Caught in the Rain

Caught in the rain, I had been left behind. I have never been quick when running in the rain; my mother had fallen and broken her foot while running in the rain, which made me a bit tenacious. We had all been hurrying to get to the theatre. We were to see the Phantom of the Opera. My first time in New York, I could not believe it! We had been hurrying both due to the overtaking wetness, and also because we had fallen behind schedule. It was imperative that we arrive on time for if we were even a minute late we would not be permitted to enter. Competing with my desire to catch up with my friends, if you can call them friends after they left me behind, was my desire to feel warmth again. The theatre was still a long way off, and at that time I was not feeling strong enough to complete the journey. I quickly ducked under the nearby awning and then proceeded to enter the door I found.

As I stepped in I was over come with the feelings of warmth but at the same time a mysterious loneliness. The immediate combination of these two feelings led me to enter further in order to investigate the source of these feelings. It was a simple room, not too big or too small, but oddly it seemed to be just the right size. Since it was raining outside the room was barely lit. To satisfy my curiosity I searched for a light switch so as to better see the room. Once I found and flipped it, I was disappointed to find that only half of the light bulbs were properly functioning. Even though it was only dimly lit I was still able to see the décor.

The windows were delicately decorated with curtains of a rich dark green. The curtains were a bit ruffled, but I could still see that they had been carefully laid. As I continued to look around I soon realized that I had entered into an old and abandoned café. I t was not too old for the furniture was still in place, but the chairs were turned up and everything shelved a thick layer of dust. The floor was tiled with square foot creamy colored tiles, and the ceiling displayed elegant antique looking chandeliers. It seemed that in its day this had been a rather charming and welcoming place to visit. I wanted to know what it had served so I made my way to the counter. It had a calmly colored marble top, which had been cleared of all appliances. I looked up to see if there was some sort of menu and much to my dismay found none.

I decided to take down a stool and rest my tired feet for a while when suddenly I heard that I was not alone. Out of what must have been the back storage room came a dark figure. He was slightly hunched over and seemed to be carrying a broom. As he proceeded further, and as my heart began to pound faster, I could soon see his face. He was old and wrinkled, and was wearing a janitor’s uniform. He had a white crown of wisdom and when he saw that I was present and rather frightened, his face lit up in a welcoming and warm smile. “Hello”, he said. Shocked that the dark figure seemed kind and welcoming I stuttered and eventually returned his greeting.

“What brings you to this old café?” “Uh the rain”, I struggled to speak; I was still recovering from the adrenaline rush. “Is this your café?” I said after I had gained some more composure. “If only this were my café”, he paused; “I wouldn’t be wearing this old and worn uniform, and would be behind the counter. This café has quite the story to go with it.” “ I love a good story!” I responded a little louder than I had planned. “Well if you have the time,” he graciously responded. I nodded in anxious affirmation.

So he began…
“It was a rainy day much like today and Mr. Givanni was out for his morning stroll. This was a unique morning stroll for today he had a mission. He had recently been fired and in order to support his growing family he was in desperate need of a new one. His previous employment had been that of a salesmen and he was sure he had been fired due to his hatred of the job. His passion was cooking and while finding a job doing just that was his goal, he knew he may have to settle for less. He had already been into many tall buildings and been rejected due to the long list of previous positions he had been fired from. Just when he was to lose all hope, he happened upon this old building. The sign on the front said, ‘BUILDING FOR SALE, COME IN FOR NEGOTIATIONS’. Mr. Givanni walked in to find a mysterious looking man sitting at a makeshift desk. After some of the easiest negotiations Mr. Givanni had ever experience he left with the key and the deed to the building. One his way home he was planning what to say to his wife. He had gone out to find a job and was returning home having written a large check for a run down old shop.”

“He arrived home to a busy household; he was the father of four children, two boys and two girls all under the age of fourteen. Upon entering he was greeted by a cheerful wife and the smell of cinnamon rolls in the oven. He quickly called the family to order. When they were all sitting calmly in the living room he announced to them that he was going to start a family business. The younger children quickly became disinterested and returned to their toys. The two older ones, however, knew that this meant they would be earning money. Mrs. Givanni was surprisingly, the most pleased. The opportunity to work alongside her whole family excited her, she had hoped that her husband would get a job that allowed him to spend more time with them. In spite of the excitement there was still a question on everyone’s mind, ‘What exactly was this new family business? ‘ “

“There was some awkward silence before the oldest unexpectedly broke it by finally voicing the question. Mr._____ replied with a undecided look on his face, ‘Oh well I do not really know, I had not thought much about it. Let’s make it a family decision. What do you all think it should be?’ There was more awkward silence; Mrs. Givanni was becoming quite bothered by this continuing silence. She had been excited about the new possibility of a family business, but this lack of forethought had discouraged her. Not only did her husband have a lack of forethought but now he was asking his pre-adolescent children do make his decisions for him. Just as she was about to speak, the eldest excitedly shouted, ‘We can open an Italian café! we can dig out grandma’s old cookbook and then name it after her!’ Mrs. Givanni was left pondering while the rest of the family began cheering and was soon in a huddled formation planning the rest of the details. After an afternoon of planning the young family started out to begin the restoration of the small café.”

The sound of the rain on the café’s windows combined with the soothing calm of the janitor’s voice had caused me to loose all sense of time and surroundings. There was a sudden crack of thunder that unwelcomly awoke me from my trance. I must have jumped for the kind man stopped the story. I looked at my watch and began to panic, in listening to the story I had missed at least the first half of The Phantom of the Opera! “Is everything alright?” he asked. “Yes, well no, I mean, I am very late, however at this point I would much rather hear the end of your story than hurry on my own to catch the end of the show.” “Whatever suits you, I have heard and told the story many times.” “What is your name?” I asked. He paused with a puzzled look on his face as if he had expected me to ask earlier, but was now surprised that I had. After a few more seconds he finally said, “Jack”, ” just Jack”, “Yes, just Jack”.

“Well Jack, please continue.” “After the initial planning, the rest sort of fell into place… Mrs. Givanni handled the decoration, Mr. Givanni planned the menu, and between the two of them they kept the children busy. The Givannis were always a hard working family and they had the café up and running in less than one month. Mr. Givanni of course was always experimenting with new recipes, but for the most part the menu was set. Being that the café was nestled into a little strip in the middle of New York City, business was booming. The whole family was busy, and had it not been for the adamancy against it by Mrs. Givanni, Mr. would have hired outside help. She was afraid that it would disrupt the family atmosphere and possible cause division in the family.”

“Everything was running smoothly. Mimi’s Italian Café was a hit. People of all ages would gather to relax, enjoy good food, get away from the business of the city, people watch, and spend time with the areas favorite family. Mrs. Givanni had been correct, having family business really had brought the family together. This was not just observed by her, but by everyone who walked in their doors. The one who held them altogether was Mr. Givanni, he always had a smile on his face and encouraged his children to work hard and do good to others, merely by his example. It was almost too good to be true.”

“Then as if it had fallen from the sky, disaster struck. Mr. Givanni was headed to his yearly check up. While sitting in the waiting room he heard the nurse call his name and he knew by the tone of her voice that something was not right. He was led into a room he had never seen before and was instantly overcome with the most intense fear that he had ever experienced. After what seemed like an eternity, the doctor came in. ‘Good afternoon Mr. Givanni’, he said with a forced smile. ‘I know you have no pleasant news for me and it will not do either of us any good for you to delay it.’ The doctor looked down as if ashamed of his previously cheery behavior. ‘Mr. Givanni, you are showing all of the signs of an early brain tumor, we need to take some x-rays to determine if this is in fact the case.’ ‘And if I do?’ ‘We won’t know until we have the x-rays, it is best not to make judgments until then.’ ‘Ok then let’s proceed.’ “

“The next few moths were filled with many appointments. His first x-rays revealed that he did indeed have a brain tumor, but it also revealed that this tumor was inoperable, all the doctors could do was delay the inevitable. When Mr. Givanni was sure of his condition he decided to tell his family. He chose his words carefully, and when he finished there was a mix of tears and speechlessness. He assured them that in his absence the café would succeed, he had taught them well and they were ready to continue on their own. The feeling of sadness had overcome the family that could previously not be saddened. The one who was the most saddened was the youngest, his father had not been sure as to whether or not he would understand, but now he had seemed to understand the most acutely. The tears did not stop falling and he could not utter a word. His family tried to comfort him but to no avail.

The next months were seemingly the hardest the family would ever face. In true consistency with their family bond they all attended every appointment, especially Mrs. Givanni who was convinced that he should never be at the hospital alone. Three weeks after his announcement, Mr. Givanni was confined to a hospital bed. He could no longer speak with clarity, and each day, basic tasks became more difficult for him. Some how he continued to smile. It was all he could do to keep his family from despair. His cheerful attitude helped them to cope. They would read him stories, and tell him of unusual happenings at the café. The eldest, who had learned to cook from him, would share all of his struggles in the kitchen and all the inner workings of his new recipes. The second eldest had been redecorating the place and she would show him sample after sample. They were doing more than he could have hoped for; it was of utmost importance to him that they keep the café going. Not only were they doing this, but they were doing it with all of their strength. At the beginning of everyday Mrs. Givanni would quote the familiar scripture, ‘I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength’. They had learned to cling to these words.”

“One day during their daily account of the café’s happenings, the doctor walked in. The smiles escaped everyone’s faces, and the youngest clung to his mother’s arm. The doctor had only come into to check in on them, but his presence always brought a cold fear to the family. It would only be a precious three days before Mr. Givanni’s death.”

I looked up to see tears welling up in Jack’s eyes. He was barely able to utter the last words. I reached my hand out to offer comfort, but a feeling of helplessness came over me. “What is the matter Jack? did you know him well?” He lifted his head and with a slight nod of his head quietly uttered the words, “he was my father.”

I was left in a state of shocked silence. His son, but he said he was the janitor! He seemed to see my thoughts on my face for he soon answered my question. “I am a janitor, but not a janitor for this café. I own it; I did not want to claim ownership when you entered due to the unseemly shape it is in. I am the only one left alive in my family. It was first passed to the ownership of my mother, and then to my eldest brother and so on. When my sister died it was passed to me. I could never tell them but ever since my father’s death I could never look on this café with the same joyful excitement. When they had all passed away and I was left to run it on my own I simply couldn’t. At the same time, however, I could not bring myself to sell it. I had to find a job though so I found a position as a janitor and I decided I would try and clean the place up a bit, but that is as far as my planning has gone.”

“But Jack, you have to keep it running! Have you not any family of your own?” I desperately asked. “No, I was always working to keep this little shop alive or I was helping my family. I never had time.” “Well Jack if you love your father as much as you say you do then you will do everything within your power to open Mimi’s back up!” “But I am an old man what can I do?” “I don’t know but you must do something.”

Just then my much-bewildered friends walked in quite relieved to see that I was still alive. They said that they had missed the play too for once they realized I was missing they had spent their afternoon searching for me. I quickly gave my apologies, but then introduced them to Jack. They apologized for the need to rush, but we had a train to catch. I hugged Jack goodbye. Even though I had only known him for a few hours I felt an odd bond with him. He had shared his heart with me and for that I owed him something. I felt so awful in leaving as I did. He needed someone. All I could say was that I would be thinking of him and that I hoped that his father’s dream would be restored.

We walked out the door and much to my dismay back into the rain. After the dismay I realized that I would not have appreciated the sun. I had just experienced the heartbreak of a lonely old man and the rain was the only thing that could comfort me at that moment.