A Rose Grows In Benedict
By Michael L. Kelly She puts down her Newsday crossword puzzle and swings her feet off the black milk crate that prevents her arthritic knees from aching too much. After grabbing a package of grapes, she ambles over to a little girl watching her mother work at Sandella’s, an Italian eatery in the Benedict College dining facility. The little girl, about four years old and clad in a pink sweat suit, is home sick for the day, and sits with her father at a small, round table. “I’ve seen all your pictures; your mommy shows them all to me,” the elderly woman says to the little girl, who glances back at her shyly. As she gives her the package of red grapes, she motions to the little girl’s father and tells her, “Share them with daddy.” The little girl nods as the woman walks back to the cash register, takes a sip of coffee and props herself back in the chair, carefully putting her feet back on the crate. Such a story is just one of many that could be told about Rose Ortiz. With the exception of a small break around 1 p.m. when she eats her lunch and chats with other employees, Rose works the lunch cash register weekdays. But what sets Rose apart from other cashiers is not an expert skill at swiping ID cards or nimbly fingering the touch screen in front of her. Rather, it is her warm smile, affable nature and genuine concern with the people she comes into contact with. “I think everybody thinks of me as their grandmother,” Rose says. It’s a role she welcomes. The mother of four middle-aged children—one of whom lives with her, another who lives next door, and one in Riverhead—realizes that for many kids, college can be a stressful time, especially for those far away from home. “Sometimes, they need someone if they’re not feeling good and I try to help with that,” Rose says. “They might ask me what they should get to drink, or something.” One such student was a girl who came to Stony Brook from Germany. “She was a long way from home,” Rose says -- an experience she can relate to. “I’m from England, so we had a bit of a bond over that. So we talked for a while." Even students who aren't having a rough day enjoy talking to Rose, if only for a few moments. She’ll ask how classes are going to one girl, and to the next, might broach her favorite subject—or least favorite, depending on the day—the weather. “Today is a good day for soup,” is one of her favorite lines on a cold, cloudy day. Kristine Ngai, 19, says that sometimes she eats lunch in Benedict on wintry days just to see Rose. On those days, Ngai usually gets soup because, as she puts it, “Rose will tell me that soup is the best remedy for the winter blues.” “I love her,” Ngai says. “Rose is the sweetest woman ever.” “I enjoy the students,” Rose says. “I think that’s one of the reasons I work here.” While students were not the reason that made her take the job—she needed to make some money after being a homemaker for nearly 20 years—they seem to be the reason she has stayed for almost 33 years. She admits the job isn’t the greatest paying one, but it gave her the perk of having winter and summer vacations off with her children when they were young. Now, those breaks give her time to get her house ready for when her kids and grandkids come over for Christmas, and give her the opportunity to visit England, where she lived until 1958. Her breaks also give her time to enjoy one of her guilty pleasures -- Atlantic City. Students aren’t the only ones who look to Rose as a grandmother figure. Today, shortly after Rose returned to her register after giving the little girl the grapes, a Hispanic employee comes rushing up to Rose, a wide smile on his face. He had just gotten a call from his wife saying that she would be able to finally come to the United States with his daughter after six years of being unable to obtain a visa. “That’s great!” Rose exclaimed when he told her. Later, another employee comes over to Rose and chats with her for about five minutes. The looks on their faces suggest the topic of this conversation isn’t as happy. Even for adults, it seems that Rose is the person to go to for cheering up. But on this day, Rose appears to be most focused on the little girl in the pink sweat suit. She steals smiling glances at the girl from the cash register in between customers and her crossword puzzle. Later, she’ll give the girl a small bag of Cheetos to munch on after she finishes the grapes. As the little girl and her father walk past Rose on their way out, Rose turns in her chair and waves to the little girl. “Feel better,” Rose calls after her. |
