During our Florida trip, little sister, ma, and I woke up early one morning. We decided to beat the rush for Sunday breakfast and sat ourselves on the patio of a restaurant at the pier. Our server came right to the table.
"Coffee today?" The magic words.
"You're good," I replied.
"Well hon, I been doing this thirty years now. I know what you want when you walk in at 6am."
She brought us three ceramic mugs, and we all reached into the little dish of creamers. Em and my Mom take their coffee with cream; I like to stack and unstack the little buckets. Two old men power-walked right up to the gate in their jogging shorts and sweatbands. They sat.
"Coffee gentlemen?" Like a pro.
"Decaf," they replied simultaneously, still panting a little.
"You ladies ready to order?" she asked from their table. I needed a minute. I looked at my mom. Mom needed a minute. "That's fine, take your time," she said knowingly, disappearing into the restaurant.
When she came back, she took the old men's order.
"We'll take the ladies," they said, pointing at our table. Everyone laughed. They ordered eggs whites and whole wheat toast, dry. The waitress came back to us.
"Well ladies," she said. "What'll it be?"
I watched the lines on her face as we ordered. What kind of toast? How did we want our eggs? Thirty years - which thirty years? Age 20-50? 16-46?
In the few minutes we spent waiting for our food, our friends across the patio finished their egg whites, dropped cash, and resumed their walk. A couple replaced them just as fast.
"Coffee today?"
"Coffee today?" The magic words.
"You're good," I replied.
"Well hon, I been doing this thirty years now. I know what you want when you walk in at 6am."
She brought us three ceramic mugs, and we all reached into the little dish of creamers. Em and my Mom take their coffee with cream; I like to stack and unstack the little buckets. Two old men power-walked right up to the gate in their jogging shorts and sweatbands. They sat.
"Coffee gentlemen?" Like a pro.
"Decaf," they replied simultaneously, still panting a little.
"You ladies ready to order?" she asked from their table. I needed a minute. I looked at my mom. Mom needed a minute. "That's fine, take your time," she said knowingly, disappearing into the restaurant.
When she came back, she took the old men's order.
"We'll take the ladies," they said, pointing at our table. Everyone laughed. They ordered eggs whites and whole wheat toast, dry. The waitress came back to us.
"Well ladies," she said. "What'll it be?"
I watched the lines on her face as we ordered. What kind of toast? How did we want our eggs? Thirty years - which thirty years? Age 20-50? 16-46?
In the few minutes we spent waiting for our food, our friends across the patio finished their egg whites, dropped cash, and resumed their walk. A couple replaced them just as fast.
"Coffee today?"
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