The man looked even more put out and started glaring behind him like he was looking for the person responsible for all this.“Oh, you do? That’s funny.” He stared back at his clipboardand looked up again. “The copy for your approval must have been misplaced then. If you have the original it would certainly help. I apologize for the inconvenience; this is very unusual.”
As he said that, he turned aroundagain, looking even more annoyed.
I huffed and went to the truck to get the papers.
I thought this Farmers’ Market was supposed to be organized. I had to apply for a spot almost a year ago. What was this bullshit about them losing my papers?
As I walked back to the man with all my documents in hand, I was glad for my control freak ways and hoped this was a fluke, because I did not have time for this. Not to mention that not being able to do the market over the summer and fall would essentially destroy my plans for the next six months.
I handed over my copies and the pass which clearly read “Season Vendor” with the year and the name of the business.
“Is this what you need?” I said, unable to keep frustration out of my voice. “I mean, I talked with Jim yesterday and he confirmed I was good to go, so I’m not really sure what the issue is.”
The man looked at my stuff, sighed heavily and handed them over.
“I’m so sorry about this, Mr. Vasquez. Everything’s in order, you can carry on setting up.” He gestured in the direction of the truck. “I will make a note on your file and try to look through our documents and see if I can locate your original application. If I can’t find it, I’ll just make a copy of what you have. Hope you have a great first day.” He shook my hand and gave me another mortified look before walking off like he was about to go ream out whoever made him come over here to look like an asshole.
This was the second time in two weeks someone had come to my business and hassled me about whether I had my shit in order. I really hoped this was a coincidence and had nothingto do with the woman from the first day, but I was not naïve enough to completely rule it out. I sighed and turned back to see Ari and Yin looking spooked. I was still pissed but had way too much to do to dwell on the last five minutes.
So I did what I always did: I got to work.
“What’s good, A?” I asked Ari as he hustled back into the stall and quickly started putting on his apron.
“There are twenty people in line, and we’ve served almost a hundred! It’s not even noon yet!”
Ari was obsessively tracking how many people we served since yesterday. It was Sunday, our second day in the market, and sales were ridiculous.
Yesterday we sold out of everything and today was looking the same. People were loving the food and the concept and wanted to know where we’d be during the week.
I was feeling good and absolutely not sweating that so far Jude was a no-show at the market.
Nope, I was focused on selling burritos.
“M’ijo, we need two more Marleys with the chicken, one with Jerk tofu and another batch of the yucca fritters,” my mom yelled from the front.
“Ta’ bien, Mamí” I shot back, pointing to guys. “Yin is finishing up the fritters for this order. We’ll start another one in a minute.”
My mom was kicking ass taking orders, and my sis was rocking getting them ready and chatting up customers with Ari. In the rear Yin and I were like two machines getting the food ready. We deep-fried pork belly, grilled chicken, and rolled burritos nonstop.
As I worked I could hear Ari just a few feet away at the counter answering some questions for a client in his lilting soft voice. “Yes, the Manno is our burrito inspired by Haitian cuisine. It comes with Djon Djon rice, which is made with black mushrooms. Griot, pork belly cubes marinated in bitter orange and oregano, which is braised and then deep fried. It also comes with Pikliz,our homemade Haitian spicy slaw, avocado slices, and yucca straws. It’s my favorite one, although they’re all delicious!”
“Oh, I think I’ll have that one,” the client said excitedly. “And I’ll take one Lupe, too, and the yucca fritters, they look so good. What’s the sauce?”
“The sauce is a mojo aioli, it’s very nice and tangy. I can give it to you on the side if you like.”
“Perfect, thanks so much. I’m so excited for this, I’ve never had Haitian food before!”
Music to my ears.
The day moved fast, but by two in the afternoon things were slowing down, and it was my turn to man the counter while my mom and sister took a break and walked around the market. I was grabbing a bottle of cold water for myself when I saw Jude walking up to the stall with some guy.
I tried to act cool and not let my desperation show too much, but damn he looked good today. He was wearing red chinos and a tight navy t-shirt. His hair messy, like he hadn’t bothered with it this morning. It was all I could do not to walk up to him and drag him home so we could finish what we’d started by my car. I knew this was not exactly keeping with my “no distractions” plan, but fuck it.
I stood up with a grin as he walked up to the stall. I looked him up and down with appreciation, sniffed and flexed my shoulders. I was being a scumbag, this was a fact, but I wanted to clue in the fucker with him that he had competition. BeforeJude or I could get a word in, the guy extended his hand and introduced himself.
“Hi, I’m Raj, and I was brought here under false pretenses,” he said as he flashed me a smile. Jude sputtered behind him, getting redder by the second.
I fake-laughed as I gave him a firm handshake. “Oh, yeah? How’s that?”
