A Meal Alone

I wake up each morning fully intending to work on the DAKAR synopsis or write more on Persnickety. Today, I filled out yet another form from CitiMortgage (aka one more hoop to jump through) and took it to UPS. Mind you, I've been "hoop jumping" for a year now in my quest to get my mortgage reduced thanks to President Obama's "mortgage reduction plan."

I also intended to go shopping for Thursday's Thanksgiving feast, but I hadn't had breakfast, and now it was lunch time... and Cracker Barrel was right down the road (can you hear me giving in to my internal whining?). Before I knew it, I was seated by the window trying to decide if I wanted breakfast or lunch. Wonderful aromas wafted around the room. Breakfast won. I don't mind sitting alone in a restaurant like this. I people watch, take in my surroundings, eavesdrop a little, read whatever is on the wall, and today I played CB's table game where you jump one peg over another trying to end up with as few as possible before you can no longer jump. Today I got it down to two pegs. While I was there I noticed that I was the only "party of one" in the entire room. But, you know what? Lots of people weren't even talking to each other... they might as well have been alone. One table had three people; they were all texting to somebody not with them. What happened to the art of conversation? the gift of laughter? Friendship? Honor? Respect? Sensitivity? Etiquette?

One precious little boy at the table next to me pointed toward me and asked his mommy why I was alone. "Because," she said, "her friends aren't able to be with her today." I was shocked when I heard him whisper "Could we ask her to be with us? We could be friends." She smiled at me and gestured toward the empty chair.

I gathered my things and stopped at their table as I was leaving. Samuel's face lit up as he waited for me to sit. "Thank you so much for the invitation, Samuel, but it's time for me to leave now. I would love to join you the next time I see you, though... OK?"

"We'll be looking forward to it," the dad said.

Needless to say, I drove right past the grocery store. .I was being thankful that I had had breakfast alone and Samuel had noticed. Mr. Gobble Gobble will have to wait.