the people you meet

It seems as though i go through phases, periods of time, where I remember multiple dreams a night for about two weeks at a time then nothing for another month, not one dream.  I'm in the midst of one of those two week periods.  I think its due to the fact I haven't been sleeping soundly.  I almost purposely wake up three times in the middle of the night into the morning since I sleep until at least ten.  My dreams range from extremely way way out of this world to pretty feasible.  From saving drowning children, with a tornado heading our way that actually turns out to be a prop plane crashing into the house, to checking my myspace?  I wish I was smart enough to study the brain.  It could keep my life interesting, on an almost boring level. 

I also wanted to write about George.  My favorite customer.  

When I worked at Pitzzutillos, every week, sometimes twice a week this man would come in.  A round man, with short white hair slowly thinning, walking on crutches, one leg touching the floor, one reaching half way.  I don't know what it is about handicapped people that scares people.  I must admit when I did start serving, I was nervous about serving him.  

This fiftyish drivers ed teacher soon became my favorite customer of all time.  I always prayed for an empty room when he was coming in.  I wanted to be able to lean against that little wall and talk to him all night.  On days that my prayers were not answered we made fun of other customers together, silent eyebrow raises, quick winks.  I met his children, I learned about his life.  I ended up leaving Pitzzutillos.  I couldn't take the scraping minimum wage while I busted my ass, coming home smelling like oil and sweat, too tired to shower until the morning because I had been up at six for school, then work right after, then home to change and back to work until ten.  Seeing him on days like that made it pretty worth it.  On my last day he came for dinner with his daughter, they brought me a chocolate cake to celebrate me moving on, my high school graduation, my venture on to college.  It's amazing the people you meet in just getting up and putting on ugly shirts and going into serve pizza and answer phones and fill dressings.

I need to get a new job.