James Hawkins admits he didn’t expect much when this former football player, down on his luck and in need of a job, showed up the first day. This was demanding labor in the hot sun, and the little Hawkins knew about Preston Parker, the less he figured he was getting a dedicated worker.
After that first morning, the crew stopped for lunch at Wendy’s. Parker hesitated, saying, “No, I’m good, I just ate,’’ and Hawkins knew immediately that wasn’t the truth.
“We bought him lunch,’’ Hawkins told The Post on Monday. “I even gave him money that night so he could get home and come back. He was as broke as could be.’’
That was only one year ago. Hawkins came to know and appreciate Parker, but does not want him back at Big Kahuna Tiki Huts any time soon.
“I told him, ‘When you get back up on top again don’t forget about us little guys,’ ’’ said Hawkins, the part-owner and vice president at Big Kahuna.
Parker is trying to get back where he once was, and so far this summer he is making inroads toward sticking on the Giants roster as a receiver.
The field is wide open, especially with first-round draft pick Odell Beckham Jr. still sidelined with a bum hamstring. Starters Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle are set and Jerrel Jernigan probably (but not definitely) has an edge, although he has been too inconsistent to suit coach Tom Coughlin.
Rookie touchdown machine Corey Washington is a surprise and probably a lock, but after that there are no guarantees. Promising Marcus Harris hurt his shoulder and Mario Manningham’s comeback from knee surgery has gone nowhere. Parker, with eight receptions for 119 yards in the preseason, is a solid candidate and his 39-yard catch and run for a touchdown against the Jets didn’t hurt. He also has been given a crack as a punt and kickoff returner and has proven to be reliable, which doesn’t hurt, either.
“I dream a lot and it felt like a dream,’’ Parker said of his leaping catch of a Ryan Nassib pass that was turned into the winning points last Friday night. “It felt like a real-life dream. It felt good to get the confidence back, getting warmed up again.’’
Parker, 27, is unlike the other receivers trying to make the team. He spent parts of three seasons with the Buccaneers. He played in all 16 games with Tampa Bay in 2011 and was a frequent target of Josh Freeman, catching 40 passes for 554 yards and three touchdowns.
Parker thought he was on his way, but the next year he lasted only two games, swept away amid the massive changes made by first-year head coach Greg Schiano. Parker spent the next preseason with the Saints but was waived and had tryouts with the Seahawks, Giants, Packers, Jets and Raiders. No one signed him and he went home to Delray Beach, Fla.
“I felt like I was succeeding, but I got introduced to the NFL,’’ Parker said. “Another aspect of the NFL, you can be here, you can ball, you can do great and that’s just how it is. Once you find that out you just keep driving until something tells you it’s over or no teams are calling, and it’s time to go to the next thing.’’
The next thing was, in a sense, up a tree. With a girlfriend and a 6-year old son, Parker didn’t give up on the NFL but needed money because he pretty much ran through all his football earnings. Through a family friend, he landed at Big Kahuna — with absolutely no idea how to build a tiki hut.
Parker was no stranger to off-the-field problems. He led Florida State in receptions in back-to-back seasons but after three arrests — the last one driving under the influence — he was dismissed from the team. Parker finished up at North Alabama and was not drafted. After the Bucs sent him packing, it was tiki huts or starving.
“I was up there climbing up, lifting logs, crazy,’’ Parker said. “I actually liked it.’’
Parker made $100 a day — $120 on a very good day. The logs were 200-to-300 pounds and there were 14-foot long poles that were soaking wet and Parker had to stand on a roof about 15 feet off the ground, grab onto the pole with one hand, yank it up with the other, spin it and put in place.
“He had no problem,’’ Hawkins said. “A lot of times you’ll get a guy climb up on top of the ladder and won’t let go of the ladder. He was all over it. That’s what I like about him. He didn’t just act like ‘I’m here to get a check,’ he jumped right into it with both feet.’’
Way up on the forklift, the two made a connection.
“I come from a broken family and he’s kind of been run through the wringer with his,” Hawkins said, “so we could relate on a lot of things.
“That lifestyle where you have it all and all your friends are around and then when you lose it all your friends fall off like flies — it kind of humbles you. I just could see in his eyes and by the way he held himself that he was in bad times.’’
After a year out of football, the Giants signed Parker in January and he has made it this far. He has kept up his relationship with Hawkins, as the two have spoken several time — Parker from his hotel room during training camp and Hawkins from his hotel on the road building tiki huts.
“He needs structure,’’ Hawkins said. “He’s a black guy growing up in Broward County with a lot of bad influence and I get it, but when you talk to him one-on-one you know where his soul and his heart is. I think if he can stay focused and he stays away from the bad influences, I think he’ll be great.
“I got a lot of faith in him.’’