Feeding Mom

Friday was so beautiful with the clear, cool weather we decided to go to Stillwater for lunch and shopping.  "Where shall we eat?" I asked my husband as we drove along, to which he answered, "Well, I have a coupon for a free chicken sandwich at Chick Fil A, we could eat there."

Normally, that is one of my favorite places, but I said, "Why not Olive Garden? We could make it an early Mother's Day lunch, since everything will be crowded on Sunday."  Howard was agreeable, and soon we were looking over lunch selections on the menu, deciding on the soup, salad and bread sticks we always enjoy.

The waitress brought our order promptly, and I was all set to relish the savory soup. I was immediately disappointed when I tasted that the soup wasn't hot.  In fact, it was barely warmer than lukewarm. Howard said his wasn't hot, either.  We were hungry, so we began to eat it anyway.  Later, when the waitress came by and asked how we were doing, I told her about the soup.

"Would you like me to bring you another bowl?" she offered, and we both said yes.  After a while, it seemed none was forthcoming, and pretty soon a manager came by and apologized, saying we would have some fresh soup right away.  Then another manager-type appeared and was very solicitous, promising to heat the soup and bring us a new bowl.  This she did, accompanied this time by the other manager, still profusely apologizing.

"You will not have to pay for this lunch," the lady in charge informed us. And in fact," she said, "here is a gift-card for another meal later on."

"Well," I said, "this was for Mother's Day, so I guess the next one can be for Father's Day!"  She laughed and said, "Yes, Mother's Day and Father's Day is on us!"

When we got home and checked the mail, I saw an envelope that looked like a Mother's Day card. Sure enough, it was from our oldest son, Mark, who had included a gift-card from Cracker Barrel, good for a meal or shopping!

This morning, I got a call from daughter Amy, who said she was sending me a Mother's Day gift-card on line, and wondered if I liked Olive Garden or Cracker Barrel best.  She laughed when I told her I already had one from both places, so I made a selection from another restaurant.

I was blessed with many thoughtful remembrances for Mother's Day.  I loved the phone calls, cards, gifts, and flowers. I think our town may have to add more eating places, though, to accommodate my business!