...and I thought it was a compliment !!

In 1953 I was living in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts.  I was in my Junior year at Boston University and living with my folks.  I had a scholarship so the college costs were covered but I still needed money for books, train fare to Boston, lunches, etc. so I was happy to get a job at a small restaurant in town called Bendslevs.

Mr. & Mrs. Perkins were the owners and I had worked for them while in High School so I had the routine down pat.  Although we had a soda fountain it had no stools so the 6 small tables made it seem more like a tearoom.  We had a large variety of sandwiches but the favorite was always the daily lunch special...a plate with three slices of bread topped with 3 salads (Egg, Ham and Chicken) served with a pickle and fruit in season. 

It was just the three of us, the Perkins and me, and often I was on my own because they would be in the basement making candy ... their own brand that was a specialty of the restaurant. I was kept hopping tending the soda fountain, making sandwiches, serving the food and taking payments. It left almost no time for chit-chat or kidding around.

The town workers were our best customers.  They liked the fact that they could get a good lunch at a low price and they loved trying to upset my routine but that never happened. I was very proud of the fact that I could always hold it together and I'll never forget the day that one of them realized how competent I was and he gave me what I thought was the ultimate compliment. 

"You amaze me Ginnie", he said, "you are always so even tempered." Wow, I thought, he really can see how well I manage everything !  "Yep", he continued ...."YOU ARE ALWAYS MAD."