My club sandwich arrived with chips and a pickle spear. I jettisoned the pickle before it could poison anything and stared across the room at nothing in particular. There was an unread newspaper under my plate now and a chair full of ungraded tests next to me. I was wasting time and doing so at a high rate of speed.

The waitress returned shortly with a pitcher of iced tea in one hand and the other on her hip- backhanded-palm facing out. She had a funny grin on her face-her head turned to one side-watching me-

You doing surgery here?

I looked down and noticed I had removed one of those party toothpicks from the bread and was tossing chips around my plate with it. It was one of those picks with swirls of cellophane on one end. I had not even realized I was doing it, so I grinned as I looked down, then back at her.

"Yes, I guess I am-nothing serious though-minor adjustments"

I tried to gauge her reaction, but she was looking away as she poured the tea. She had short red hair and and pale skin. It was difficult to draw any conclusions about her figure because of the loose fitting shortsleeve shirt and the polyester pants. Before I could ask her anything-she was off-heading back toward the kitchen.

I went back to half eating-half dreaming and had finished most of the meal when I hear her voice again, this time behind my back-reaching over my shoulder-

Here's some reinforcements...

as she tossed a handful of the toothpicks next to my plate.

"Hey, thanks-it should go well now" -as I turned around -she was close enough now I could see that her eyes were smiling in my direction-she was curious I could tell.

Well, I try and help, when I can...voice trailing off as she walked away-quick steps in red high top sneakers (These were cute!).

I stacked up the unfinished work and my paper and wondered if I should say anything as I left-should I ask when she got off work-her number-what?

Then, she is back again, with an unordered piece of apple pie with another blue stick in it -in between the pie and the spear were two small green squares of paper- she just smiled as she walked away (was that a wink?)

First piece-(the bill)-

clb. san. w/ t. -6.94

second piece - Mare 458-3333

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