This is my last day at this restaurant. LAST day. This thought ran through her brain as Meg poured a cup of coffee, as she delivered a children's meal, as she beamed at a generous tip left by an older couple. Those were the moments she would miss: the people who smiled at her and she smiled back.
And then there were the moments when she clenched her teeth as a ten year old threw ketchup-covered French fries on the floor and on Meg. The Mom said nothing.
The final moment came as the last minutes ticked to a close: birthday time.
A few other waitresses brought out the requisite blue-icing covered cupcake with the requisite candle to the French fry table. Okay, let's get this over with. Here, Meg, this is your table. Meg was handed the cupcake, lit it and they headed to ten-year old French fries table.
They sang the requisite hellish song as Meg glared at the boy. At the last moment, Meg blew out the requisite candle and smashed the blue icing cupcake onto the surprised face. Smeared it real good.
Taking off her apron, Meg sauntered away from the French fry air. The cries of the boy were tip enough from that table.
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As a mother and Grandmother, I have great sympathy for parents whose child is having a meltdown. We have all been there. However, now I no longer want to be there and I don’t want to be in a restaurant spending my pension on a meal and sitting anywhere near a screaming brat. Age changes one’s perspective
ReplyDeleteThe parents in this post? Their child is now a teenager. Good luck to them.
DeleteThat's every waitress's fantasy!
ReplyDeleteYup, and I would not care about blue icing.
DeleteOH would that have felt good!!
ReplyDeleteI have always wondered about the parents. Yes, kids have meltdowns but the parents should know enough to take that kid out to the car, or outside. He can go back in to the fun when he settles down. If I had ever behaved that way it would have been a lot worse for me and my sisters!!
Oh, you betcha.
DeleteLOL, it's fun to read this but not if you are experiencing it.
ReplyDeleteNice one, Susan,
Between freshman and sophomore year, I worked as a waitress. someday when I compile a list of jobs that I hated, it would be right up there.
DeleteShe should have smashed the cupcake into the faces of the parents. It's their fault the kid was like that.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the waitresses should have brought a cupcake for all the family. Then they could claim that it was a smash party, as that is becoming the thing for adults.
DeleteI suspect Meg should have spread that cake over the mother's face too. What a truly satisfying end to the day though.
ReplyDeleteWriting this was somehow cathartic.
DeleteMy kids were scarily good in public, so you would think I would be judgmental about other children and their parents. Nope. I feel horrible for most parents where their kiddos melt down.
ReplyDeleteOh, I feel badly for the parents, but angry as well. Who is in charge here anyway?
DeleteI always wonder if it is 'meltdown' or simply undisciplined children who rule the roost and never hear the word 'no'.
DeleteI think the second choice. As a teacher, I saw that one the most.
DeleteI read on FB once where a young father was trying to explain that THIS WAS REQUIRED TO TEACH THE KIDS HOW TO ACT IN PUBLIC! My mind is saying WHAT?????????
ReplyDeleteThe teaching is to be done LONG before the restaurant catastrophe. I am amazed at the ignorance of some young parents.
But to the heart of the post, I do not know ANYONE lately whose dinner has not been ruined by screaming children. It is getting that bad in Grocery stores now.
Anyway I understand the post, and a good one!
Sherry & jack
My gr-son threw a tizzy at CVS when they were visiting. I told him to get up off the floor, and I walked away. My daughter reprimanded ME for talking to him that way.
DeleteI'm sure there are lots of waitresses who would like to do something similar. As a customer I would applaud the effort.
ReplyDeleteAs would I.
DeleteLuckily, a lot of these kids can be distracted with a smartphone. When kids are bored, that's when trouble arises.
ReplyDeleteGiving into the phone as a pacifier is wrong. He most likely behaves the same at home. Who knows what he is like in school.
DeleteKids need to learn to deal with boredom without disrupting the room.
DeleteWhy do some restaurants have their staff singing Happy Birthday to customers? Grown-up customers too. It's so distracting.
ReplyDeleteWhen it happened in a restaurant once, I called the manager, and told him we were there as a family to remember an old aunt who had just died and buried today. Would he get his staff to sing something appropriate.
They gathered round us and sang, "She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes!"
God bless.
Oh, you've got me laughing here! They selected the some that somehow work. That is just too good for words.
DeleteEver since my years at the evil toy store, I don't hear screaming kids. It's a weird sort of selective hearing. I mean, I hear them, but they don't bother me? Sort of.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame the waitress for that. I'm amazed she held it in that long.
She had nothing to lose at that point. Would she have done more if possible?
DeleteNo ketchup covered French fries, but I'm reminded of the two young sons of a friend who "tasted" their food, then got down from their chairs and ran around for the rest of the evening while my kids just looked on wondering what was going on. We hadn't seen this friend since the older child was six weeks old, they were now four and two and apparently uncontrollable since she said it was what they always did, even at home. Her husband seemed a bit embarrassed and did ask the boys a couple of times to sit down.
ReplyDelete"Ask the child"? We had 3 children playing hide and seek around restaurant, and one hid right in our niche. The waitress tried. Then the mother and family passed by us, it turned out to be a teacher friend!
DeleteI have to weigh the desire between cupcake in mom's face (let the kid lick it off) and the need to remember, you don't know the why's and wherefores of that family.
ReplyDeleteMom vs. Kid? Boy, that is a hard decision. But I would choose the boy.
DeleteShe definitely should have taken the kid outside.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes. Indeed.
DeleteKids who were melting down got taken for a walk to let them get calm. Also, if my kids made a mess, i cleaned it. As i told many a server, you signed on to bring me my meal, not clean the floor where my kid spilled something.
ReplyDeleteBack in my teen years, many whiney kids got walked out of church and returned much humbler.
DeleteAfter 28 years of teaching, I believe we all have our unspoken fantasies that get us through to the end. Most of us just don't act on them. I HOPE!
ReplyDeleteI wrote this after being in a restaurant with too many blue cupcakes in a short time, with too many screaming kids.
DeleteI couldn't have foreseen that one coming.... brava! Reminds me of the baby shower I attended for Tom's daughter-in-law at some fancy-smanzy tea room. All the while, her 2 y/o son kept running around the room, this way and that, barely managing not to trip several waitresses as they came out of the kitchen bearing trays. I was horrified, but of course, his mother and aunt were oblivious. I hope to be around at the wheel of that karma bus someday.
ReplyDeleteSomeday. This will be someday.
DeleteI've never had children, so I have trouble tolerating them when they misbehave ANYWHERE. This was a great story, though.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Life as a waitress is difficult to say the least.
Delete