Just your typical after church crowd jammed into the lobby of the Perkins Restaurant in Ames this morning. It’s mostly an older crowd who know the drill, searching for an incognito place to stand while waiting for the adorable hostess with a voice like the reverb of a shotgun, to call your name.

The petite older lady (so older than 69) backs up next to “HIM” and starts chatting. (I do not participate in stranger chatter if at all possible). Until I hear “Him” say something about if we could move the heavy cupboards over so she could wedge in beside him. It was a typically kind and innocent comment made by my husband of many years trying to comfort the older lamb who didn’t want to be in the way. I was now on high alert and stifled a full-on Nina laugh.

It was a lovely breakfast of eggs, pancakes and bacon which I devoured while trying to figure out the dynamics of an adjacent table and booth containing 9 people who came in together. I had watched while they had to quickly decide amongst themselves how they were going to self divide so the waitress could distribute menus and get on with it. 6 of them squeezed uncomfortably on two sides of the table and 3 sat in the booth across from them. My brain was entertained with the dynamics and the simple question…. WHY.

Time to leave….as I was heaving myself out of the booth I knocked over my 1/2 glass of water and ice which landed on my ever-patient husband who then had to walk through the throngs of people still waiting to be seated. It wasn’t until we got in the car that I realized my napkin had been dangling from the leg of my skort and he brought it around mentioning his pant legs were wet…we both lost it in fits of giggles.

…and then it all became clear, the table of 9 could feel our vibe in the beginning and only let the strongest 3 of the group sit close to us.

Until next time….