We were warned to keep ourselves ready for a busy night on Saturday, and I was glad that I did not go up in the mountain behind the hotel for a walk after the morning shift, as between helping with the washing up, doing the puds and running up and down to the pub with it, until Joe came in and told me that we now also had to take the puds to the diningroom, which was used for smart dining, and Angy, the waitress there would get it at the door, but we had to take our aprons off before going in. Thank heavens there was no more mishaps, but I was pooped, as now Alex started shouting for one of us to come into the kitchen and clean his pans, and of course Anna immediately became almost emmersed in the huge sink of soapy water, apparantly deaf to the world, so when Alex gave one blood curdling bellow to move our bloody asses, I left everything and made for the kitchen.
I then had a serious talk with Anna, who looked straight through me, and told her that she either had to do some of the puds, or clean the chef's utensils. She opted for the utensils, as she was still trying to get a very reluctant Alex to notice her interest in him, and of course had not built up the courage to use the microwave after my mishap! But Alex was one of the few men that took an instant dislike to her, why, I could not understand, and when she started calling him Bolla, a kind of name she used when trying to get into people's good books, he told her to shut up or leave the kitchen, or he would throw her out! Rosanne then called both of us to a talking-to, and said that while the rush is on, we do not say a word in the kitchen, and to keep the utensils clean at all times! I was actually surprised at Anna, as she had her own restaurant for years, and should have known about kitchen codes!
After work there was again a request for us to go into the pub, as there were still people who wanted to meet us. I tried to get out of it, but Joe, who called all women darling, told this darling that we did not have to stay long, but by now I knew that with the Scottish people who loved entertaining in the pub, we had no chance to get to bed before early morning, and I was pooped!
It turned out to be a fabulous evening, and after the second glass of red my sore feet felt as if they had gone away from my body, and when I found myself in the arms of one burly farmer also called Joe, dancing closely pressed to his big chest to the tune of 'That's Amorè' my tiredness evaporated like mist before the sun!
Anna had no interest in anyone but Alex, who she apparently saw as a new beau, as he would not leave after the week-end never to come back like the tourists, or just come now and then like the farmers and other people of the district! Poor Alex, who just wanted to play a few games of pool, was trying to dodge this attentions that was making him not only the envy of the other single men, but also the object of a lot of mirth from the village people.
I did not understand Anna, as I myself would never have gone for a man who wore a solid metal plate instead of a plate with teeth where he had lost his four front teeth, making him look like an inmate of dr. No, or anyway, one of James Bond's enemies when he smiled at other people or grimaced at us!
There were a lot of guests in the hotel that night, and we, heads throbbing and bodies aching, took ages to finish that Sunday, but we were in a good place, as Monday we only had to work till we finished the rooms, then we had the rest of the day, and also the Tuesday off. Our bags were already packed on the Saturday, as we were going to Edinburgh by bus, then find a B+B to sleep.
We did not see any B+B's in the central city, so we got onto a bus and asked the kindly driver, who melted under Anna's saucy look and toothy smile, if he could put us down whenever he saw a guest house of any kind. He declared himself very willing to do that, completely bowled over by this pretty woman who looked at him as though he was Adonis himself, and it wasn't long before he stopped and pointed out a B+B to us.The owner was extremely kind, and on Anna asking her if she knew of a nice pub with live music, she promised to look into it for us, and that is how we ended up in a pub on the Royal mile, but not before a amall catastrophe, as usual!