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In anticipation of Canada’s sesquicentennial celebrations, the Citizen’s Bruce Deachman has been out in search of Ottawans — 150 of them — to learn their stories of life and death, hope and love, the exceptional and the everyday. We’ll share one person’s story every day until Canada Day.
“I enjoy the customers. I have customers from generations and generations. I knew the father and then the son, and then the grandkids. I love everybody and I know them all by name, and they know my name. And I’ve been serving 40 years and I’ve never had trouble with any customers. You have to enjoy the public. You don’t tell them your problems. You don’t HAVE a problem. You laugh, you make them laugh, you joke around.
“There is a wall between me and the customers. I’m here, but as soon as I walk through that door, that’s it. They are my friends, but only in here. That’s the best policy. Your private life doesn’t belong to them; it belongs to you. THEIR private life belongs to you and to them. They talk about their life, their work. Sometimes they have a hard time.
“I’ve been here for 33 years. I’ve been in Canada for 53 years — I came here in April 1965 and my husband, Eli, came a couple of months later and we got married here. We were dating for three years. I only spoke Arabic and French when I came. I learned English by listening to people.
“I was only 17 when I came. I was young. But I had two sisters here who needed help; they had restaurants. So Eli said, ‘Go, and I’ll follow later.’ So he came two months later. He came on a Tuesday and we were married on Sunday, on the 20th of June 1965. We were married Friday at city hall, on Sussex, and then we got married on Sunday in church, at Saints Peter and Paul on River Road.
“I’ve been a waitress for 40 years. We used to have a restaurant in Gatineau. My husband died in 1980. I came to work for my sister and my brother-in-law here, and I’m still here.
“I love the people. I love my job. I have four kids and five grandkids. I’m not a young chicken, but I do OK. Now I just work two days a week. At my age I find it a little bit hard, so I slowed down. I do only part-time since 2006.
“When my husband died, he was 41 years old. Lung cancer. We had four kids. The oldest one was 12. The others were 10, eight and three and a half. I used to work seven days a week for 25 years, from four o’clock in the morning till three in the afternoon. I swear to God. I sacrificed my life for them. I had a good husband, a good marriage, I have four kids. Four beautiful kids. It’s not them, it’s not me. It’s life. But I talk to my kids every day. I see my grandkids two or three times a week.
“My husband was a good man. I talk to him every day. I have his picture and I tell him, ‘You have to watch after the kids. You have to help me.’ That’s what you call love. It gives me the courage to go on.
“I never wanted to give up. I come to work … it doesn’t matter how many problems I have, I’m always smiling. I make them laugh, I joke around. People will tell you if you ask. My problem, nobody could solve my problem except me. I’m not ashamed. My kids will be proud of me. I put them on this earth with love. I did. I have to take care of them.
“And now they take care of me. I had a little bit of a health problem and they took care of me. Now I’m doing OK. I don’t have money, but I don’t need money. I earn my money. Money’s not an issue in life. What’s important in life is to be healthy, to be happy, a good clean environment. That’s the best way. And I’m always happy, so I have a good life.”
— Marie Kharyati. Fontenelle Restaurant, Feb. 22, 2017.
bdeachman@postmedia.com
查看原文...
“I enjoy the customers. I have customers from generations and generations. I knew the father and then the son, and then the grandkids. I love everybody and I know them all by name, and they know my name. And I’ve been serving 40 years and I’ve never had trouble with any customers. You have to enjoy the public. You don’t tell them your problems. You don’t HAVE a problem. You laugh, you make them laugh, you joke around.
“There is a wall between me and the customers. I’m here, but as soon as I walk through that door, that’s it. They are my friends, but only in here. That’s the best policy. Your private life doesn’t belong to them; it belongs to you. THEIR private life belongs to you and to them. They talk about their life, their work. Sometimes they have a hard time.
“I’ve been here for 33 years. I’ve been in Canada for 53 years — I came here in April 1965 and my husband, Eli, came a couple of months later and we got married here. We were dating for three years. I only spoke Arabic and French when I came. I learned English by listening to people.
“I was only 17 when I came. I was young. But I had two sisters here who needed help; they had restaurants. So Eli said, ‘Go, and I’ll follow later.’ So he came two months later. He came on a Tuesday and we were married on Sunday, on the 20th of June 1965. We were married Friday at city hall, on Sussex, and then we got married on Sunday in church, at Saints Peter and Paul on River Road.
“I’ve been a waitress for 40 years. We used to have a restaurant in Gatineau. My husband died in 1980. I came to work for my sister and my brother-in-law here, and I’m still here.
“I love the people. I love my job. I have four kids and five grandkids. I’m not a young chicken, but I do OK. Now I just work two days a week. At my age I find it a little bit hard, so I slowed down. I do only part-time since 2006.
“When my husband died, he was 41 years old. Lung cancer. We had four kids. The oldest one was 12. The others were 10, eight and three and a half. I used to work seven days a week for 25 years, from four o’clock in the morning till three in the afternoon. I swear to God. I sacrificed my life for them. I had a good husband, a good marriage, I have four kids. Four beautiful kids. It’s not them, it’s not me. It’s life. But I talk to my kids every day. I see my grandkids two or three times a week.
“My husband was a good man. I talk to him every day. I have his picture and I tell him, ‘You have to watch after the kids. You have to help me.’ That’s what you call love. It gives me the courage to go on.
“I never wanted to give up. I come to work … it doesn’t matter how many problems I have, I’m always smiling. I make them laugh, I joke around. People will tell you if you ask. My problem, nobody could solve my problem except me. I’m not ashamed. My kids will be proud of me. I put them on this earth with love. I did. I have to take care of them.
“And now they take care of me. I had a little bit of a health problem and they took care of me. Now I’m doing OK. I don’t have money, but I don’t need money. I earn my money. Money’s not an issue in life. What’s important in life is to be healthy, to be happy, a good clean environment. That’s the best way. And I’m always happy, so I have a good life.”
— Marie Kharyati. Fontenelle Restaurant, Feb. 22, 2017.
bdeachman@postmedia.com
查看原文...
