“Are you being a Schmuck?”

I buy myself a run down restaurant and give up law. My dad asks to meet. Which we did the next day. Before he even sits himself down he says “Are you being a schmuck?” A heated conversation follows. I finally ask “you were good at what you did, right?” He nods. “And you loved what you did, right?” Again he nods. “Well dad….” I say “I don’t like being a lawyer. And I want to be like you.”Fast forward. I take over the PCH spot. Open another in the Palisades 9 months later. And yet another one in Brentwood 3 years after that. They all grow busy. My dad starts coming in more and more to “see the action” and play the host.

One night in Brentwood he took Mel Brooks, Ann Bancroft and 6 others to their table. When they were done eating, I asked Ann if she’d say hi to my dad and added … “I think he’s always had a crush on you.” She asks me his name. And without skipping a beat shouted out “Hey Al, get over here.” They all ‘kibitzed’ and had some laughs a nice long spell. My dad walked them to the door beaming.

A bit later I walked him to his car. Before getting in he said “remember that night we met at that restaurant and I tried to talk you out of doing this?” And after a little pause said ‘I’m glad you didn’t listen to me.” Which I took as code for “maybe you weren’t being a schmuck after all.”