VI

It is late in the evening and the dinner rush has died down. The restaurant is crowded with bored employees trying to find something to pass the time. One is in the managers office sitting reverse on a chair rocking back and forth. The others find themselves cleaning the same sticky spot on the table over and over again. I recognize a member of the staff; he is a former friend from middle school that I had lost touch with. The floor is cluttered with old fries and straw wrappers. The first cut is the deepest by Sheryl Crow is playing on the radio in the background.

There is a family of five sitting in the corner booth and one of the sons resembles me. They all seem to be too focused on their cell phones to even notice one another. The loud music makes it difficult to hear the few words that come out of their mouths. They order chocolate milk and strawberry lemonade.

A group of people walk into the restaurant, could be a double date. Both men have their heads shaven and one of the men has a giant tattoo of an M on the back of his head. M orders iced tea and stirs two sugars into it. It seems as if he is scoping out the restaurant and checking to see what the other people are doing also. He puts on his glasses and begins to read the menu. Once M gets his food, he lightly pours some salt and pepper. It seems as if he is not satisfied.

Another bunch of people walk in and immediately start complaining about the booth. There are two men and two older women. They order coffee and begin a conversation. The loud noises coming from the kitchen make it hard to hear what they are saying.

Two older ladies come through the door and are seated at the table next to mine. One could be in her sixties and the other seventies. The older one is walking on a cane and has trouble sitting down. Just after being seated they both agree to get separate checks. The lady in her seventies makes a comment about how much easier it is to get into a chair rather than a booth. They both ask for a senior citizens menu and begin to read through it. They are the only table that got a waiter and he is a young, good looking male. He must be wanting to take advantage of the situation and get a high tip.