Hurtin' For Certain...

One day off and it absolutely KILLS me to go back. If I work day after day after day it's not so bad but give me 24 hours off and it is torture to go into work.

It was so busy that it was INSANE...by the time I left I felt like I was insane as well. I felt like I was in a cartoon for six hours, I ran like the road runner but kept running into an Acme dynamite box at every turn. One of my first tables ordered Chop steak well done. Number one, Chop steak is a glorified hamburger patty... number two, order it well done and it is like a Beef Fritter. When I went to the table her husband said his wife's Chop steak was dry...NO DUH! I offered to get her another one but she declined and of course after I walked away they asked another sever for a manager. Free Chop steak HEARD!! The wife was okay but her husband who obviously does her complaining for her got a free meal and THANKFULLY the other couple at the table paid the tab.

By this time I had seven other tables and they were setting up an eleven top for me to share with another server. I felt like I was just spinning my wheels...I couldn't get caught up for the life of me and I hope the frantic look I had on my face was recognized by my other guests. I think it was because most were pretty nice and a couple of people even remarked how busy I was.

BUSY ain't the word for it. ASS KICKIN seems much more appropriate. The minute I turned around they were seating me again...and again...and again.

I am grateful we were busy but I bet tonight took ten years off my life. My feet were killing me, my shirt looked like a collage of every item I had served and the people just kept on pouring in the door.

By 9:00 I felt like I had been in a war...a losing battle none the less. By this point I could actually breathe and regained some composure. I made the comment to a friend of mine "Now THAT was a smooth shift...kinda like a vacation or a trip to the Spa. I hope tonight NEVER ends."

She laughed and I laughed. After that kind of night that is about all you can do is laugh and be grateful you made it to the other side.

At least I am home now with my bedroom shoes on and finally sitting down. Life as a server is a crazy type of existence...I guess that is why I have been doing it for over 32 years, I am slap crazy!

My very first table today was two sweet older women ... one of them made the comment early on that I had a terrific personality and she always enjoyed me waiting on them. She said she didn't give that type of compliment to just anyone unless she really meant it. They were really nice and when I took them the check they took forever to figure it out. I kept seeing them swapping money back and forth and I asked twice if they needed me to make them some change. The one woman said "No Honey, we're just trying to make sure we give YOU enough money." They finally figured out their math problem of the day and told me to keep the change and thanked me once again for waiting on them. I stuck the payment book in my pocket and re joined the cartoon I was currently starring in.

When I had a second to pause I opened the book. Their tab was $36.14. They had left me a twenty a ten a five and a one dollar bill. For Pete's sake...not only did they stiff me on a tip...they shorted me fourteen cents on their tab! GRANNY GRIFTERS !!

I truly think (hope) that it was just a mistake, but I wish I had told them "Just remember to ask for me next time, my name is Louise."

All in all it was a crazy and manic shift, but even with the Granny Grifters I walked (limped) out the door with almost $200.00.

Not bad for a Road Runner..."BEEP BEEP."

Til next time... Cotton