Photo by Derek Duran on Unsplash
Lily parked her car across the street from the restaurant where she was meeting Diane at 11:30 for lunch.
A line of people trailed from the closed door in front of the restaurant. Wow, that place was popular. Everybody loved a good sushi place, especially one that uses the fresh seafood and produce of California.
The pedestrian light turned green and Lily crossed the street. Cars quickly lined up at the perpendicular red traffic light.
Busy street.
Diane was in line, punching something into her cell phone as Lily walked up. Lily, at 5 feet 7 inches, felt like a lighthouse next to Diane’s 5 feet 3-inch frame. Diane was dressed in a tan one-piece short suit and an expensive pair of black sandals. She looked cute, but Lily wasn’t brave enough to wear such a revealing outfit with her long, slender legs and hour-glass figure. After all, she was 66 years old, and she didn’t think she should be wanting that kind of attention.
Precisely at 11:30, a woman dressed all in black unlocked the restaurant’s door. The line moved quickly as two slender hostesses led people to empty tables set with white cloth napkins and tiny plates.
Lily and Diane were given a corner table from where they could view the whole dining room. The north wall, covered in windows, let in a profusion of natural light without the distraction of the bright sun.
A pleasant place for lunching.
Before they could look at the menu, a busser brought a bottle of water and two glasses and set them on the table.
“Your waiter, Lenny, will be right with you,” he said, smiling shyly.
Lily smiled brightly to let him know that she appreciated the water. She nodded her head.
“Tell him to hurry,” said Diane in a brusque voice, rapidly patting the table. “We’re hungry.” She grabbed a menu, opened it and started reading. “What’s good?”
Lily felt her heart sink as she watched the busser negatively react to Diane’s comments. Diane didn’t even seem to notice how rude she sounded. Lily opened her menu.
“I’ve had several of the sushi rolls before. At the top of page two are the spicy versions. Page one lists tempura and noodle dishes,” said Lily, hiding her red face behind the menu. She swallowed before lowering her menu.
“I came here for sushi, not tempura and noodles,” said Diane, continuing to scan her menu like a judge evaluating testimony.
Lily poured water into a glass and put in it front of Diane, who nodded her head in return. Lily then poured herself some water and took a tiny sip of it. She placed her glass quietly on the table and, again, picked up her menu.
The two women read their menus quietly for a minute. Lily decided that she would have the salmon sushi roll that she had ordered before. It was a little spicy but not too hot.
Lenny walked up to the table and smiled. “I’m Lenny, and I’ll be your waiter today. May I start you off with drinks?”
Lily opened her mouth to speak, but Diane interrupted her. “Bring me an iced tea,” she said, sounding like a drill sergeant in front of her platoon, her eyes still focused on her menu.
Lenny’s eyes opened wide for a brief second before he punched the order into his tablet. He then turned to Lily with his smile.
“And you?” he asked her.
“I’m just fine with water, but I’d love a lemon if you have one,” said Lily. She looked into the waiter’s face as she spoke, smiling with dimples.
“Of course,” said Lenny. “I’ll be right back with your lemon and iced tea.” He turned and left.
When Lenny returned, he asked them if they were ready to order their lunch. He turned to take Lily’s order first.
“Bring me a salmon sushi roll and a Hamachi sushi roll,” said Diane, staring at page two of the menu.
“Oh,” started Lenny turning away from Lily and toward Diane “A salmon and Hamachi sushi roll.”
“I want two separate rolls. One is to be made with salmon and the other made with Hamachi. Did you get that right?” asked Diane, looking up at Lenny with a sneer. After speaking, she pursed her lips.
“Yes, I understand,” said Lenny, his smile turning down into a straight line. Slowly, he turned away from Diane toward Lily.
“What would you like?” he asked, his green eyes losing their gleam.
“May I please have a salmon roll,” said Lily, lighting up her smile again. She hoped he could feel her appreciation.
“Anything else?” he asked, his eyes lighting up once more.
“No, that’s enough for me,” Lily replied. “Thank you.”
Lenny turned quickly on his heal and paced toward the kitchen door. Lily saw him take a deep breath before disappearing out of view.
Lily folded her hands in her lap and turned to look at Diane, searching for a topic of conversation.
“I love your outfit,” she said to Diane.
“Oh, thanks. I got this at Talbots. Betty and I both bought one. Betty got the blue one and I bought tan.
“I’m not brave enough to wear anything like that,” Lily said.
“Why not?” asked Diane.
Lily didn’t want to tell Diane that she didn’t think the outfit was appropriate for someone in their sixties. Diane was two years older than her. She’d probably take offense to that.
“Well, I feel it would be too revealing on me, replied Lily. “I’d be self-conscious.”
Diane sneered openly. “Why’s that? If it looks good, you should wear it.”
“What I meant was,” started Lily, “is that, since I have such long legs, it would be too revealing.” Lily hoped Diane wouldn’t think she was insinuating anything about her. She couldn’t endure Diane’s mood when she became snippy.
“That’s so sad,” said Diane. “I feel sorry for you.”
Lily’s heart sank at Diane’s condescending comment. She wasn’t enjoying this lunch at all.
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