Eating Birds

The other day my husband ran into someone we used to work with a long time ago.  The guy was driving one of those pedi-cabs.  You know, those bikes that pull passengers into oncoming traffic?  These contraptions always strike my inner old bitty as being extremely dangerous, but hey, what does she know?

"Who was it you saw?"  I asked.

"Sadat.  Remember him?"

Oh, but of course I remembered Sadat.  How could I forget?

It was a few months after we'd moved to nyc and I'd just performed in a production of The Sound of Music up in Tarrytown, NY.  The first time I'd played Liesel I really was sixteen going on seventeen, but this time around I was twenty-one so I had to pretend.  (I earned my degree in pretending, did you know?) 

The guy who played Rolf got hubby and I jobs at the place he worked at, an upscale restaurant in Chelsea.  And so commenced our illustrious careers as waiters in the world of Private Dining.  The gig paid $20 an hour, but since we only ended up working a handful of hours per week we were nearly always broke.  I don't think we ever realized it, though, young and in love as we were.  Now I shiver at those uninsured, starving artist, hot dog and Natty Ice filled days.

We worked weddings, bar mitzvahs, rehearsal dinners, corporate Holiday parties (these were always the most entertaining, as they were coincidentally the most inappropriate.)

One of the myriad of co-workers we met during our tenure there was a young man from Turkey named Sadat.  Being from a small town in MA, I'd never met anyone from Turkey before.  I was intrigued.

A rather short man in his early twenties, Sadat had somehow managed to snag a very tall, pretty girlfriend, though I can't recall her name.  I do remember she was a Scorpio, however, and Sadat was a Virgo.  (As I've mentioned before, Reader, Astrological retention is my greatest gift.)

One evening Sadat showed up to work with a huge grin on his face and told me, "I have wonderful news!  I have been married!"

"Wow!  Congratulations, Sadat!"  I hugged him.  "When did you get married?"  (After all, I'd just seen him a day or two ago.)

He was beaming.  "Today!  This afternoon!  We are married!"

What the?

"Wait a minute, you got married today and then came into work?"

"Well, yes, I didn't think Paul would give me the evening off, so...but it's ok, it's fine, soon I am going home and we will have a long and beautiful evening."

OK, I may not remember the bride's name, but I do remember long and beautiful were Sadat's exact words.

I crept over to hubby and whispered in his ear: "Sadat got married today."

"That's nice."  (Hubby is a most diligent worker and has no time for idle chitchat.  It's terribly annoying.)

I was persistent: "No no no, Sadat got married, like two hours ago!  And then he came into work!"

"What the?" 

I suppose I've always been a bit meddlesome, but this was simply too much.  With the air of a five year old who was about to tattle on someone at recess, I marched over to our boss.  My voice had a singsong ring to it as I announced: "Paul! (pronouncing my bosses' name as if it contained two syllables instead of one, of course)  "Pa-aul, Sadat got married today."

"What?"  He laughed.  "Why the fuck is he here?"

"That's exactly what I thought!"

With flourishing congratulations, Paul immediately gave Sadat the night off to go home for his long and beautiful evening.  As for my part, I was more than glad to have done Sadat the favor.  It is my strongly held belief that nobody should have to begin the union of marriage by serving up steak au poivre to the wealthy. 

A few weeks after this, Sadat approached me as I was polishing silverware.  "Would you guys like to come over to our house for dinner?  I am a great cook, I will cook for you!"

Instantly I felt shy.  "Oh, that's so nice.  What do you like to cook?"

"Birds!"  He exclaimed.

I thought maybe I had heard him wrong, because it sounded like he'd said buds? 

"Hmmm?"  I cocked my head to one side.

"Birds!  I will cook birds for you!"  He was smiling from ear to ear.   

"Oh!  Birds!  Thank you!  What...kind of birds?"

"You know!  Birds!" 

Sweet Baby Jesus.  For some inexplicable reason I instantly thought of my Great Uncle Jerry and the pigeons he used to raise in his back yard. 

Unconsciously picking at the cuticle of my thumb, I sidled over to hubby and tapped him lightly on the shoulder, once again employing my singsong, tattlelike whisper:  "Sadat wants to cook birds for us..."

We never did make it over to their house to eat the birds.  And Sadat's marriage never did last that long, either.  I mean, as it was, the three of them were living in really tight quarters.  That is, Sadat, Sadat's bride, and Sadat's bride's Mother.

He seems to be doing well now, though.  I mean, he's got a pedi-cab and all...

 

Comments

[Sissy]

I remember this happening and I thought it was weird then. It is even stranger now. People are funny.

[The Odd Broad]

It's strange that we keep running into this person, too.