In-N-Out Lady
She spilled the tea ...
I spied a table for two as we walked into In-N-Out Burger. My husband joined the order line, and I scurried to the table before it was snatched up. (It’s notoriously difficult to find seating there.)
I noticed an elderly lady sitting alone in the booth beside me. She waved over the teenage girl sweeping up nearby.
“Dear, would you mind bringing me some ketchup? And could you bring me a lot of ketchup? I really, really love ketchup.”
I smiled. I love that she asked for exactly what she wanted. That woman had spunk.
The sweet girl quickly obliged, and the lady thanked her. Then she leaned over to me and said, “I’m so hungry, and I love the burgers here.”
“Me too.” I smiled at her as she arranged her cups of ketchup on the table.
Then she leaned over to me again. “I’m on a blind date,” she said.
I looked at the lady, wondering if I had heard her correctly. She was no spring chicken. I assumed she was in her 80s. I leaned closer. “Excuse me?”
“I’m on a blind date.” She flashed a mischievous smile. Her dangly earrings sparkled in the sunlight.
That was what she said! Intrigued, I asked, “How’s it going?”
She shrugged. “Well, it’s fine.”
“What have you done so far?” My curiosity was on fire.
“Well, he took me to a play, but we arrived late. He said they published the wrong time on the website.” She sighed. “But it was still a good show.” She looked around, I assume to see if he was nearby. “He asked for his money back, and they gave it to him.” That detail obviously bothered her.
“Oh. Interesting.” I looked across the restaurant to the cluster of folks waiting for their orders. I saw an older gentleman wearing a fedora standing near my husband. “Is he the one wearing the hat?” I asked, pointing.
“Yes, how did you know?”
“I just guessed. He’s handsome.”
“I know. When I opened the door, I was so surprised!” She giggled. “I’m ninety-three, he’s eighty. Can you believe it?”
“Robbing the cradle, huh?” We giggled together then. “How did you meet?” I had forgotten it was a blind date.
“My friend set us up. A friend of a friend. He’s apparently a retired preacher.”
“What do you think of him so far?” Yes, I am nosy, but she’s practically begging me to be.
She shrugged again. Her nose wrinkled. “I’m not sure. He seems nice.”
“You’ll get to know him a bit more over dinner.” I offered.
“Yes, but women my age need to be careful. Younger men date older women for their money, you know.”
Aaaaah, the refunded play tickets had hit a nerve. “Yes, I’ve heard that.”
“He seems nice, but … I have to be careful,” she repeated as the gentleman arrived with their burgers.
She looked at the box he carried and asked, “Didn’t you get me fries?”
I tried not to chuckle as I recalled her pursuit of ketchup. She was ready for those fries!
He did have fries. They were covered by napkins. She was surprised he didn’t get fries for himself, though. (I swear I wasn’t staring. I was taking strategic glances and listening intently.)
Our meal came moments later, and as I ate my delicious burger and well-done fries (oh, the crunchy goodness), I will admit that I did eavesdrop as extensively as I could, because … I’m nosy, and I knew I’d write about our encounter and I needed as much information as I could gather … for you, dear reader. You’re welcome.
From my stealth observations, I gathered that they didn’t share the same level of spunk. There wasn’t much laughter or fun between them, which was too bad, because there was plenty of laughter and fun between her and me. She had it going on! He dominated the conversation, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying over the din of the restaurant (sorry). If she hadn’t told me otherwise, I would have guessed that he was older than her, so I’m thinking it may not be a match.
All is not lost, though. She will likely make an appearance in The Weathered Vessel as a fun side character.
I love meeting characters in the wild!
