A Little Something Different

September (Maxine - a waitress)

Maxine- a waitress

People always ask me “Maxine, how are you still waitressing at the diner this far into your seventies?” What I tell them is that it keeps me young. What I don’t tell them is that I’m already eighty. Working in a college town like this, kids in and out all hours of the night, always hungry, always saying “Hey Maxine!” when they see me. I feel like I have a million grandkids without all the trouble of regular kids.

It’s a pretty quiet Friday night for coming towards the end of September. That first month of school always flies by. It’s busy, people in and out all the time. But things are calm tonight.

There’s a group of girls in one booth, and a group of boys in the other. I know some of them, particularly the boys. They're all on the baseball team together, and they can get a bit rowdy at times, but they’re good boys, nice manners. They’re the kind of boys that girls don’t mind being around.

Maybe next time I’ll have to accidentally sit them all together. I’ve done that in the past and it always worked out. But my boss doesn’t like it much. Says I can’t go messing around, playing with table seatings like that. And to him I say “Patooie! This ain’t Buckingham Palace!”

Both groups are so polite, which warms my cold heart. Lots of “pleases,” and “thank yous.” I even get a couple of “ma’am’s” which is nearly unheard of these days. Back in my day, it was a pretty standard thing. I had it drilled into me.

But I digress.

I notice two of these cutie pies in particularly, because they’re making moon eyes at each other every time they don’t think anyone’s paying attention. And as soon as the other notices, they look away.

It’s all so darling I don’t know what to do with myself.

So I bring them free pie and hope that’s enough to bring them back here again.

Yes, indeed, I hope they come back around here soon.