This weekend we took my wife out for dinner to celebrate her birthday. It's a tradition in the Kirby family that the birthday boy or girl gets to have a nice dinner out for their birthday. We chose a nice little seafood place close to home and set out to celebrate her big day.
The waitress took our drink orders and then disappeared for what seemed to be an eternity. Upon her return she promptly placed every one's drink orders in front of the wrong person. For the next 30 seconds we exchanged glasses with one another while our waitress stood there attempting to figure out what we were doing.
Now it was time to order...for some reason she chose me to begin the ordering process. I had just seen the dessert tray go by and I decided that I would start with a piece of cake for my appetizer; since I am always too full at the end of the meal to eat dessert. Having chosen a nice piece of German Chocolate cake for my appetizer, the waitress gazed at me like I had asked her to bring me the Lindbergh baby on a platter. After making it known that cake for an appetizer was a strange request, she took the rest of my order and proceeded around the table taking the other orders with a pace similar to that of one of Jerry's kid's attempting to run the New York City Marathon. It was then that I should have cut our losses and went elsewhere but I didn't.
As we sat there waiting for our food, our glasses now void of any liquid, there was no sign of our waitress. It was obvious to me that by the length of time it was taking to bring our order that she personally had left the restaurant, gone to the Chesapeake Bay, caught our crabs and was bringing them back to the restaurant to steam them personally and then make them into crab cakes. When she finally emerged looking like Agrippina the Elder, she one-by-one proceeded to place the orders in front of the wrong Kirby patrons just as she did the beverages. The meals finally exchanged and now correctly placed, there was only one problem. The was no meal for the Birthday girl.
Donna said that the waitress apologized and stated that she simply had forgotten to give the kitchen her order, and that, she would have them rush her order. Well, I must have been out at the car getting my wooden 2x4, so that, I could do my best Buford Pusser imitation because I heard none of that conversation. All I saw was an empty place setting in front of Donna. To say that I was seeing red would be an understatement. Just as I was getting ready to call down fire from heaven, I remembered that earlier in the week I made a commitment to be a little more like Jesus and little less like Bill. Crap...what was God trying to teach me?
I know...Patience. I looked around and Donna didn't seem to mind having to wait. The kids didn't seem to mind; they were too busy eating to notice. So, I took a deep breath and cancelled the fire from heaven and gave Donna the gift of Patience. It might not be as shiny as those gold earrings she got earlier in the day but it made for a nice dinner.
Be Well.
Bill
