Finishing Our Dinner

On the night of December 7th Liz and I headed out to the mall to pick up a calendar and some premium vanilla. (Hey, it makes a difference.) Liz was, as always, hungry. After some debate we decided that we would stop at a nice restaurant on the way home and have an elegant dinner. The nice thing about dinner at IHOP is that you generally don't need reservations. We were able to sit right down and order our drinks. I was about a quarter of the way through my Coca-Cola, thinking about my steak and eggs which were soon to arrive when Liz said, "Uh, I think my water just broke." Thirteen hours later Thomas was born. So tonight we returned to IHOP to finish our dinner. It was, as always, IHOPilicious. Our waiter, who was not the same waiter as we had four weeks ago, remembered us. Not surprising I guess; it was a noteworthy event. I mean the nurses at the hospital kept calling Thomas the IHOP baby, which just goes to show that all anecdotes should not be shared at all times. Anyway .... Tonight we were seated next to an elderly couple. At one point the woman, who was sitting with her back to us, arose to head for the restroom. As she turned to walk she saw Thomas sleeping quietly in his infant carrier. Her face brightened and she immediately launched into stories about her own three children, now grown and gone. She was sweet, friendly and clearly enamored with Thomas. Aren't we all. After two brief chats (one going and one coming) we both continued on with our dinners. The elderly couple finished before we did and as the woman walked away to the door the man stopped at our table and said, "My wife doesn't remember, but we were here that night." Then he smiled and walked away.