“Name.”
“Baker.”
“Party of six?”
“Sorry, only two—”
The hostess clamped her teeth. ?”Must phone,” she snapped.
Sally looked away. Billy’s face blossomed like a rose. He cleared his throat, lips flapped like a blow fish, but nothing came out.
“You wait.” She pointed to chairs, snapped in the air and displayed two fingers.
The noise level rose like steam over rice. Voices droned. Cutlery scraped.
Sally picked invisible fluff from her suit. She elbowed her husband. “I think she’s forgotten us, or—”
Microsoft Clipart
Billy patted her lap and sprang forward. “Excuse me, Miss?”
“Not your turn.”
“The Baker table? We’ve waited ten minutes already.”
The hostess glared. Billy grinned, eyebrows raised. She snapped her fingers again. “Baker,” she barked.
The new hostess led them to the only table for two, flanking the cloakroom.
Sally smoothed her silver hair. “All this, and a Chinese Buffet. Grand. Happy New Year.”
~ * ~
The word limit for Buffet is 150 words. I used all 150. Check out http://mommasmoneymatters.com/flash-fiction/ for the rules and join us.
How the Cookie Crumbles 
May 8, 2013 at 4:40 am
Cute story Tess 😉
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May 9, 2013 at 1:15 pm
Everyone has a bad day once in a while, Ghia. Poor Billy.
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May 8, 2013 at 5:56 am
I hope their evening ended on a much happier note.
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May 9, 2013 at 1:14 pm
Not sure. Billy’s in the doghouse and he’s not having much luck, is he? Ha ha.
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May 8, 2013 at 10:02 am
I love how you describe scenes, like steam over rice. Makes me want to go back and do some rewrites on the one I’m working on. Not kidding. So great to continue to learn and see new ways to express things. 🙂
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May 9, 2013 at 1:14 pm
Oh Paulette. You do TURN my head. Thank you.
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May 8, 2013 at 6:21 pm
Wonderful FTP 🙂
Andro
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May 9, 2013 at 1:13 pm
Thank you, Andro. Glad you like it. Haven’t seen you around lately.
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May 9, 2013 at 5:14 pm
I have been chopping and changing my Space too much but hopefully I am back and will be adding more of this, that and the other soon 🙂 lol
Enjoy your evening my friend 🙂
Andro
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May 9, 2013 at 12:33 pm
What lovely details you share in your writing. These are always the things I want to know when I read! It’s exciting how easily you weave them into your story.
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May 9, 2013 at 1:12 pm
Thank you, Jenny. Brrr, snow when bring has just arrived.
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May 10, 2013 at 8:45 am
Tess, what crisp nice writing. I love the details as well. I tend to overwrite but that is my style I would suppose. Loved it.
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May 12, 2013 at 12:36 pm
Thank you, Susan. Nice to hear from you. Some of my scribbles please me too.
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May 10, 2013 at 10:25 am
Great one Tess. Who hasn’t been in this position before.
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May 12, 2013 at 12:35 pm
Hi, Valentine. Everyone makes mistakes. People should try to be nice to each other.
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May 11, 2013 at 10:26 pm
I like this one a lot. I could clearly visualize the story in my mind’s eye.
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May 12, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Thank you, Susan. I just realized I haven’t seen you around because you’re relocated. I’m on it now.
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May 12, 2013 at 6:32 am
I really love this one. So realistic. Haven’t we all dealt with rude waiters or staff? It’s not a “big” subject, I know, but the small ones, when you really hit the mark, somehow seem “bigger” than all the stories about life-changing events.
It’s great how much detail you put into seemingly stark prose. “Voices droned. Cutlery scraped.” And the fluff… 🙂
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May 12, 2013 at 12:15 pm
Thanks so much Delft. This kind of staff don’t inspire a return visit.
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May 15, 2013 at 5:08 am
At least they got to eat, Tess. And a tale out of it as well… sometimes, meal are so uneventful! 😉 Good story!
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June 8, 2013 at 9:44 pm
So, my guess is a 2-star, if the food arrives without spittle.
xxx
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June 10, 2013 at 6:51 pm
Not great service and the poor guy was already in trouble. Nice to see you, Red.
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