Two long tables covered by white tablecloths had been set up outside in front of Villa d’Luna. Plastic plates and cutlery were piled at one end and wicker baskets brimming with muffins, scones, jams and butter were at the other. Coffee urns, juice and selections of regular and herbal tea were placed on a round table. A dozen chairs had been moved from the inside of the restaurant and placed at socially distant intervals along the sidewalk. It looked quite festive for what they all knew was a sad occasion. Their friends—and maybe they themselves—were going to lose their jobs.

At ten o’clock on the dot, Miranda, her bright-red hair piled up on top of her head, wearing a green mask that had Villa d’Luna printed on it in white, stepped out from inside the restaurant. “Good morning, all you wonderful people,” said Miranda, her arms up high in the air as she looked around at her beloved staff. “Thank you all so much for coming. We’ve had a rough few months and I’ve missed you. I’ve been giving the next phase of Villa d’Luna a great deal of thought during these many weeks of lockdown.”

“Here it comes,” Sean whispered to Zoe, “the guillotine is about to fall on a few necks.”

“Shhh,” said Zoe, her eyes glued to Miranda.

Villa d’Luna’s owner shared the official details of New York City’s latest plans and rules for outdoor dining and how it was going to work. “Based on the size of our restaurant and the amount of street space we’ve got, I figure we’ll be able to put fifteen tables outside, maybe one or two more but that’s it. We’ll bring in large white tents and appropriately space the tables to provide a healthy distance between customers.”

Applause and whistles emanated from the staff.

“Sounds pretty good, right?” Miranda continued. “I’m thinking we’ll fill the outside café with tiny white Christmas lights and greenery. With a little elbow grease, we can make it look spectacular. Better than ever.”

The entire staff applauded and cheered.

“I’m glad you all agree. As I said, we’ll have max fifteen or sixteen tables as opposed to our normal forty-two that we had inside. That’s a huge difference, one third of our previous volume.”

A nervous murmur trickled through the crowd. “Obviously, our table service will be significantly smaller than what it had been,” said Miranda. “When it starts to get cold, we’ll bring out heat lamps. That’s my plan. I’m happy to officially announce that starting next week through the end of October, Villa d’Luna will be open again for business.”

After more applause and murmuring Miranda continued. “In November, if it’s really cold, even heat lamps won’t do the trick. When the temperature goes below fifty, we’ll have to shut down for the winter.”