“I would too if I was related to her.” Izzie snickered. “I hope you don’t mind me saying it, but she was not very pleasant with me.”
“Ha. ThatisCrabby Cakes being pleasant.” Regina lowered her voice. “I’ve been here just under a year, and I can honestly say I have never seen her smile.”
“That’s too bad, for you and for her. Imagine living your life being miserable?”
“I try not to.” Regina grinned. “Let’s see what the specials are today.” She lifted a small clipboard that was on the table. “They have ropa vieja today. The chef’s family is from Cuba. It’s the real deal.”
“Sounds good. I can have a burger any time,” Isabelle replied. “Although stew in the summer in Florida sounds steamy.”
“You won’t regret it. Promise.” Regina put the menu down as the waitress walked over to the table.
“Hi, Paula. This is Izzie. She’s working in my department now.”
“Hi, Izzie. Welcome to Sunnydale, where you will feel younger than ever.” Paula raised her eyebrows. To her point, everyone in the room besides the staff was over fifty-five. It was the age requirement to live there.
“Standing next to Regina, I feel ancient.”
“Oh, stop. You can’t be more than thirty-five, right?” Regina took a good guess.
“Close enough,” Izzie replied.
“What can I get for youyoungladies?” Paula asked.
“Regina highly recommends the special, so I shall have that. Water, no ice, and some lemon slices, please.”
“Make that two,” Regina added.
Paula tapped a few buttons on her hand-held electronic ordering device. “Be right back with your water.”
“This place seems to be very tech-savvy,” Izzie noted.
“And tight as Fort Knox.”
Izzie casually checked the ceiling for CCTV. Just as she thought, there were several in the dining room. There was little chance any of the patrons would dine and dash, so why so much security? She could understand one camera in the rear, positioned toward the door, but there were at least five covering every angle of the place.What were these people so afraid of?
Izzie thought all the tables might be bugged with hidden microphones.Why? Why any of it?She lowered her voice: “What’s with all the Big Brother stuff? And I don’t mean the TV show.”
Regina giggled. “Right? I often wonder, but then I figure it’s a job. A decent one, and like I said, the food is great.”
“Back to our earlier conversation. Or should I say my nose-poking. What do you want to be when you grow up?” Izzie leaned back in her chair and gave Regina a big smile.
“I like to garden. But there doesn’t seem to be much money in that.”
“What about landscaping?”
“I can’t see myself hauling bags of topsoil and laying down mulch.”
“You don’t necessarily have to do the heavy lifting. You could become a designer. I mean, if that’s what you’re into.”
“Funny you should say that. There’s a little patch of nothing behind my apartment building. I’d like to do something with it.”
“Take some measurements and then draw up a layout.”
“I can visualize it, but not sure I can put it down on paper.”
“I worked around layouts for a long time. Buy yourself some graph paper and a tape measure. I’m giving you old-school advice, but I think it’s better for your brain if you think things through. You can get a much better understanding rather than rely on something techie to do it for you.” Izzie stopped. “Now I’m sounding like an old bat.”
Regina placed her hand on Izzie’s. “Not at all. I think you’re onto something. I’ve been spending more time trying to find an app than actually doing it. Thanks. I’ll stop at a store on my way home.”
