Rise of the Phoenix

Paul, PJ, and Wiggles moved out of the apartment over the café and bakery and into the apartment over his folk's garage. At first, they were almost hiding out. As they dealt with their loss, they began to move about in the world. Eventually, PJ returned to school. Nonna always walked him and Wiggles there. The spark that was PJ seemed to be lost, just as his father lost without his Clara too.

Joe handled the health and life insurance for the café and bakery employees. The health insurance gave Paul and PJ easy access to people who could help them deal with their grief. This was a road that both of them traveled, sometimes together and at other times separately. They spent many hours taking out their grief, loss, and loneliness. To both father and son, Clara was everything.

Paul did not know that his father had a life insurance policy for all managers in the family businesses that had a double indemnity in the event of an accident or a crime. Unfortunately, Clara's death was the result of a crime. He did not learn about this until his father handed him a five-million-dollar check a few weeks later.

Almost a year later, Paul found the courage to return to his old shop and see what the world had for him. At first, he stood and looked around, talking to the ghosts that floated around the shop, then doing what felt natural. He began to clean the shop of a year's grime like he was getting ready for the next day's business.

And so, the dance begins. --

Sara was a bundle of nerves all weekend. She hoped she might have lucked into a real job and not some short-term mindless temp gig. To chase the butterflies away, she spent all weekend playing her guitars. Her old friend had a bunch of her friends come to hear Sara. Everyone who was there sat in awe. As she demonstrated her talent playing the twelve-string and some of her favorite classical guitar pieces. Along the way, she mentioned finding a café and bakery down on Front St. Maybe it might reopen, and if it did, she might get a gig as a bookkeeper. Her new friends were happy to hear that perhaps the bakery might reopen.

Monday morning came, and Sara put on her bravest face, walking to the shop. When she got there, she saw the man she met last Friday was talking with two other men. One man looked older and looked about the same age as the man she met on Friday. The three were having an agreeable conversation. While they were talking in a language Sara didn't understand, she looked around the café and thought the place looked like one she had known in New York. An Italian bakery that made the most amazing bread and baked goods. A window in the wall between the café and the kitchen gave the customers a view of what was happening in the back. In front of the wall that divided the shop was a glass display case that she pictured holding a variety of pastries, bombe, tortas, and loaves of freshly baked bread. Another counter was at a right angle to the display case with the kitchen's delights. Behind that counter were three espresso machines. Sara could almost picture the baristas making different coffees, and where the two cases connected was an old-style brass cash register. Along the other two walls were counters and stools where customers could sit and enjoy the shop's delights. She was nodding to herself as her mind's eye saw the place packed with delighted customers.

The two men, who had talked with the man she met last week, went out the back door. The man she met on Friday came out to greet Sara and introduce himself. He began apologizing profusely for having her wait, but his brother and dad stopped by unexpectedly. The three of them finalized everything on reopening the shop. It's a go, she was told. Sara had a real job that paid real money.

Paul and Sara went upstairs to where the office was. The office had two windows so anyone could see the kitchen floor or the cafe. The office was very plain. It had three desks: Paul's desk, a desk where she would work, and a smaller desk that could be for a child. That and what looked like a dog bed and a water bowl. As well as countless file cabinets. That and there were piles of paper stacked everywhere. After showing her around, Paul went back downstairs to the kitchen. She was left alone in the office and began organizing and filing away all the stuff. Now and then, she looked out the office's window and saw Paul in the kitchen talking with one or another person.

Sara began to make a little progress in sorting out all the paperwork. In the early afternoon, a woman, a young boy, and a dog, unlike any she had seen before, exploded into the kitchen. The woman went over to Paul and gave him a warm hug and a smile as the boy called out a greeting to Paul. Ah, this must be Paul's mother and the son she had heard about. It dawned on Sara that this must be the dog her friends told her about, a Weimaraner. The dog, the boy, and one or another adult were well known at the park down the street, which had a beach for people to go for a swim. Seeing the dog, she understood why it was called a silver ghost.

As Paul's mother went out the back door, the boy and the dog flew up the stairs to the office where Sara sat. The boy exploded into the office and loudly introduced himself as PJ and his dog Wiggles. He explained that Paul's mom picked him up from school with Wiggles. PJ looked at Wiggles and told the dog to go over to Miss Sara and say hello to her. With that, the dog strutted up to Sara with his tail wagging happily and sat at her feet. Looking up with the most soulful eyes that Sara had ever seen, the dog offered his paw. As if to shake. When Sara took Wiggles' paw in her hand, the dog put both feet on her legs and reached up to give her a huge kiss. Then as Wiggles jumped down, PJ announced that he had to do his homework. He sat down at his desk in the office, and Wiggles went to his bed and lay down. But first, he lapped up some water from a bowl by his bed.

Forty-five minutes later, Paul stuck his head in the office. Calling out to PJ and Wiggles, let's go. It's time we all call it a day and go home. Then looking at Sara, he asked if he would see her in the morning too. Sara answered with a bright smile as she nodded her head. As she stood up to go home, Wiggles came to her and nudged her knee with his head. He demanded an ear scratch and any other attention he could get before saying goodnight too. The next four weeks were like a storm. Getting one thing from the Health Department and another from Code Enforcement in the Building Department. All while trying to cope with the waves of forms, receipts, and other papers that seemed to grow like mushrooms. When the bakery closed, all the employees were furloughed. Joe had a business interruption insurance policy that covered all the employees' salaries and insurance if they were laid off. Half the folks who worked in the kitchen were from Venice, so Sara had to deal with immigration to get everyone back on board. The highlight of her day was when PJ and Wiggles came in. Seeing them made her smile, and all the days stupid's went away. Like almost every child, PJ would pretend to do his homework but not really. He would talk with Wiggles or get up countless times to get a this or that. The assignments weren't finished or done sloppily, much to his Dad's and grandparents' frustration. Sara knew it wasn't her place to say anything.

One day PJ saw a guitar case in the corner and asked Sara if she played. Smiling and nodding, she answered yeah, that's my love playing the guitar. PJ told her he had a guitar at home but didn't know how to play. He asked, could she teach him? Ahhh ... she thought. Yeah, PJ, that's doable. But here's the deal, OK? First, you must finish all your homework and let me check it before starting your guitar lesson. Deal? PJ sat there and thought about it for a few moments. Then he whispered in Wiggles' ear, and then the dog barked. With that, PJ sat up and looked her in the eye. You gotta deal, Miss Sara.

Paul, PJ's grandparents, family, and teachers all noticed an almost immediate change in PJ. Instead of being a borderline student, suddenly, he was racing to the head of the class. No one understood what happened. Indeed, something happened, but what? No one had an idea. On the surface, things continued as before. When PJ had difficulty with something in his homework, Sara patiently got him to master what had been a stumbling block. When he had a problem with finger placement to play a note. Again, Sara was there to show him how. PJ's confidence in himself soared as he moved to the head of his class and learned to play the guitar.

One evening Sara was at home, at her friend's house. And she got to thinking. Finally, things seemed to be falling into place for her. She enjoyed her job and the people at work. There had been a couple of hints that she would be getting a sizeable pay raise soon. Teaching PJ how to play the guitar made her a better player. Now and then, she would sit in at one of the local clubs and do a set there. That was always fun.

Sara looked over at her friend. Sara wondered why this town felt so different from all the other coastal towns. Here there weren't any hotels along the beaches. There didn't look like there was a homeless problem. There didn't look like there was any issue with drugs here or prostitution. How did this town do it? Sara asked. Sara's friend answered the rhetorical question by saying the same way four people were found dead outside of town, and two others disappeared from the face of the earth. Everyone here knew there were lines that it wasn't wise to cross. Someone else tossed this out. The town began something like a hundred and fifty years ago. The settlers here were all Italian fishermen. They dried their catch in the warm sun and shipped it home. More and more people from the old country moved here in no time. The flavor of the area was Italian. People from all over Italy moved here, and they brought with them their traditions. Some called the town Little Italy on the Gulf. With that tidbit, Sara smiled and nodded her head in understanding.

Just as they were about to reopen, more changes arrived. Paul, his brother, and Dad decided that since they had all the building contractors together. They could do the build-out next door. Doing that would triple the space for the shop. And create how much more paper, Sara asked herself. Then a short, pudgy man arrived. He began shouting in the unique dialect of Venice. He was Paul's mentor and teacher from the old country. But more importantly, he was Paul's late wife's father. Many of the bakers who worked in the kitchen had connections to him too. The purpose of his unexpected visit was to tell everyone that his shop had been awarded a prestigious award in Venice for his shop. But the most important thing was for him and his wife to see their only grandson.

Things had begun to quiet down when the grandparents from Venice returned home. All the minute details were completed, and work was wrapped up. The inspectors went through the bakery and signed off on all the forms. Now the date to reopen the shop could be set. People in the community knew the shop was almost ready to open, but no one knew when. Pauli and his family decided to do a 'soft' opening the following Wednesday. They would announce the shop was open by simply flipping the closed sign in the front window to open.

With the approaching opening, the intensity in the shop increased. Everyone involved wanted perfection. A lot of the joking around that had been the norm before was stopped. Paul was in the kitchen non-stop, checking everything. Then he'd go into the shop, ensuring all the display cases were polished and the windows sparkled. That all the intricate details were covered. The place would be ready to go. In some ways, it was like a circus with Paul as the ringmaster. Into the chaos strolled Aldo Grego, or as many of his friends called him, 'the Greek.' He was a chef that Paul had worked with before. Aldo's family was from near Naples and had some business in Greece. He had a way with fresh fish that no one could touch.

One thing that everyone would agree on that knew 'the Greek' was he might be many things. But one thing he wasn't was soft-spoken or quiet. The man did not speak. He roared. He was like Poseidon whipping up a storm. Both Paul and Aldo were passionate about their food. Paul got his old friend upstairs in the office for everyone's sanity. Connie, Paul's mother, and Sara worked together to ensure the opening went smoothly.

When Aldo saw that Connie was there, his greeting of the old friend was way over the top. But that was Aldo's style. Sara sat there, chuckling at how this man was carrying on. The picture in her mind was that the shop was a three-ring circus, and Paul was the ringmaster. She could see Aldo driving the clown car around and around, much to everyone's delight. Before Aldo arrived, the tension was almost visible. Now people were shaking their heads and smiling. Aldo continued to assault everyone's sanity. Then he turned to Sara, who had been sitting behind her desk, trying to fade into the woodwork. When Aldo saw her sitting there shaking her head, he exploded again. It was like a volcano had erupted. He claimed that this new face was way too good for the likes of Paul and this collection of clowns. As Aldo walked out the door, he exclaimed that he would be back to rescue the lost damsel Sara and lead her to a better place in the world. With that promise, Aldo slammed the door and left. While Sara sat there in shock, asking herself WTF?

Connie stood there with Paul, and they both shook their heads. Then Connie went over to Sara and explained that she had been welcomed into the restaurant family. Connie whispered that Aldo was the ringleader of the downtown restaurants and the source of many a smile. Things in the business could get tense, but Aldo always had a way of finding a smile. With that, Connie went over to Sara and hugged her warmly, as Connie whispered that Sara had been welcomed into the family of restaurant people. Connie tossed in that Aldo was the most married man in town. Immediately after Aldo was married, his new father-in-law, originally from Sicily, told him that if Aldo ever played around, his new job would be as a castrato singing for his dinner. She added that Aldo couldn't carry a tune in a bucket if his life depended on it.

Everyone was going batshit crazy. Everyone was running around and yelling. Sara and PJ were upstairs in the office on Friday. She told PJ to grab his guitar, and she would take both of her guitars, and they, with Wiggles, would escape this insanity. The three of them slipped out the back door unnoticed and went down to the park that faced the Gulf. Where they found a bench under an old tree. Sara looked at PJ. Yeah, this will work. We have some shade and can play our guitars and make music here.

The two began playing a piece that PJ had worked on with Sara. It was a duet where the lead swapped back and forth. Soon there was a little group of people standing around listening. The group grew into a crowd that grew and grew, becoming a sizeable crowd. Sara pulled out her twelve-string and did one of her favorite pieces somewhere along the line. The crowd's reaction took their breath away. Sara looked at PJ, then leaned over, whispering that they needed to return home. He nodded and smiled. They thanked everyone but explained that they had to get home.

Sunday morning, the local newspaper picked up an article that was to run in the leading New York newspaper about the 'concert' in the park here by an unknown mother and her young son. Almost everyone in town saw the article. The report hailed both of them as guitar virtuosos. Of course, the question was asked, who were these amazing classical guitarists?

The Wednesday opening happened, and what day it was. At six in the morning, the sign in the window that said closed for over a year was turned over and said open. What began as a trickle of curious people wandering in became a flood by eight in the morning. The line to get in ran down the block and around the corner. Paul and the rest of the crew soon knew they would run out by noon or maybe sooner. Customers weren't buying one or two items. They were like a herd of locusts descending on a field. The next day was hectic but not as crazy as the day before. By the following Monday, things returned to what had passed as normal.

PJ returned to his old routine of spending Friday night with his Nonna and Nonno. After PJ left, Paul went upstairs to the office he shared with Sara.

Looking up from whatever was on her desk, she saw Paul standing there, holding his hands in front of him. He told her he knew who had played 'the concert' in the park. Sara looked up and shrugged her shoulders as she smiled and nodded her head. Paul went over to where Sara was sitting and hugged her. Sara looked up toward Paul, the expression in her eyes asked if another hug was available. Sara was wrapped deep in Paul's arms in answer to the unasked question. Holding her eyes in his, he knelt on one knee and asked if she would marry him.

Usually, when PJ returned from spending the night with his grandparents on Saturday morning, Paul was somewhere in the shop. When PJ returned this time with his Nonna and didn't see his dad, he asked where he was. Someone pointed to the office. PJ, Nonna, and Wiggles raced to the office. When they walked in, they saw Paul and Sara leaning against Paul's desk, facing the door with big smiles and holding hands. Paul told his son that they were getting married. When PJ heard that, he ran to Sara and wrapped his arms around her legs. PJ then looked up to heaven and called out to Chiara, thanking her for sending Sara to them. Telling Chiara what a wonderful person Sara is and how much he loves her. Then he turned to his dad and smiled.

Four months later, with the shop open and building the new areas well underway, Sara and Pauli were married in a simple ceremony in the Park under the oak tree where she and PJ had played together. There were a few close friends and family at the simple wedding. After the wedding ceremony ended and the bride was kissed, Sara, Paul, PJ, and Wiggles began walking back between their friends and family, holding hands. Then she saw an older couple standing in the back, alone. Sara stopped a moment and whispered in Paul's ear. Then she led her men to the couple and introduced her parents to her husband and their grandson. And, of course, Wiggles.

*

Author's postscript: As Henry Ford alleged once said, there comes a time in a project when it is necessary to shoot the engineers and go into production. I hope you enjoy this story.