French Disconnection, Part 3

(I’m a waitress in a fancy restaurant when four tourists come in: a father, his son, his daughter, and their stepmom. They sit down and are looking over the menu. While French is my primary language I also speak English very well.)

Daughter: “Oh, dear! I can’t understand this. Can one of you guys help me?”

Son: “Of course, sis. Here…”

(He begins translating the whole menu while the dad is also listening in. The stepmom on the other hand looks really bored and annoyed. Finally, the girl has made up her mind.)

Girl: “Thank you, [Son]. What would I do without you?”

Stepmom: “I’m quite fluent myself! Here! Let me prove it.”

(She flags me over with a snap of the fingers, and the four start ordering. To my delight, the four of them, despite the earlier worries, do a great job ordering. Finally, the stepmom hands me the menu and smirks at her stepdaughter.)

Stepmom: “Listen to this.”

(She turns and says something. To her surprise, we are all laughing like crazy.)

Stepmom: “What? Why are you laughing?”

Me: “Ma’am. You just said ‘my son is a cardboard box.'”

(The lady hangs her head in shame for the rest of the meal. When it is time to go, the daughter tips me generously.)

Daughter: “Thank you for putting my stepmom in her place. She took us on this trip to prove she was supreme, but this made the trip amazing!”