It was one of those extraordinarily perfect evenings as a server. The weather was beautiful, the greeters were seating me in a perfect flow and my assistant and I were sharing laugh after laugh together. And the real kicker? Everyone I waited on was amazingly charismatic and friendly not only with me but also with the other guests at the tables surrounding them. It was quite bizarre really. It was the kind of night that can be very rare in our industry; therefore, definitely noteworthy.
I could write about several different tables full of amazing people I had on this one unexpected evening. But there was one table that stood out above all of the rest.
This gem of a table was a two-top consisting of a male and a female who clearly were not a couple. The male was donning a wedding ring and the female, well… she was wearing a sports jacket and some type of slacks, complete with loafers and a rather short hair-do. Let’s just say the female was more interested in checking me out.
They were one of the first tables of my night and one of the last ones to leave. They ordered like it was their last royal meal on Planet Earth: multiple courses of food, bottles of fine wine and they kept the cocktails flowing. She kept saying to him, “Order what you want. The boss is paying.” Eventually I had to speak up, “I want to work for your boss! They seem pretty awesome if they will pay for food and drinks. I don't see that very often.” The lady in the sports jacket spoke up, “Well that’s because I'm the boss.” They both laughed. Oh. Gotcha. Apparently you are The Boss.
I could tell The Boss liked me. Like... really liked me. Like if she could've had it her way she would have taken me home that night. To set the record straight (pun very much intended) I am not a lesbian. But being the fun and outgoing woman I am, I couldn’t help myself but to play along.
And what a playful ride it was.
The Boss couldn’t help herself but to grab my attention every time I walked by. I know she wished she were actually grabbing something else besides my attention. She stopped me with questions like, “So what other cocktails are popular? Where are you from? What do you do to stay in shape?” Yes, the questions quickly went from business to personal. And once it went personal, it really never went back to business (expect for discussions regarding what cocktail to order next or what ideal food course I recommended). At some point she even asked if my assistant and I had something going on. Perhaps just for the visual? It was a fun and somewhat twisted flirtatious ride I will admit. But the playfulness was innocent. And whatever makes my day more interesting I’m always game.
At one point in the evening I had to divert my attention to a different table because there was a fellow hotel employee who was there to celebrate his birthday. He was a dramatic one who loved to talk and keep me at his table as well. After a good five minutes at the employee’s table I finally got away. When I walked by The Boss she joked, “Umm, who is he and why is he getting all of your attention. We don’t like him.” They both laughed and she continued, “No seriously. We don’t ever want you to go back to that table ever again.”
Wow. I never knew I could be such a hot commodity as a server. At that point, I had two tables competing for my attention. Hash tag best night ever.... or perhaps has tag attention whore is more fitting?
After their dessert was finished, The Boss decided to order after-dinner drinks. She told me, “I’m not ready to leave this site yet.” Damn! As our conversation got more personal, she asked me about my hobbies. I told her I was a writer and had a blog. Eventually I gave in and told her the blog was about the service industry and the people I wait on. She immediately asked for the website and began reading.
When it was finally time to drop the check, I felt like I'd practically lived through my first date with a lesbian. She looked at me and said, “Well, I don't want you to write anything bad about me on your blog so I guess I'd better tip you well!” I laughed and told her I'd never write anything bad about her. She'd been nothing short of spectacular to wait on. That being said, she left me a 30% tip on the credit card receipt and, in addition, $100 cash. Epic.
Perhaps I should tell everyone I wait on I have a blog about the people I wait on. This could seriously work in my favor.
She gave me a hug goodbye. I could honestly say I was sad to see her go. When I walked back into the side station my assistant said she faked grabbing my booty during the hug, then just put her hand on my back like a gentleman… I mean like a lady.
Its nights like this one that I thoroughly love my job. Because it’s all about the people we meet as servers. If every shift could be as terrific and memorable as this one, this would be the best job in the world (and not to mention I’d have a lot more stories to write about).
So thank you Boss. Thank you for being you and for providing my readers and myself a great story.
And now you'll officially be remembered in cyberspace as well. ~ HK ~
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