My mother used to joke about eating two breakfasts: one before going
to the pool in the morning, and the other afterwards. She called them
Breakfast 1 and Breakfast 2.
This morning, I remembered that. Breakfast 1 and breakfast 2. I had
just stepped off the bus and walked into Yummy Donut. The staff all
greeted me because they all know me now. A donut shop is like a bar:
when you find a good one, you keep going, and it becomes something
about which you are loyal. They are your friends. An anchor of
familiarity amidst a sea of chaos. Or insanity.
The lady who usually takes my order has a habit of upselling. She's
a good salesperson. She knows the things I usually order, and will
always ask if I'd like to add one of the more expensive things that I
like. She knows her customer.
She has, on occasion, asked me if I wanted two of something, then
smiled as if joking. I laugh it off, tell her, 'maybe next time,' and
that's the end of it.
Today, I ordered the breakfast croissant with bacon. It's... well, it
has bacon, so that should say it all. It's damn delicious. But it's
also $USD 5.00, so it's an item she would tend to upsell. And she did
this morning, though with a twist. When I asked for one, she replied,
"What about your friend? You want one for your friend, too?"
I tilted my head the way a dog does when you make a strange sound. My
friend? Was she serious? She wasn't smiling the usual way when she was
joking. "What friend?"
She replied, matter-of-factly, "The one you talk to. Over there,"
pointing to the table where I usually sit.
Ah. THAT friend. The one no one else can see.
I hesitated to ask, but I had to know. "Have I done that before? Have
I bought two sandwiches?" I had no recollection of doing so.
She smiled. "I sorry. I don't mean to make fun."
I smiled back, "No, that's okay. I'm curious, have I bought two
sandwiches before? Have I ever done that? I can't remember."
She said no. She felt bad. I could tell. I said, "Listen, it's okay. I
know that I do that, and it's okay. Some day I introduce you to my
friend," and I smiled.
She smiled back. I wanted her to know that I can joke about it. That
it's okay to mention my friend.
In this case, she's talking about several friends, but she wouldn't
know. I mean, if you see someone carrying on a conversation alone, you
would guess that they are either having a phone conversation via a
very tiny bluetooth device, or they are talking to someone who's not
there. You would likely not guess that the are talking to more than
one person, or that it's a different person on some days than on
others.
I sat with my sandwich and orange juice, then looked across the table
at Jonathan. He was staring back at me. I asked, "You didn't want any,
did you?"
He laughed. "No, because you'll just end up eating it all yourself."
