Our server, Joyce, takes good care of us, and she usually remembers most of our orders without writing them down.
Last week 10 guys attended, and we were all telling stories when I noticed a couple in deep conversation at the counter. When I glanced back up the gentleman was gone. The lady was still there, and it looked like she was eating a big breakfast.
A little later she hopped off her stool and walked over to our table. She addressed Ed Tenholder and told him that she remembered him from a golf course. She also said Ed was with his father, who had wet, messy hair.
Ed smiled and informed her that she might have him mixed up with someone else because he doesn’t play golf and his father is deceased. The lady explained that she was sure of her memory and went back to her seat.
She returned in a couple of minutes to tell us that she had gone to a liquor store earlier to purchase some pickles, but the clerk was rude to her. The lady let us know that she would never return to that store.
Her physical appearance led us to believe that she might have an oriental background. When one of the guys asked what country she was from, she replied Michigan. This banter went on for several minutes before she returned to her breakfast.
She then started chatting with other customers. They appeared to be polite to her but were pleased when she moved on. She returned to our group several times.
One of the guys asked her where her parents lived. She answered northern Indiana, Carmel, Fishers or maybe South Bend.
She passed out business cards, but none were hers. She explained that the people identified on the cards were her relatives or friends. A couple of times when a guy from our group got up to use the rest room, she took his seat until he returned.
The lady was there before we arrived and after we left – at which time I think everyone there was ready for her to move on. I was told that her breakfast had been reheated three times.
All of my former classmates thought the employees were professional and polite under some difficult conditions.
I returned to the restaurant the next morning and was told she was there for more than three hours. None of the staff members knew how she arrived or departed, but they were relieved when she paid her bill and left.
I’m pretty sure that none of my buddies will forget that breakfast. Neither will most of the other customers. I imagine that Joyce, Tracy, Kathy and Reluca, the gals working, will have the best or worst memories.