I feel unusually blessed today. My father called to share with me his real concerns about the condition I have in my right leg - phlebitis caused by pregnancy. I'm doing what I can to keep it in check - wearing compression stockings, elevating my feet even when I sleep, and taking anti-inflammatory medicine when needed. That's all good, he said, but I think your work at the restaurant is putting your health at risk. Ironically, I had had an appointment with my ob/gyn the day before who had said I would need to slow it down soon. It was hard to disagree with either one of them. When pregnant with Dax, I did not have inflamed veins and the big change in this pregnancy has been taking on restaurant work that demands me being on my feet a lot. So he made a deal with me. If I quit immediately, he will cover the money that I would have made in the next two months. (I always intended to quit about two months from my due date.) Basically, Papa is allowing me to put my health first and to ease my mind about the income that would have been lost. More than the money, it's the loving gesture my father made out of his genuine concern for my well-being. I feel so loved and even at my age, it feels good to still be taken care of in some way by my father. You never stop being a parent to your kids and Papa has an even bigger role to fill with my mom gone. He's doing great.
But I will miss going in to work - I love the owners and the staff of the Augustine Grill - a charming 1903 Victorian house that feels like a second home. I look forward to my shifts - they are my own time away from family duty and a 6 hour span where I can be professional with my customers, goofy with the staff and always participate in some dynamic conversation regarding literature, movies, politics, travel, love, etc. There's a psychology to serving customers in a restaurant - you have to be interested in other people's stories. It's more than delivering the specials and offering fresh ground pepper on a Caesar - it's taking a true interest in what they have to say. Not only do I walk away with an empty tray in my hand and some dirty plates but I walk away more informed and wiser about the ways of the world and a better understanding of myself. Anna, my boss, says I always have a job if I want it. I'll come back after I give birth - luckily, the condition goes away after delivery, and for sure, I'll need those 6-hour shifts at Augustine to just be me.