"Four, please," I reply.
"Are you meeting someone?" the hostess asks, very confused.
"No. If I was meeting someone, then it would be a table for five. It's just us."
"Oh, wow! You sure have your hands full!" she exclaims, looking at me in disbelief that I have three kids out to dinner by myself.
"I sure do," I reply, smiling as nicely as possible during this routine exchange.
Every military spouse knows this encounter all too well. No, we do not necessarily choose to be out to dinner with kids and no spouse, but sometimes it is just better than the alternative of another meal alone at home.
-----
My kids are overly social people. Each morning, Luke asks, "Blue car? Shopping?" A child after my own heart - he always wants to be on the go. Claire squeals with delight when I set her on the couch so I can load up the wheelchair, and Aubrey frantically crawls toward the open garage door, hoping to make an escape. They know that in a few (many) minutes, we'll be loaded up, yelling "Let's jam", and taking off on our next adventure.
The best thing about little kids is that an adventure does not have to be grand. A trip to the park, Target, or the zoo are all equally exciting. Today was no exception. It was a beautiful "spring" day, so after a quick trip to Starbucks and a few hours at the zoo, it was time for lunch. We went to our local favorite, La Fonda on Main, and rather than the typical hostess encounter, Chloe ran around the counter, "Luke! Where have you been? I've missed you!". The last time we were there was maybe October, and yet we are always treated like weekly regulars.
After she walked us to our table and helped us get situated, she knelt down by Claire's wheelchair to say hello. As we sat on the patio eating and enjoying the beautiful spring day, several of our favorite waitresses stopped by to visit and see how the kids were doing. The food was delicious, and the kids were as good as gold.
Today, during that relaxing lunch, a table for four didn't seem so bad.
We'll be back to a table for five before we know it, and I know where we'll go to celebrate.
No comments:
Post a Comment