266 - Noisy At Joe's

If tomorrow was to be a traditional wedding, then this evening would have been the rehearsal dinner.  Those who made it into town in time converged on Joe's Crab Shack for drinks, dinner and laughs.  I was at the table with Carol and Sue, and thus started to get to know them.  Kelly Anne was on the other side of the table, but it was almost too noisy to talk.  Tim showed up late, pulling a "Doris" on us - he didn't order any food, just ate what folks couldn't finish.  It was funny.

The table next to ours had a birthday, and some of the wait staff came over with a cake to sing Happy Birthday.  After our plates had been cleared, I got up and talked to Jenna, our waitress, in another part of the restaurant, explaining what tonight was.  Told her that even though this was non-traditional (and not legal), could they recognize it.  Jenna gave me an emphatic YES!  She came over to the table and got Teri and Donna to stand up and sing "You Are My Sunshine."  They didn't have to do it alone, though; we all sang with them.  I think that was the first time I had tears in my eyes.

Someone commented when they sat back down that they didn't get a cake.  The folks at the other table put a piece of birthday cake on a plate and handed over to T & D.  How cool is that!  It went around the tables so all 18 people could take a bite.

It was awesome to make some new friends and start the celebration.

TTFN!

An addendum to the above post:  After the singing, D made the comment, "Susan, I still teach in this town" (or something like that).  Unfortunately, that brought reality back into the evening, and while we were in the back of the restaurant, I hoped I didn't jepordize her job by having them recognized.  It pisses me off that it can still happen - that someone could lose their job simply because of who they love.