time in between

27-12 was a long day The Christmas began with a labor dispute at the cafe in our building the chef didn't want to come in and cook on a Saturday unless she received extra pay. The cafe owner thought the cook was asking too much money and refused to pay, but his wife donned a white hat, and we were all served a good meal. The chef's hours are from ten to three, I think to prepare she dislikes if she has to work half an hour more and is quite vociferous about that. I think it has an unspoken racial thing because another server from Luanda refuses to work after 3 o'clock the other server, a white woman, gladly stays to four if needed latecomers tend to be forthcoming. There is a holler from the kitchen where the TV is on the pope is talking I hope when he mentions the slaughter in Gaza he will condemn the Jews, but he is too bland to tell us how he really feels like the rest of us The Swiss guards are there in splendid uniforms, I'm told they have to be Swiss and of the same height, which rules out a black Swiss guard unless Hollywood is making a movie about them and Denzel Washington as a heroic sergeant, saving the pope from bearded, burnous-wearing villains. It goes without saying the producer is Jews Fish lunch today, homemade bacalao, that is OK by me, I eat any fish as long as it is not sardines As children, we had sardines every day, boiled fried, and made into sardine cakes pretending to be hamburgers