Saturday Story - Steve and Elsa

Saturday Stories - II

COVID-19 came at the wrong time for Steve and Elsa.  Steve had run the Tackle Sports Bar and Grill in Georgetown Texas for several years.  When he first started managing the location, it had been primarily a bar with a clientele of 90% males.  The previous owner had liked having ‘barmaids’ with skimpy tops as servers and various games to attract the middle-aged males in the area.  Steve had managed the location prior to meeting Elsa.  When the owner made Steve an offer to buy the bar at a great price, Steve had debated long and hard.

Owning a bar provided a reasonable income to Steve.  He was generally on hand - giving himself Tuesday nights off.  He knew most of his customers and made the bar successful by good customer service and good prices.  The liquor business was an interesting one.  In some nicer restaurants, a simple margarita with about 85 cents of product could sell for $4.50 or more.  He tried to stick to draft beers and a limited amount of alcohol.  His prices were still reasonable and he still made money at it.  

He actually met Elsa through a friend, Dave.  Dave was Elsa’s older brother and when Elsa got divorced, she had moved into Dave and Signe’s house.  Divorced and trying to make ends meet and take care of her six-year-old daughter, Elsa needed some extra income.  Dave suggested that Elsa could be a barmaid on weekends.  During the week, Elsa was working part-time as a nurse's aid while she was taking some classes at the community college.  Dave and Signe had an eight-year-old daughter and a five-year-old son - so it wasn’t a real burden to watch Elsa’s daughter Terri on the weekend evenings.  

They had hit it all well as boss and employee, and then boss dating his employee, and then as boss and wife.  

Slowly over the years, Tackle Sports Bar and Grill became just Tackle Wings and Grill - although the bar was still part of the establishment.  They brightened up the environment, put in large screen televisions all around and played all the major college and professional football games.  During the week, any live sporting event was generally available at Tackle Wings and Grill.  Elsa had worked on the grill side of the business and ‘duplicated’ some of the offerings you might find at similar places like Buffalo Wild Wings.  You could get salads and even vegan entrees.  When an adjoining business became available, they leased that space and added more space.  They customized some as one corner always had soccer games and another corner had cricket games.  Sanjay Sabran helped Steve and Elsa with tips on attracting an Indian crowd with authentic foods, decor, sports, and community events.  When Sanjay told Steve to sponsor this or that event that appealed to the Indian/Pakistani groups, he put up the money and made a big inroad.

Slowly their prices rose, the ratio of food to liquor changed from 30/70 to 75/25.  Families were welcomed.  Very careful to keep prices reasonable so that a family of four could eat there as cheaply as eating at similar family-oriented restaurants.  

Steve and Elsa had also made a church commitment.  Both had been raised in Christian denominations and one spring they went through a retreat weekend that deeply affected both of them.  Terri was growing and so was the family as Mark came along and then Charity.  They had moved out of Elsa’s brother’s house years ago and all was rosy - the great American Dream.  

In June 2019, they had been approached by Elton Jabonski, who was heading up the development of the new Wolf Creek shopping area to start a new restaurant there.  It didn’t take Steve and Elsa long to say ‘yes’.  Georgetown was booming, the greater Austin area was booming, technology businesses were flocking to the Austin area with well-educated staff with good salaries.  Yup, if there was ever a time to start a second branch, this was it.

Jabonski helped arrange to finance for Steve and Elsa for their new restaurant.  Steve hired a restaurant designer to help plan the new location.  It would have a faster kitchen with newer appliances than the old location, more group type setting (so the soccer and cricket fans could gather).  He even found there were a lot of college alumni groups in the area - and he could cater to the Oklahoma Sooner fans in one area and Alabama fans in another area - and he made sure there were plenty of televisions.  From various reports, the alumni groups were a great source of Saturday afternoon and evening revenue.  Other restaurants said, the Oklahoma fans were especially enthusiastic - and dressed up as if going to the game.  The other restaurants had pitchers of beer with the appropriate team emblem and even modified the menu a little to suit the tastes and match names up.  The Barry Switzer wings were the same as the cajun wings - but using the name of the long time Oklahoma Coach made them sell well.  Other names like Lloyd Noble combo; and the Gaylord stadium special helped the OU fans feel right at home.  

Construction finished on February 15, 2020.  Steve and Elsa worked on training new staff (and some staff that had worked at the other location) on top-notch customer service.  They had a soft opening on Sunday, March 1st, and their Grand Opening Week was to start on Sunday, March 8th.

Grand Opening week was great.  They had kept the grand opening menu simple to keep customers flowing through without long lines.  The informal feedback that Steve and Elsa got was that customers loved the new facility and that they would be back for sure!!

But, by the end of the week of March 8th, governments were warning people about the COVID-19 virus - and by Monday, March 16th, Steve and Elsa had to close both locations due to the virus.  

The effect was devastating on Steve and Elsa and their family.  Closed.  No income.  Still a lot of bills and debt from the new location.  Closed.  

*****

The saving dwindled over the next two months.  March had been a big revenue month, but also with big expenses as they worked on getting people in the door for the first half of the month.  April had no income but a lot of expenses.  Where Steve and Elsa had anticipated income and getting set in the community, the building sat closed and empty.  Rent was still due.  Construction costs were still due.  Interest on the bank loans was due. 

The news was all doom and gloom.  Experts warned of long shutdowns and major unemployment.  Some restaurants in the area tried to make it up on take-out meals.  

At first, Steve was upbeat - “We’ll beat this” - but by Easter on April 12th, he was a wreck emotionally.  Although he was mostly a social drinker - maybe a beer or two at his restaurants, pretty soon that became a six-pack in the evening (or more).  Fortunately, Steve was not a mean drunk, but his depression grew every day.  Having the three children at home all day seemed to irritate him more.  Elsa tried to home school the children to some varying degrees of success.  Terri was a good student and loved to read.  Mark proclaimed that he didn’t need to do school work since the school was closed, and Charity at age 4 was still in the pre-school year.  

Elsa found she retreated to her faith more and more.  Before Steve woke up (frequently hung-over) and before the children got up, she found some quiet time for prayer and reflection.  

The beginning of the end came on May 15th, when the bank demanded that a short term ‘balloon’ loan was due.  Steve tried to argue with the bank about the loan and that he was good for the loan - when the economy turned around.  But, the bank was headquartered in Chicago and even though the local bank officer was understanding, the main office wasn’t.  Steve withdrew even more - and was rarely seen around the house as he went to his old restaurant for most of the days.

On Thursday, May 21st, Elsa detected a slight change in Steve’s attitude.  He ate dinner with the family and was almost loving to her and the children.  When he said “Good night” to the children, he seemed to be saying it like it was the last time.  “Remember your father loved you” was in the past tense. About three in the morning, Elsa woke as Steve slipped out of bed and got dressed and went to the garage.  She followed him as he slipped behind the steering wheel and backed out of the driveway.  

This didn’t look good to Elsa.  Throwing a robe over her pajamas and grabbing her phone, she followed Steve at a distance.  Was he going to one of the restaurants at three in the morning?  Or - she suspected - he was going to kill himself.  In the car, she called 911 and described the situation to the dispatcher.  At a distance, she could see Steve getting on Interstate 35 headed south.

She was praying for Steve’s safety - and for solutions to their financial woes.

Steve pull over on the shoulder and turn his car around facing oncoming traffic.  It came to her that he was going to pull in front of an oncoming truck or other vehicles probably at high speed and kill himself.  Frantically she again called 911 who found a highway patrolman in the vicinity. As Steve pulled out heading towards a semi-truck barreling his way, the highway patrol car sideswiped his car and forced it into the ditch on the right side.  Airbags deployed on both Steve’s car and the highway patrol car. Elsa pulled in behind the accident scene and ran to Steve who was pinned inside his car bleeding from a gash on his head.  An ambulance came and took Steve to St. David’s hospital.  The patrolman was scratched but not seriously hurt.

In the next few days, Elsa visited Steve in his hospital room.  He confessed to her and to a policeman that it was his intent to kill himself.  His life insurance would pay off most of the loans and debts. When he was able to move, he was transferred to a local mental health facility where he would get help for his depression.  

Elsa’s prompt calls to 911 had saved her husband’s life - and probably the life of an unknown trucker..  (And, she was pretty sure that her prayers had also been heard).

Elsa had a lot on her mind to pray about.  

Steve was treated for his depression and for his alcohol treatment.  Elsa visited him daily and during open visitation evenings, the children came along to see their dad.

But, maybe the strangest and glorious event was on Sunday, May 31st.  A man she didn’t know knocked on their door and handed her an envelope with $100,000 in it.  Elsa insisted he stay for coffee, but he said he couldn’t.  The license plates said “Oklahoma”.  

*****

Epilogue

Steve did recover and even though he runs two establishments that sell liquor, he is dry and attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings weekly. The government lifted some of the limits and Steve and Elsa were able to open both their locations.  Friends from the community also raised funds to help them with their debts.  

And, Elsa kept all these things and pondered them in her heart!!