Colorful Cousin
My sister and I made a day trip out of town to rendezvous with one of our first cousins. Actually, Mom had sent us on a mission to get discounted toiletries although the former math teacher in me questioned whether the savings held up, considering we traveled nearly four hours roundtrip. The gas expenditure alone (because Mom DEFINITELY wouldn’t have paid us for our time!) may have possibly eaten into that savings.
Originally, Mom suggested that we meet at a gas station, followed by her second suggestion: in the parking lot of a popular dinner theater. After hearing all this, I thought, “What’s with all this ‘parking lot’ shit?”
It’s not as if we were making a drug deal or selling otherwise things acquired by ill-gotten means. My cousin had bought things on sale to resale to Mom at cost.
We hadn’t seen our cousin since the family reunion at the end of June. As enjoyable as that event was, we wanted a mini reunion while enjoying an early seafood dinner.
I was starving by the time we arrived since I’d skipped lunch just to ensure I’d have an appetite. I love supporting local mom and pop restaurants. Usually the local flavor and charming staff make such places. As soon as we walked in, we were hit with both. From the prominent sign displaying the mixed seafood and Greek specials to our server whose tip-enhancing generosity and sassy sense of humor entertained us throughout our visit.
When we told her that we wanted a piece of key lime pie to share, she asked, “How’s that going to be shared four ways?” Took my cousin, sister and me a few moments to realize that she was including herself in that count.
When my cousin said she didn’t like her side of lima beans and wanted to replace them with hushpuppies, the server not only brought my cousin a generous helping, but at the end of our meal, the server provided a to-go box full of them to gift my cousin.
At one point, I asked the server what her name was. Her response: “What, you lost yours?”
Nearly everything about the food was delicious with the notable exceptions of stuff crabs with too much bread and flounder that lacked seasoning. The hushpuppies alone could have been a meal, if you’re inclined to eat just one thing.
When checking out, we queued up at the register to pay for our dinner individually. The owner himself rang us up. With me, he gave me a miniature Hershey’s milk chocolate bar, saying that he was giving it to me because I was 19. He attempted to gift my cousin a Mr. Goodbar, but she protested, handing it to my sister, saying that she wanted a milk chocolate as well. Of course, my sister didn’t care what she got because chocolate is its own reward.
We hugged in the parking lot and headed back. That was the perfect way to spend a beautiful Saturday, running an errand for Mom.