Massimo picked me up from art class. Disheveled and hungry, we headed for home.
"Can we stop at Taco Time?" I asked. "I'm starving."
Massimo pulled in and parked. I had assumed we'd take the drive through, but eating in the car is not how Massimo rolls. We walked in at 3 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon.
"Hi," a voice boomed from behind the counter. "How's your day going?"
"Good," I replied and then caught myself. I'm trying to be more present. Too often, I place my order without making eye contact, pay, and walk away as if I wasn't really talking to a person. I know he's saying what's he's supposed to say, but I do like to go off-script. "How are you?" I asked and made eye contact.
The man looked to be in his mid-50s, had a dark beard with strands of gray, weathered skin, and about a foot taller than me.
Surprised, he asked me to repeat myself.
"Not bad, not bad. It's the start of my shift so..."
"So far so good then, right?"
I ordered my beef soft taco, no sour cream, and listened as the man talked about life in general. It appeared that I'd opened his flood gates. Massimo took the cup for water and went to fill it.
The man put another cup out and said we should each have a cup. His finger circled his computer screen, and he continued to talk about who knows what until he finally announced my total.
I heard him, but didn't think much about it. I slid my card, took my receipt and stepped aside while I waited.
"That's odd," I said to Massimo. "My taco costs less here than in Burien. I'd think it would be the other way around."
Massimo looked at my receipt.
"I think the guy likes you. He's obviously flirting."
"Oh stop. He's just chatty," I said. "Besides I'm with you, and I look atrocious."
"He gave you a discount."
I looked at the receipt and grew indignant.
"That's horrible!" I said as we walked out the door. Clearly not offended enough to get my order straight. "Why would he do that?!"
"It's probably the only discount he's allowed to do with calling the manager."
"I'm not even 50. I do not look like I should be getting the senior citizen discount! AARP hasn't even contacted me, and they're always the first." I got into the car. "That's not nice. That's mean." But it didn't stop me from tearing into my taco as soon as my seatbelt was on.