by Jeannette Berndsen
MY HUSBAND and I drive in the direction of Orlando. At some point we decide to get off the Turnpike for a lunch stop at some inviting looking restaurant.
We step inside, are led to a nice table and the waiter asks us what we want to drink. We order a glass of wine and a glass of water. I sit facing the kitchen and notice the busy talking and walking. How hard can our order be?
We sit and chat pleasantly and don’t think about the time. Suddenly the waiter stands in front of us and says there is a problem. There is no corkscrew in the building, someone took it home, but everything will be fine. After another twenty minutes or so, the waiter returns to our table and tells us that there is still no corkscrew. My husband has a solution. In the car he keeps a Swiss knife that comes with a corkscrew. He walks to the car and retrieves it. The waiter is relieved.
A moment later, someone else comes to our table and tells us that no one can get the cork out. My husband offers to try it himself. Meanwhile, we are having plenty of fun with this. Wim opens the bottle and yes, we get our wine.
We eat a delicious meal and ask for the check. Now a nervous waitress walks up to us. The wine is not listed; we got it as a freebie. For a very fun lunch, surely that was really sweet. We paid and tipped her nicely.
* Jeannette Berndsen is an artist in West Palm Beach, Florida.
