They walked in and said hello as I rushed some drinks out to another table.
“Hi, guys. Same drinks as usual?”
They nod.
“Alright, be right back with those.”
Tea with an extra carafe filled to the top, coffee with two creams even though she only uses one, and a mimosa before the meal. He drinks lots of tea and drinks it fast, so I always bring him plenty. She drinks her coffee just as quickly but sips on the mimosa while waiting for a refill. For each refill I’ll bring her another creamer, so she always has an extra…in case her habits change.
Sometimes she grabs a menu while walking in to pretend like her order will be something different than the usual, always hotcakes with sausage. His palette is always in the mood for a new dish. Today it was fajitas and eggs, a few weeks ago it was the migas.
They’re talkers. They can keep you at the table for several minutes if you let them. It seems like an eternity on days where I find myself “in the weeds”, struggling and squirming to communicate a sense of urgency, eventually slipping away gracefully to fulfill the needs of my other guests.
Though not everyone will agree, I always enjoy seeing them. My sentiment is not based upon the tip they leave, usually a standard 20 percent (yes, STANDARD), but on the interest they show in my aspirations, including becoming a fluent Spanish speaker. As an adult I’ve grown increasingly self-conscious when trying to speak Spanish. I understand the words through context and familiarity, but prefer to respond in English which does not help in working toward becoming fluent. To remedy this I decided to try to start reading books in Spanish and shared that specific goal with this couple. The last time I saw them he suggested a book of short stories with Spanish/English versions on each page. When I walked in the pub today, I had the book waiting for me in the office.
There are times people are ridiculous, rude, demeaning, and sometimes downright evil, but this couple embodies the reason I have not given up my second job as a waitress. To both of them, thank you, thank you, thank you for caring, contributing, and being a regular part of the pub.
