Inspired by RDP Thursday: EJECT

My Grandfather and my Nan used to like to take drives on Sundays and I was always invited to go along with them.

Depending on where we were, we would stop for a bathroom break at a gas station ( where I was instructed to not touch any of the fixtures with my bare hands, but to use a paper towel ). Then we would stop at a diner for lunch.

My favorite diner was miles out of town and the waitress taught the glory of topping my apple pie with warm melted cheddar cheese on the top.

Nan used to insist I wear a nice dress and she reminded me when we got into the car and and when we stopped to do a little sight seeing to ‘remember my manners and before the car door slammed shut she said  ” I expect you to leave your wild and  heathen ways at home ‘.

I promised because I loved to our rides and I especially loved apple pie with warm cheddar cheese on the top.

On one of our rides we ended up at my favorite diner and after I polished off my meatloaf and mashed potatoes ( in those days nobody cared if you liked to eat your ground beef rare, so that’s the way I ate it and I was waiting for my apple pie, a family was seated at the booth behind us.

There was a Mom and a Dad and two little boys about my age. The entire family was loud- loud in dress and voice and they smelled bad too. The boys fidgeted, crawled under the table and every time they crawled back into their seats ,  they pushed against the back of the booth and I got bumped forward.

I think they were down there trying to pick bubblegum off of the underside of the tables.

I slammed my fork down and  i seethed.

One of the boys, I think he was a little older then me walked by me  on his way to the restroom and then he looked down at my delicious dessert.

” What is that on  your pie? Puke? Or is it snot? ”

I stared down into my plate but I looked up through my bangs and watched him make his way down the little hall to the restrooms at the back of the diner.

I excused myself to use the restroom and before my Grandfather reminded me to not touch any of the fixtures with my bare hands, my Nan handed me her leather gloves and the little knife she always kept in her handbag with the goat’s head on top of the  handle.

Nan didn’t remind me to leave my wild heathen ways at home and luckily  this time I  brought them along with me.