Lucy climbed out of bed and threw on some pajamas and a robe, ran a brush through her hair and headed down to the kitchen. It was Saturday morning and she knew the family would be sleeping late. She looked forward to being able to grab some toast and juice and take them into the sun porch where she could read for a couple of quiet hours. When she got to the kitchen, though, she was surprised to find her mother and father at the table.
“Why are you up so early?” Lucy asked.
“We’re driving up North today, remember?” Mom said. “This is the weekend we’re going to the Bed and Breakfast at the lake.”
“Oh, I forgot. You’re going to be gone all weekend, aren’t you?” Lucy said.
“All weekend,” replied Dad, “are you going to be okay home alone?”
“Kevin will be here, so I won’t really be alone.”
“No, Kevin is going to that basketball camp. Don’t you remember anything today?” Dad asked with a smile.
Lucy was blank for a moment then remembered. “Oh, yeah, I guess I just didn’t realize that everything was on the same weekend. Oh, well.”
“Do you have to work today?” Lucy’s mother asked.
“Just a short dinner shift tonight,” Lucy replied. “I have to go in at 4:00 and I’m supposed to get off at 9:00, or whenever it slows down. Since you’re all going to be gone, would you care if I have someone spend the night?”
“Sure, baby, just no boys,” Dad joked.
“Oh, darn, I was thinking maybe an orgy!” Lucy said with a smile. “I guess I can be good for one night.” Lucy kissed her parents goodbye and went to her room to find someone to spend the night.
Everyone in the world must have a hot date tonight. Lucy couldn’t find a single friend who didn’t already have plans, and none of those plans included her. Just what she needed--a night alone in an empty house to think about her loneliness. She decided she would pickup a mushy romantic video on the way to work and plan on having a good cry. What an exciting life.
Saturday crawled by and at 3:30 Lucy headed to work. She stopped at the video store and rented Sabrina. She had seen it before and thought it was just what she needed for the night.
By 4:00, Lucy was setting up tables for the dinner crowd. She worked part-time at a little restaurant that drew a lot of repeat customers from the neighborhood. She had been there for almost two years and knew most of the regulars. People started coming in about 5:00 and, by 6:30 the place was packed. At 7:00 a man came in that Lucy had been waiting on at least once a week since she started working. He always sat in her section and left great tips. And, he always ate alone.
Lucy knew his name was David Wright, and he was a writer. How ironic. Other than that, she didn’t know much about him. He looked to be in his mid to late 40s, usually dressed pretty casually, but with a certain style. He was a nice looking man with thick brown hair, deep blue eyes, and he wore a beard. When he walked in Saturday night, Lucy thought there was something different about him, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She caught his eye and nodded toward a vacant table. He flashed her a smile and headed to his seat. God, he has a nice smile, Lucy thought. Too bad some of the guys my age can’t be like him.
“I see your boyfriend finally got here,” Allison said.
“Who?”
“Your boyfriend, Mr. Wright. I think the only reason he keeps coming here is to see you.”
“Oh, sure,” Lucy scoffed, “he told me he really hates the food here but forces himself to eat it just so he can give me a big tip.”
“Yeah, I think he would like to give you more than just the tip,” Allison said lewdly and raised her eyebrows.
“You are disgusting,” Lucy protested, but she smiled when she said it, “he probably thinks of me like his daughter.”
Allison shook her head and rolled her eyes upward. “Are you really that naïve? That guy has had a crush on you since the first time you sat a plate in front of him. Wake up, girl. Gotta deliver some slop, now. Just pay attention when you wait on him tonight. Even you should be able to figure it out--everyone else has.” she laughed as she grabbed her plates and spun off to deliver someone’s meal.
She’s full of it, Lucy thought, David Wright has been a perfect gentleman. There have been lots of customers who had flirted with her, but David Wright had not been one of them. He was always polite and nice. He asked her about school and what she planned to study in college. She had told him things about her family and friends—he was just a nice guy. No way he has a crush on me!
Lucy walked over to his table to take Mr. Wright’s order. “Do...do...uh, the…” she stuttered.
“What?” he asked as he looked up at her.
Lucy couldn’t understand why she was nervous all of a sudden. “Uh, do you want to hear the specials?” she blurted.
“Hmmm,” he said as he looked into her eyes, “I don’t think so. I think I would like a surprise tonight, so why don’t you decide what I should have.”
“Me? You want me to decide what you’re going to eat?”
“Sure,” he smiled, “after all this time, you probably know what I would like as well as I do. I’m in your capable hands. Surprise me.”
“I can’t do that!” Lucy protested.
“You’ll have to because I’m not going to order anything. I trust you.”
Lucy realized their eyes had been locked through this entire exchange and she felt her face turning a deep crimson. She swallowed and shook her head to say yes.
His smile widened and he patted her hand. “I trust you,” he repeated.
“Okay,” she croaked.
Lucy turned toward the kitchen and ran right into the corner of a table. Fortunately, no one was sitting there, but it hurt and halted her in her tracks. She felt a hand under her elbow and another on her back.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
Lucy turned and his face was inches from hers and the concern was obvious and genuine. “Yes, I’m just clumsy. I’ll be fine. I bet I’ll have a heck of a bruise tomorrow, though.” She smiled at him, “I’ll order your dinner.”
What was going on here? Lucy’s mind was racing and her heart was suddenly light.
When she got back to the kitchen, Allison looked at her and started laughing. “Well?” “Shut up!” Lucy barked, but she couldn’t hide her own smile. Lucy turned to the cook, “I’ll have an order of sweetbreads, but instead of the mashed potatoes, slice a tomato and give me the chilled asparagus instead of green beans. And, Manny, make this one really special.”
“For you, little Lucy, nothing but the best,” Manny replied with a smile, “especially if it is for your Mr. Wright.”
“He’s not my Mr. Wright!” Lucy protested.
“Sure, Lucy, tell yourself anything you want,” Allison smirked while backing out the kitchen door.
“Are you feeling okay, Lucy?” It was Cassy, the restaurant manager.
“Sure, why?”
“Your face is all red—like you have a fever.”
“No, I’m fine. I’m just a little hot I guess.”
“Hot, you hear that, Mark? Lucy says she’s hot,” laughed Manny. “She’s okay, Cassy. What she meant to say is she HAS the hots.” Mark and Manny snickered.
“Oh, yes, I saw David Wright come in,” Cassy said with a smile as she walked through the door. “Things are slowing down, Lucy, so you can take off early. I think you should take care of Mr. Wright first, though, don’t you?”
Lucy had never been more embarrassed in her life. Why had no one ever said anything about this before? They obviously all had this idea that Mr. Wright had a crush on her and, they seemed to think she also had a crush on him. Had they been making jokes about it behind her back? Why hadn’t they told her? They were all crazy. My God, he was old enough to be her father!
As Lucy returned to the dining room, she stole a quick look at David Wright. He is very nice looking for an older man, she thought. Could they all be right? For the next several minutes she busied herself finishing up her other customers. She realized that the restaurant was almost empty now—just Mr. Wright and one other couple.
When she returned to the kitchen to check on her order, Manny said, “Give me a couple of seconds and you can deliver this masterpiece.”
Lucy looked across the workstation to see what he was doing and was surprised to see that masterpiece was a perfect description for what Manny had created. While Manny’s food was always delicious, he didn’t usually work too hard on presentation. For this meal, however, he had gone all out. The sweetbreads were arranged on a bed of some sort of spinach drizzled with a rich looking sauce. The asparagus had been tossed with toasted parmesan and sesame seeds and the tomatoes were sliced perfectly, spread artfully and coated with a light oil with herbs. It was beautiful and he had put it all on their most expensive china that was normally reserved for high-end catering jobs.
Manny handed the plate to Lucy and said with a huge smile, “Don’t say I didn’t do my part.”
“Thank you,” was all Lucy could squeak out, “thank you.”
Before she left the kitchen, Lucy made sure her blouse was nicely tucked and straightened her back. For some reason, this all felt different. She had served David Wright close to an hundred meals in the last two years, why should this one be any different? But for some reason, it was.
Lucy took a deep breath and stepped through the door. She walked straight to David Wright’s table and presented him with his dinner.
“Wow,” he said, “this looks almost too good to eat, but only almost. Excellent choice, Lucy. And, tell Manny I’m going to expect this kind of food from here on out.” Then, he smiled at her and she felt her knees grow weak.
“Looks like this is a slow night,” David said.
Lucy looked around and found the restaurant was now deserted. “Yes, I guess you’re my last customer.”
“Excuse me, Miss,” Lucy heard Allison’s voice behind her. Turning, she saw Allison setting another plate of food on the table then she pulled out the chair and motioned for Lucy to sit. “Would you mind a dinner partner tonight, Mr. Wright?” Allison asked.
“I would be delighted,” he said as he rose from his chair, “what a delightful bonus.”
Lucy looked from one to another then noticed Cassy and Manny looking out of the kitchen door, both of them smiling from ear to ear. Lucy was feeling dizzy now, but she sat and Allison handed her a napkin.
“Enjoy your dinner,” she said winking at Lucy and she walked away leaving the two of them in an otherwise empty dining room.
“How did I get so lucky tonight?” David Wright asked.
“I…uh…I think they were just feeling kind of sorry for me because I’m alone this weekend,” Lucy said.
“Alone? No dates? I find that hard to believe!”
“I never have any dates,” Lucy gushed, “this weekend, though, my parents and brother are all gone…and, I couldn’t find any friends to spend the night, so I’m really alone.” When she realized what she had just said, Lucy blushed again and looked down at her plate. “I’m sorry, you didn’t want to hear all that.”
