LATE AFTERNOON DINER

Waiting to pay bill.

Bathed in warm setting sunlight

Waitress moves slowly

After visiting dad, Gary and I thought we'd have time to shop for new bed linens at nearby Target. (Oooooh. 600 count Egyptian cotton. I tell myself I need that for the Fibro since it's been acting up and making wearing my necklace too painful to wear. So really nice soft luxury sheets should help, right?) (That's my story....)

Gary was hungry so we went to the sit down restaurant near the Target, a typical family owned place. It was so quiet. One waitress working the tables, a waiter behind the counter, a cook and two busboys, plus the owner behind the cash register. Only 3 or 4 tables occupied, but still the service was slow. More people came in as others left, but we lingered. Too tired I think to eat fast or to move. I know I wasn't up to the noise of shopping. So we remained, dawdle-ing . It took forever for our waitress to take our order, bring our food etc., but neither of us seemed to mind.

I loved looking at the warm yellow light streaming in the west facing windows. The way it bathed the owner, bored, standing by the cash register. The way it made the faux wall panels glow like lightly burnished gold. The way it lay on the customers like a light coverlet, dampening conversation. The way it reminded me of a lazy summer day, sitting out under a big shady elm with nothing to do but enjoy sittin'.

Although this fading sunlight streamed into an ordinary restaurant, the color transported the diners to a place and time far away from the day's cares and worries, if only for a little time. Soon it would be time to rejoin the rat race, but for a few moments, it was enough to just be in the moment, and nothing else.