You finally get your schedules straight and set a lunch date that took a lot of time to coordinate. When the day comes, you make sure to get to the lunch appointment on time. You hate being late. The hostess or host seats you. You sit down, look around, glance at your watch, and wonder if the person will show up. And then, nine times out of ten, that person walks in a few minutes late and you feel relieved. But what happens when they don’t show? What do you do?
I go on a lot of lunch dates. Almost every day is another lunch date. (Actually, I could probably book every morning, afternoon and evening around food. And, if I did, I would probably gain about 200 pounds, so I don’t.) Today, was no different than any other day, except that I stopped booking my own appointments.
About seven months ago, I was feeling that I was spending my whole day arranging and rearranging schedules that it would be more cost effective to hire an Executive Assistant to help me out. It’s embarrassing to say, but I was also double and triple booking and sometimes even forgetting about appointments. I decided to bite the bullet and hire someone to help.
Now, seven months later, every day, I look at my calendar and go to where I’m supposed to be and I smile. I know longer have to schedule, reschedule and rearrange my schedule any more. I have someone who I can trust to help me out!
One time, she booked my new media director and I on an appointment to meet a client at Riodizio Churrascario in Williston Park. As we sat there, we got hungrier and hungrier. Twelve oclock passed, ten after twelve, twenty after twelve, and still no appointment. We started to eat. The person never showed.
Today, something similar happened, except this time, I was alone and it was pouring outside. I forgot my rain gear and was soaked when I arrived at Steve’s Piccolo Bussala in Westbury. The friendly waiter sat me at my favorite table and there I waited. I was sure that my assistant called to confirm. We were supposed to meet at 12 noon. At around 12:15 pm, while I was on the phone with my senior VP, I got the strange feeling that my appointment wasn’t going to show.
“What time are they coming?” Kristie, my senior VP, asked.
“They should have been here by now,” I said, as I looked around at an empty restaurant, thinking how strange it was because in the evening you can’t get into the place!
I quickly called Christina, my assistant, and within minutes she returned the call. “They’re not coming,” she said. “They didn’t realize the time or the place. But don’t worry I’ll reschedule.”
Now what? Do I sit here? Do I run out the door embarrassed? Or, do I order food to go? I picked the latter and brought delicious tasty chicken parm back to the office for the entire staff to enjoy. And, on that raining afternoon, feeling soaking wet, I sat there in my office in the kitchen eating Chicken Parm with my staff.
