Early Lunch

At around 11:00 in the morning, the building was near empty. The sounds of dishes cleaning and a few distant televisions filled the restaurant. Mostly sports channels talking about the many upcoming football games for the weekend. I’m seated in a higher level to the restaurant and I can look upon most of the tables in the nearby section.  This host is a man who I’d say is in his mid-thirties. He is so excited for the opportunity to seat me that it’s almost overbearing. The waiter arrived, his name was tucker. Tucker seemed happy. He had short hair and a hat line around the edge of his head. He was about 23. I believe the staff’s enthusiasm greatly relies on the time of day. Most of the staff id encountered before were abrasive but they were in the night shift. Tuckers spirits were refreshing.

Before ordering I could hear the family behind me talking. I turned back and saw a younger Hispanic couple with a couple toddler aged children. The children were refusing to finish their food but the parents handled their tantrum. They said that if they don’t eat their food then they would not be able to go to the movie planned for their afternoon.

The table to the right and down a level had a couple occupying it. They were two men. I figured they were together because of their expressions. They held hands, the one on the left had a thick beard and a shaved head. The guy on the right had a hat on with some thick gasses. I heard a part of their conversation. On the right, Zed, brought up a hot button issue about the terrorist group in the Middle East. I thought it to be heavy subject matter for an early lunch. But none the less his partner, Peter, engaged him with a look of disdain for the subject on his face. They seemed to get along very well. They went on chatting for some time.  

Tucker was doing well managing our area. As there were only a few patrons in the establishment he wasn't spread very thin. The family behind me asked for the check and before you could think about it, tucker had brought them the bill. Needless to say, he was a server deserving the title.

The person who replaced the family at the table behind me was an elderly man, maybe mid-70s, named Carl. Carl sat and ordered a tuna sandwich with extra onions and an Arnold Palmer to drink. When tucker took his order he sat in the opposite side of the booth. I think this intrigued Carl, he asked tucker about his job and what his plans were. A chat was to follow so tucker was occupied for some time.  

The Partners raised both of their hands to ask tucker for the check. While he got the check, the guys talked about their plans for the night. Apparently they were going to go night hiking. I figured this was a form of outdoor adventure, they were to meet up with a larger group of friends. Zed was having second thoughts because he said, “I F***ing hate mosquitoes.”  I believe Pete told him to relax and to 

quit whining. They left and tucker came back to attend to Carl and I.

I asked for the check and I spent the time to look around. Carl and I were the only ones left. From what I could see on the other half of the store, the staff was mostly cleaning and joking with each other. Tucker got stuck with a task from the manager on the other side of the room.

Carl got a phone call from who I believed to be his daughter. He told her not to worry and he was fine eating alone. I could figure that Carl lost his wife. The daughter must’ve asked about his day yesterday because he began to tell her in an orderly fashion. His grandchildren came to visit him the day before and he went on and on about them.

I left after a few more groups of people had entered it seemed like business was about to start taking off for the restaurant.