Well, We Ate

Father's day 2008
Originally uploaded by Darrell

With my son on the road, Father's Day turned predominantly female. My daughter took my father and me to lunch. My wife and her mother came along. This is the first father's day since my father-in-law passed away. We ate at a popular regional restaurant and like Neil Diamond sang, the feeling was lay-back. This was a good thing because it took almost two hours from the time we walked into the restaurant to walk out.
Not everybody was in a chillin' frame of mind. Our waitress said people from five tables walked out without getting their lunches, so frustrated were they by the slow service. It wasn't her fault, of course, so we treated her kindly and tipped her well.
My theory is that people were forced into groups they wouldn't ordinarily form just because it was Father's Day. Plus those groups were out of their routines and were forced to surrender control of the circumstances. These adults wanted to please their elderly fathers while their young children were getting all squirmy. Tensions matched expectations and people just lost their composure. We saw the restaurant manager endure a face blistering tirade from a guy who had his dad beside him in a wheelchair. You have to figure he was wound tightly to start. His wife tried to calm him down, but he just "gave her the hand."
At our table, everyone got along. I told our server to just keep bringing my father biscuits and beer and we would be fine. She did and we were. When we left, she laughed and said "Happy Father's Day, Biscuits and Beer."
My Dad, sufficiently filled with both, as well as a steaming platter of etouffee, went home to take a nap. I think he had a fine Father's Day indeed.
Fathers' Day affection from my daughter

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