It was great to see how many people respected, cared about and loved my uncle.

After the service there was visiting time/mini repast before the actual funeral. It was just amazing to hear many personal stories about what a positive influence he was in the community as a pharmacist, a soccer coach (coached for 30 years), taught adult Sunday school and still raised a family with my aunt. At the cemetery site, it was just family and the pall bearers - who were former soccer players for my uncle. One of the guys kept a medal he won years ago when he played soccer and as he was paying his respects, he left the medal on my uncle’s casket. When I saw the guy do that, I just broke down crying; that was the first time I cried since I heard of my uncle’s passing.

The day after the funeral, I drove home. It took me a solid 15 hours. As soon as I got home, I had to do my laundry; it was 3 am. After I finished, I went to bed for a few hours then I got up a few hours later to head to work an 18 hour day. I went early to organize the desk in my brother’s office (where I do some of my work), paid some bills, went to see my brother, went back to the restaurant to check in with my brother’s second in command and got to work.

It was rather tough to work that morning because of the funeral and the lack of sleep I received the night before. I was drinking so much coffee to get me through the lunch shift. After the lunch rush, I grabbed my stuff and went back to my brother’s in law’s place (he was in a bad ski accident 6 weeks and broke his tibia and fibula in 18 pieces). We talked about the restaurant for quite a bit and finally he asked about the funeral. He held my hand as I told him and when I finished, we both were crying.

He called one of the guys from the restaurant to ask to spare two guys to come get me; one to drive his car back and the other to drive me and my car to my brother and sister in law’s apartment. When they arrived and rang the doorbell, I opened it and saw my crush (he’s one of the chef’s at the restaurant). I invited him in. As he walked in, he grabbed my hip and leaned to kiss my cheek.

The next thing we saw was a bottle flying in the air in our direction and hitting the wall behind us. My brother told my crush to keep his hands and mouth away from his kid sister. I chuckled and my crush turned red and reminded my brother that he’s married. My brother said that he didn’t care and does NOT anyone touching me as long as I’m his kid sister and that he’d castrate my crush and any of the male employees who touched me. My crush gulped and nodded. I said that my brother’s only partially kidding about the castration. My crush sarcastically replied that he was glad my brother was partially kidding. We left and headed to my brother and sister in law’s apartment. I was so tired I fell asleep in the car as my crush drove us over. He had to wake me up so I can figure out which keys were needed. As I settled down on the couch, I told him I’d call him to let him know when he could swing by to pick me up. He said that my brother texted him to tell him that he was going to stay with me as I slept a little bit. I told my crush to leave in my car and that I could take my brother’s car back. My crush showed me the text that my brother sent him. My brother pretty much told my crush that there is no way that he, my crush, will leave me alone at the apartment; it wasn’t a great area, the apartment’s on the first floor and that my brother’s worried about me. I huffed a response my crush didn’t like (something to the effects of “Eff off!”).

The rest of the week was non-stop with business and my brother’s second in command had to leave last minute to attend a funeral for his uncle was gone for a few days. My poor brother worked four 18 hour days from a wheelchair and in severe pain. My sister in law, such a precious woman, and I were his arms, legs, eyes and whatever else he needed. I had to help him out on top of hostessing, doing the books, cleaning, running errands, driving some staff home and pick others up for their shift, do some English to Spanish and Spanish to English translations for the staff.

Thankfully, my brother didn’t work Monday or Tuesday. He got his much needed sleep and didn’t have to travel before the blizzard hit us. I left early yesterday to drive my crush home (he doesn’t live to far from me) and then I drove myself home from his house. I was able to sleep in a bit today and arrived at work at 3:45 today since we opened at 4:30.

Now, I’m sitting in the office trying to catch up on cleaning, organizing and daily paperwork. In a little bit, I have to bring some of “my boys” (the male staff) home. Not all of them drive. Sometimes it’s a little hard to communicate with them because they speak Spanish (a few of them speak enough English to speak with me) and I, of course, speak English (with enough Spanish to tell them what needs to be done). If they speak slow enough I can get the gist of what they’re saying.

One of the guys that I drive home the most often, R, is a good man and one of the few men I trust 100% and with my life. I know that I’m safe with him, even though he’s the same height at me. I rarely get along with married men because of my strong personality and my so called “irresistible charm” but R is the only man (that I’m not related to) that I get along with; and one of the few that when I say that I love, I genuinely love him. He’s a good man, loves and respects his wife, his daughters, my brother, myself and the staff, is a God fearing man and wishes no harm or ill will on any person. He’s had my respect since Day One and I’ve had his.  We have such a good relationship that we joke around, calling each other “Love”, “Honey”, “Dear”, “Primero”, “Amore” and the like. Everyone’s a little unsure what to make of it because I care deeply for someone else and R is married and has kids.

My other “boys” don’t get as close to me as R does. They’re all leery of getting close to me because our boss is my older brother and despite me telling me that I’m just like them but they kinda fear me because 1. I’m the sister of our boss. 2. They respect my brother so much they leave me alone and 3. They know that if they touch me inappropriately, I will knee them in their baby makers hard enough to drop them to the floor.