Short Order

The waiter returned with unbearable bad news – their fryers were not working.  Which meant the only food we could order included sandwiches, wraps, and salads.  We would need to replace our order, or leave.  Either way the waiter said he’d understand.  

I was halfway through a pint of beer.  I took another sip and we discussed the possibility of staying.

“We’re staying – if that will sway your decision any”.
The voice came from the table that was a few feet away from ours.  The two men had ordered fish and chips, but like us, they also had to change their mind to sandwiches and salads.

We all laughed together and discussed the merits of staying versus leaving.  Basically, we all decided that hungry people stay – leaving was a lot of work, and where else would we go to eat?

We watched their meal arrive shortly after we replaced our order.  It looked good.  They said they thought so too.  When ours arrived, we thought the same.  We were pleased with the forced healthiness of sandwiches and salads for our supper.

As they got up to leave, we had a quick chat about how we enjoyed our dinner.  We all agreed that we felt better having salads and not French fries.  He came over, shook our hands and introduced himself.

“I’m Stephen, by the way.”
I extended my hand to meet his.  “Tracy”.
“With or without an “E”?”
“Without”.

He then turned to my roomie.
“Megan”
“With or without and ‘H’?”

I wished I was a little wittier.  I should have asked him if he was with a “V” or a “PH”.  But I didn’t.  

We wished each other good evening.  He and his buddy left the restaurant. We laughed about the whole situation.  And my first thought was, I can’t wait to blog that.  That was too funny.