The Doctor is In

Running this place is like having more kids. Sometimes I think the ideal business is one with no employees. My chef has had some marital problems and is on anti-depressants to cope with his guilt over an extra-marital affair. He and his wife are back together and trying to start fresh. One recent night, around 8 p.m. or so, he came up to me and said, "I feel so bad", with tears running down his face. Knowing he was on anti-depressants I asked if he felt suicidal. He said, "What is suicidal?" I said, "Do you want to kill yourself?" He said, "Yes". Meanwhile, one of our Mexican American servers walked up to ask me a question and the chef instantly composed himself and stopped crying. Machismo reigns, I guess. They save their best performances for me. I told him to call his wife, have her pick him up and head to the ER.
Next two days he was off and came back almost bubbly, telling me his meds had been altered and he felt embarassed for crying in front of me. I meanwhile had spent the two days with my stomach in knots, thinking he was having a breakdown, wouldn't be able to work, no one in the kitchen could fill his shoes, etc.
Next business, I swear, will have no employees.