Fine Dining With Friends

 

Life in the Boomer Lane went to lunch yesterday with two friends. While they dined, they discussed important topics like politics, travel, and getting naked in a hot tub (prior life experiences with, not the possibility that the three of them would engage in such activity after lunch).

After dining, they did a bit of shopping, then drove to a lovely bistro for hot chocolate. About a minute after being seated, one of LBL’s friends knocked over her still-full water glass. The waiter rushed over and suggested that they move to a different table, while he would take care of the mess.  They did so.

Everyone was now very careful with their water glasses, and, to their credit, they managed to sip without spilling. The hot chocolate was then delivered to the table. At this restaurant, hot chocolate was served in two vessels. One was a cup containing hot water. The other was a small pitcher of melted chocolate. Pour the chocolate in, stir and enjoy.

The friend of LBL who didn’t knock over her water, began pouring the chocolate into her cup of hot water. Distracted by whatever fascinating conversation the three of them were a having at the table (most likely involving either literature or personal sexual experiences), she didn’t notice that she had poured too much water into her cup, until the hot chocolate started bubbling over the side. Surprised, she jerked back and the force of the movement cause the entire cup to fall over. A hot chocolate tsunami engulfed the table and floor.

The waiter, who had just emerged from the kitchen, mop in hand, to deal with the water fiasco at their former table, rushed over to help. This time, he didn’t offer a third table for their dining pleasure, as the restaurant was now running out of available tables. Instead, he grabbed a rag and began cleaning the mess, while the friend who knocked over her cup took a different, unsullied,place at the table. By now, a good part of the restaurant floor was covered with either water or hot chocolate.

A group of men at the next table were observed to be enjoying the antics of LBL and her friends, although LBL noted that they began to push their table father away from the women. One put on his rain slicker.

The waiter served LBL’s friend another round of hot chocolate. He then picked up the mop and spent a good deal of time cleaning the mixture of water and hot chocolate on the floor.  The men at the adjoining table paid their bill, got up and left. LBL noted that most of their food was still on their plates.

LBL and her friends finished both their hot chocolate, as well as their stories about being naked in hot tubs. They paid their bill and left. To their credit, neither the water nor the hot chocolate spillage prevented had them from finishing their hot tub conversation. They congratulated themselves on being able to focus on what mattered, even under trying circumstances.