Rod, again - Chapter 1, Nina's lost customer

Nina Orbansky stared at the spreadsheet on her home computer. Revenue was off again, just like it had been for almost two years. At first, she attributed the fall-off to the economy. People were cutting expenses, staying home instead of eating out. She'd spoken to other restaurant owners, they'd seen a small drop-off as well. Initially, she wasn't worried. They'll come back, she thought, they always do.

Nina always referred to her place as a restaurant even though it was really just a small drive-up shop. The ‘dining area’ consisted of a few picnic tables scattered next to the order window. A few years ago, she had renovated the place and added a drive-through window. She hadn’t increased the number of employees, though. She still had just two; Rico, who filled orders at both windows and Chet, the cook. Rico was a sweet fellow but not particularly bright. He was good with customers, though, able to engage them in small-talk and make them feel like regulars even if it was their first visit. Chet was an able cook although he could get a bit surly. Nina was aware that Chet had once had ambitions to be a chef and she was sure he felt his current occupation was beneath him. He could be unpleasant, but as long as he stayed in the kitchen, it didn’t bother her.

Nina double-checked the figures. Something wasn’t right. The numbers were still down even though other places were starting to show signs of a recovery. Plus, her revenue had dropped far lower than what the rest of the market was reporting. Something else was going on. She reached for the telephone and dialed the restaurant number. In a moment, Rico answered.

"Nina's Original Frybread, how can I help you?"

"Good morning, Rico. How are you?"

Rico smiled when he heard his boss's voice. He liked Nina. She was kinder than many of the bosses he'd worked for in the past. He'd been working for her for over five years and never thought about looking for anything else. "I'm good. And you?"

"Fine, but I need to ask about business."

Even though Nina couldn’t see him, Rico tried to look serious. Nina rarely asked his opinion about the business, or anything else for that matter. He was anxious to contribute. “Yes, yes,” he said, clearing his throat, “Business. Business is...busy...and, er, good?”

“Actually, business is not so good.” Nina said, patiently.

“That’s what I meant. Not good, been slow for awhile now.”

“Yes, Rico. I’m trying to figure out why.”

“I see, I see.”

Rico was trying his best to think hard. Someone had come to the window, but Rico ignored them. The customer didn’t mind - Rico looked like he was suffering from a massive headache. His face was scrunched up and turning red. Suddenly, he unscrunched and his eyes grew wide. A thought had actually occurred to him. “I think I know why business is off,” he stated.

Nina was surprised. The call to Rico was an act of desperation. She hadn’t really expected him to have any insight. “So you know why business is down?” she asked, doubtfully.

“It’s because El Stinko is gone.”

Nina winced at the remark. “Rico, you know I don’t like it when you refer to customers like that. Besides, I doubt one customer would make a noticeable difference.”

“He would. He used to come by twice a day, once in the morning and again in the evening. Plus, for his morning visit, he would buy breakfast plus lunch. That’s three meals a day, every day.”

Nina considered Rico’s statement and then punched some numbers into her calculator. “Rico, do you remember what he ordered?”

Rico thought for a moment. He was excited to be able to help Nina. “Let’s see, he always ordered the jumbo deluxe, super-sized - two of them in the morning. And a six-pack of Diet Coke. I think that’s right.”

Nina entered the numbers into the calculator. She was surprised by the impact this one customer had on her bottom line. If she had him back, everything would be fine. “Rico, do you know what happened to him, or what his name is?”

“I don’t know. He just stopped coming. Maybe he died - he didn’t seem real healthy.”

“I wish we could find out.” Nina said.

“Just follow your nose,” Rico chuckled, “He was a real stinky fellow. Or maybe it was all them dead animals.”

“Dead animals?”

“Yeah, he sometimes had some in the back of his truck. What kind of person keeps dead animals in their truck?”

Nina knew what kind of person. She’d seen them cleaning up roadkill along the highway from time to time. “Thanks, Rico, I’ve gotta go. You’ve been a real help.”

Rico hung up and smiled to himself. Finally, he was able to help Nina. It felt good. Suddenly, he noticed the customer, still waiting at the window. With a big grin, he took their order.

Nina spent the rest of the afternoon tracking down her mystery customer. At one point she called Rico to get a description of the man. Unfortunately, all Rico remembered was his awful odor. Amazingly, this turned out to be enough. After talking to a couple different state roadkill service centers, she learned that there had been a fellow whose smell stood out, even amongst a pretty stinky crowd. Finally, she was connected with the receptionist where the man had worked. The girl was chatty and Nina learned the whole story. There had been an accident almost two years ago. Afterwards, the man was a different person. He quit his job, cleaned up, lost weight. Even his personality seemed different.

Well, Nina thought, he might be a changed man, but he still has to eat. If he used to like her food, then he should like it again. Nina Orbansky decided to contact this man, Rod Piston.