Smile And Nod And Pray The Crazy Away

My family and I took a day trip to visit my grandmother in a nursing home, two hours away — always a stressful situation. Before heading home we stopped at a local pizza and pasta restaurant for dinner. It’s not a fancy place, and does not pretend to be. You order at the counter and pick up your own food when it is ready.

While we were eating dinner we heard complaints from a nearby table. The man at the table was complaining that nobody had taken his order. He grumbled as he headed to the counter. A few minutes later his wife came over to us as we were eating dinner and started talking.

“What can I do to get a cup of coffee around here? I see you’re eating dinner, but I’m just so frustrated.”

I put my head down and stared intently at my food, and my husband looks up politely. The lady keeps talking.

“We went to [Restaurant] down the street and sat down to have coffee and dessert. When we ordered they told us we had to move to a different area.” That restaurant has a restaurant area and a café area. “We were so upset that we left.”

I continued eating, and my husband, who had finished eating dinner made appropriately sympathetic noises. I was biting my tongue, ready to tell her to leave us alone, but not wanting to be rude or make a scene.

The woman continued, “Then, we come to this restaurant, and we sit down, but they don’t come to take our order. They tell us we have to order at the counter! Then, when we go to the counter, we find out that the person who makes their coffee isn’t even here tonight. What does it take to get a cup of coffee in this neighborhood?!”

My husband and I responded, almost simultaneously, “We are from out of town; don’t ask us.”

The woman continued to complain for a few more minutes and then left. Thanks for ruining our dinner, lady.