The doors opened at 5:30 am, welcoming the “breakfast team”, including homeless people who could get free coffee, said Susan Guercio, a 22-year-old client. The doors close at midnight, seven days a week. That is, until the pandemic closed the city last March.
But his father tried to be optimistic about the situation, Panayiotou recalled. “I remember one of the waiters said, ‘Okay, Pete. Goodbye ‘, and my father said,’ Goodbye not – until I see you again. ‘”
The next day, Chris’s father complained of an upset stomach. “We said to him, ‘Maybe you’re nervous,'” said Panayiotou. It was the first time that Gee Whiz closed in 30 years, in addition to the aftermath of 9/11, during which Peter Panayiotou spent several months cleaning up the damage from the terrorist attacks, just a few blocks away.
Being exposed to pollution in 2001 contributed to Peter Panayiotou’s need for a double lung transplant seven years ago. When the virus first appeared, he was 65 and was considered to be at high risk for Covid-19. For safety, the family took him to the emergency room, but he was sent home and advised to isolate himself. At that time, Chris’s mother, Maria, 67, had tested positive for the virus. Two days later, his father returned to the emergency room, but was sent home again. The next day, he turned blue. An ambulance came.
“It was the last time we saw Dad turning that corner in the ambulance,” said Panayiotou. This time, his father remained in the hospital and was put on a respirator. He died on April 5, nine days after the death of Andy Koutsoudakis, his 30-year-old business partner, also from Covid-19.
Chris was devastated. Days were spent in bed and nights on the sofa in the living room, looking at the wall in the dark. He started smoking again, consuming a pack of Marlboro 27s a day and losing about 25 pounds in four months.