It’s A Family Affair

This took place a few years ago at a bar and grill I worked at. When I came up to a booth on a slow day, there was a woman in her forties looking through a menu. The two other customers were a woman in her twenties who seemed a bit sad and nervous and a small girl who I would guess was under ten years old and seemed rather frightened and fidgety. The older woman’s clothes were neat and tidy, whereas the younger woman and the little girl were wearing ill-fitting clothes and the younger girl’s hair was messy.

Older Woman: “I would like [Meal Option].”

Me: *To the younger woman* “And for you?”

The younger woman mumbled her order, staring at my order pad.

Older Woman: “Can we also have three iced teas, please?”

Me: *Looking at the little girl* “And for you?”

The little girl curled up in her seat in a failed attempt to look smaller, blinking fast.

Girl: *In a quiet voice* “I would like a [Children’s Meal], please.”

Older Woman: “And [Side].”

I served the three of them and all seemed well, with the younger woman saying “please” and “thank you” and even coming over to the bar with an empty glass when she finished her drink. The little girl didn’t say anything despite the older woman talking nineteen to the dozen.

When they had finished, I went to get their bill, and I hear cutlery dropping to the floor. The three of them had run out without paying.

I felt terrible. Not only was I now out on fifty dollars but the manager shouted at me for it. I remembered this incident when I recognized the woman in the newspaper a couple of years later when she was arrested.