Table For Five
“Of all the restaurants in all the towns…” I thought aloud as her group entered.
“Booking for five. Johnson.” Her hair was grey instead of rich chestnut, but I knew.
A family table, six seats.
She moved her chair to sit at the head of the table. A Matriarch’s place. The couples faced each other. The middle-aged woman looked like her mother. She could have looked like me if things had been different. A least that had worked out alright.
The youngest couple were still bubbly. Ostentatiously left handed, flashing her engagement ring. Obviously a celebration dinner.
I checked out the oldest one as I served. She looked at me a few times with a slight frown. Maybe she recognised me, or perhaps just didn’t expect a man my age to still be working. I noticed a few fiery red strands amongst her grey and smiled.
“My Grandaughter’s engagement dinner.” She announced, and the girl flashed her ring under my nose.
“Very nice, Miss.”
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As they left she hesitated in the door, smiled, pressed a folded napkin into my hand.
“My number, Jimmy. If you’ve got over your shyness in the last fifty years, I’m still single.”
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