The gunman went around the other way.
As he did, Stella opened the cash register, took a stack of $20 bills in one hand and stuck them in her pocket. Then she took the fives and the ones and stuffed them in a sack.
All in la familia: Stella and Margie Trujillo take care of customers.
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"Here."
The bandit, shaking like a leaf, snatched the loot and bolted, spilling half of the cash on the floor. As he fled, Stella's counter man yelled, "Hey! You want a burrito?"
Chubbys is packed -- again -- and the crew is scrambling. Suddenly a woman rushes up to Stella, who is settled behind the counter on a stool.
"Hi, Gram! How are you?"
"Oh, fine. And you?"
"Fine. I didn't expect to see you here today," the woman says. "You're looking great! Like a spring chicken. All ready to go out dancing!"
"Well, I'll try," Stella offers.
The woman beams.
Stella beams back.
"Okay, then," the woman says. "Just wanted to say hi. Haven't seen you in a while, and I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. Now, you take care of yourself, you hear?"
"Okay."
"We'll see you later, then."
"Okay."
As the woman leaves, Stella watches her go.
"Who was she?"
"You know," says Tony. "She used to go out with what's his name."
"Yeah," adds Albert. "She used to live by you. Remember?"
"Oh, yes," Stella nods. "No. I don't know who she is."
This happens a lot: After 33 years, the faces begin to blur.
"There are too many," Stella says. "They've been coming in here since they were kids, and now I don't know who they are. But they all know me. Everywhere I go, it's 'Hi Gram' this and 'Hi Gram' that.' I must be grandma to the whole world. I don't even know who they are!"
"She's like a celebrity," Albert adds. "We can't even go to Kmart without people saying, 'Where's my burrito?'"
"One time Ernie went to Disneyland and heard someone yelling, 'Hey, Chubbys!'" Dorothy concurs. "Another time two officers came in and said, 'We just stopped your grandson but let him go because he was related to you.' We asked them which one, but we'd never heard of him before."
"Happens all the time," Tony nods.
"Remember those people from Hawaii?" Dorothy continues.
"Oh, yes," Stella says.
"You know. They sent us those pineapples. Remember?"
"Oh yes," Stella says. "No. I don't know who they were..."
Stella squeaks through the back door of Chubbys and closes it with a BANG!
Heads turn.
"Hi, Gram," mumbles one cook.
"Hello," mumbles another.
It's the dinner rush, and the kitchen is a banging, clanging, spattering cacophony of pots, pans, spatulas and spoons. A dishwasher nearly collides with the counter girl, and a cook nearly collides with the night manager.
"Excuse me."
"Coming through!"
Stella, wearing a bright purple dress, shuffles through the chaos, oblivious to it all. She stops at the steam table and watches a cook roll two Mexican hamburgers.
"This needs water," Stella says, pointing to one container.
"And this should be covered," she says, pointing to another.
The cook smiles meekly.
As Stella gets older, her inspections come fewer and farther between. She still tries to visit Chubbys a few nights a week, but there are times when she'd rather plunk a few quarters into the slot machines at Central City. Still, she's not ready to retire just yet. Someone has to keep an eye on those cauldrons on the back burner.
And Stella approaches them like a lion stalking a gazelle.
The cook watches.
"Pretty good," she says, stirring the sauce. "Pretty good."
The cook nods and returns to her hamburgers.
A moment later, Stella whispers: "Needs more garlic."
