provide the best service possible, but to assist
After he'd gone, Lucy looked appreciably more relieved, and when Robyn wasn't discretely looking around in awe at the rest of the restaurant (and it's patrons), was looking at me as though I were some kind of minor deity.
We looked over the menu, and when Robyn and Lucy told me what they thought they'd like to eat, I saw that they'd picked out things that were among the cheapest on the menu. I wanted to let them know that it was all right to order whatever they wanted, but without sounding as though I was bragging; I finally settled on changing the subject a bit, and telling them that I usually came to that restaurant 2 or 3 times a month, plus whenever I needed to take one of my clients out for lunch – but that because of my latest project, hadn't been able to come there for several weeks, and thanked them for giving me a muchneeded excuse.
About that time, the headwaiter returned, and politely inquired as to how things were, adding that it had been 'what, a month or more?' since he'd last seen me there – and that I was too valuable of a customer to stay away that long, finishing by saying that they had started to worry that something had been wrong during my last visit. I assured him that everything had been fine, and that my absence was due only to too much work. He sympathized, and I told him that my two lovely companions were there with me for a small celebration, and that were it not for them, I might still be at home. He thanked them profusely, and when I introduced them, bowed and kissed their hands – putting Robyn even farther into orbit, and almost embarrassing her mother. When he stood up again, he told me that if we were there to celebrate, he would see what the chef had to offer, and that our waiter would let us know. I thanked him, and he immediately headed toward the kitchen.
After he left, Lucy looked at me strangely, and asked just how much money I made working at home. I told her that while I wasn't going to be another Bill Gates, I was comfortable enough that I didn't have to worry about my few bills. I explained to her that I usually got called in on a project when the people running it were in*big* trouble, and that because of that, I generally got paid pretty well for meeting deadlines. She asked me why I was driving a Volvo, and I simply told her that that was the car I liked – which she correctly understood to mean that I could have bought almost anything I wanted.
After that, I suggested that we have another look at the menu until the waiter came back, and a couple minutes later, when I checked with them again, they had been a lot less concerned about the price – they weren't mercenary enough to order the most expensive items on the menu, and had instead just decided on what sounded good to them.
We sat there sipping our wine for a few minutes before the waiter reappeared. He told us that the chef had gotten a small amount of particularly good squid, and wished to prepare some calamari to help us in our celebration. I said that it sounded delightful to me, and when I looked at Lucy, she agreed that she'd like to sample it, too. Robyn wasn't so sure that she was willing to eat an entire order of squid, so her mother said that she could try a couple of hers, and Robyn stayed with her (new) selection from the menu. The waiter bowed to her, said that he certainly understood, and left us again.
After the waiter left, the wine steward returned to bring us another carafe of wine, saying that he'd been told of our celebration and what the chef would be preparing for us, and that if I would permit his boldness, he would like to bring us a wine that he thought would be particularly good with our meal. I agreed, and he left us alone again.
As we waited for our meal we sat there and chatted to each other about all manner of things. Finally it got around to where, together, they told me how they'd talked out their differences, written down a set of Special Rules, and even been able to invoke those rules without causing offense to each other. They also admitted that they'd started opening up to each other, and after comparing notes a little, concluded that I'd been the one that had made it possible for them to reach the point they were at now.
I was fortunately saved from further embarrassment by the arrival of our meal, and shortly after that, our wine. The wine steward went through the normal routine of opening it with a flourish (mildly impressing Robyn), and offering me the cork. I declined, telling him that I knew him to have impeccable taste (he bowed slightly at the compliment), and he poured us each a glass of it before setting the bottle aside, and left us to our meal.
Before we got too far into the meal, Robyn decided that she'd like to have a taste of the calamari, and when her mother discretely gave her one to sample, she got it into her mouth, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it, saying that it tasted okay, but she wasn't sure that she wanted any more of it – which seemed to suit her mother just fine!
As we were eating, we started chatting again, but now on a different subject than what I'd done or not done by talking to the two of them. By the time we'd finished our meal, most of the other patrons had left, and only a few of them had been replaced by new ones – the restaurant was only about half full. As we were sitting there, finishing off the last of the wine, the waiter returned and inquired as to whether or not we would like any dessert. Robyn was interested, but Lucy looked as though she couldn't quite make up her mind. I suspected that she was pretty full, and possibly a little concerned about the additional calories, and said that we were still savoring the meal – and please our thanks to the chef for such an excellent meal, would he? – and said that perhaps if he could come back in a bit we'd have decided. He assured us that there was no hurry, and that we could have all the time we wished, before leaving. I looked over at Robyn and told her 'I can see that you'd like some dessert!', to which she gave me a mischievous smile, and turned to Lucy, asking her 'How about you?'. She smiled and said that she'd like to, but after such a delicious meal, didn't want to go home feeling heavy or over-full. I assured her that the desserts there would only affect her taste buds and not her stomach, but she still looked a little dubious.
When we got to the point where only bottoms of our wineglasses were wet, the waiter returned to ask us about dessert again. I said that I knew that the young lady was interested, and that I would like to have a look, as well. He smiled and nodded, returning in a few moments with the dessert cart. I saw Robyn's eyes start to get
That made her smile, and she finally settled on a small pastry while I selected an Italian ice. Before leaving, the waiter asked if we'd like some coffee – their own house blend, of course to accompany our dessert? I agreed, and suggested that perhaps coffee would be a bit much for the young lady – he readily concurred, and suggested that perhaps she'd like a nice cup of*fresh* hot chocolate to go along with her dessert? Robyn quickly agreed, and as he was leaving, took the first bite of her dessert – and her mother and I both got a chuckle at the look of pure bliss on her face when she got the full taste of it. It was mine and Robyn's turn to be amused when her mother started eating her pastry – as she chewed the first bite, her entire face seemed to light up in enjoyment. When she'd swallowed it, she turned to me and said 'That's absolutely the lightest, most delicious thing I've ever tasted!'. I told her that she would probably make the dessert chef's entire*week* if she would repeat that comment to the waiter, and she blushed a bit and said that he deserved it.
When the waiter came back with the coffee and hot chocolate, Lucy did repeat her opinion to him, causing the waiter to smile and say that the dessert chef would be delighted to know that he'd been able to please her so greatly – which made her blush slightly again.
We all took our time with our dessert, enjoying it as much as possible, and by the time we'd finished it, and our drinks, the restaurant had nearly emptied. Most of its regular patrons knew that it closed at 10:00 PM, and it was now a little before 9:00. When the waiter came back again, he asked us if there would be anything else. I asked Robyn if she'd like another cup of hot chocolate, and got an enthusiastic yes in reply; when I turned to Lucy, she said that the coffee was wonderful, but said that it was getting a bit late, and she didn't think she needed any more of it. The waiter told her that it was also available as decaffeinated – certainly with no loss of flavor! – and that we were their treasured customers and he would be delighted to serve us as long as we cared to stay. She gave in, and said that she would like another cup of coffee then, and confirmed with the waiter that she wanted decaf. When he turned to me, I simply told him that I would follow the lady's lead, and join her. He nodded, and headed off; returning a couple minutes later with another cup of hot chocolate for Robyn and coffee for me and
