humansofnewyork:“I was kicking rocks when I first started working here. Don’t get me wro
humansofnewyork:“I was kicking rocks when I first started working here. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been proud of the place. They filmed Saturday Night Fever here, so it’s kinda famous. But I just didn’t feel like it was my purpose in life. I’d gone to college to be an artist. I wanted that freedom. I planned on illustrating children’s books. But I knew my dad needed me here. And I knew how much he’d sacrificed for us. It’s not like his purpose in life was to open a pizzeria. He had his own dreams growing up. He once told my grandfather he wanted to be a doctor. But his family back in Italy needed help, so he did what he had to do. He wasn’t home much when I was growing up. His presence was always there. My mom could say ‘I’m calling your father,’ and we’d all get quiet. But physically he was always here, at the pizza place. It was his life. And now it’s my life too. It’s been twenty years now. Fourteen hours a day. So I guess I did lose my freedom in a lot of ways. But it’s been real. It’s been really real, that’s the best way to put it. I never expected all these little transactions to turn into a lifetime of friendships. I’ve got this guy coming in here, he’s 84, been in two wars, three toes shot off. But we can still eat a slice of pizza and find commonalities. You don’t get that sitting at a desk with a bunch of other 40-year-olds. Those moments add up to something. One of my favorite customers was a lady named Marlene. She’d been coming here since she was a kid. Smart? Forget about it. But Marlene was scared of everything: bridges, trains, steps, you name it. She always took the same street to get here. She’d hug the wall so she didn’t fall. But she made it in here every single day, for a slice of vegetable pizza. Marlene passed away from Leukemia several years ago. And I took off work so I could drive out to Long Island for her funeral. I hit a little traffic coming from Brooklyn, so I ended up being fifteen minutes late. But when I arrived the whole family was waiting for me. They wouldn’t start without me. Come to find out I knew Marlene better than anybody. This lady was just coming into get a slice of vegetable pizza, every day. But those slices add up.” #comebacknyc -- source link