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Friday 12 September 2008

Musical Chairs is for Kids!

This post, like my house, contains no spiders. I'm not sure if that is a relief or a disappointment for you dear readers but lets read on and find out.

So Thursday was my first day back after two days off, it was my Monday if you will. I was feeling chipper, chummy was dead and safely lodged in the bin and my cold thingy had cleared up. Clearly it doesn't take much to make me happy, one dead spider and not being sick and I'm on top of the world ma! I don't often feel chipper but I did have an extra bounce in my step as I walked the very short distance from the taxi to the front door of work.

But alas my chipperness was to be short lived.


like that
but male and sixty years old



"Hello"

"Ah hello, yes I'd like a table for two please."

"You're not booked this evening sir are you?"

"No, is that a problem?"

"Not at all Sir, follow me this way."

See, I was still chipper at 6 o'clock. I escorted the seemingly nice man and his seemingly nice daughter, at least I hope it was his daughter - it must have been his daughter, down to a fairly nice table.

"Ah, yes, you're putting us here?"

"Indeed sir." Still smiling.

"Yes, yes, I'd rather we sat over there", he pointed to one of the prized lovely tables beside the window.

"Alas Sir that table is already spoken for." I really do speak like that when I'm feeling chipper, or sarcastic.

"But there is no one on it." He still hadn't sat down.

"Yes but Sir it is reserved and they will be here shortly." I still had a song in my heart and a smile on my face.

"Well if that's the way it is......" and they took their seats. I got their drink order and skipped of to get it from the bar. I rarely skip these days so it was a welcome change in walks. I lifted the tray and headed to the table. But what's this........?

They had only gone and swapped seats! Not a fucking chance matey! Musical chairs is for kids parties only and anyway the music hadn't stopped. I tracked him down to another table beside the window, not the one he enquired about. This one was also reserved.

"We moved seats." No shit Sherlock!

"Yes I see that but this one is also reserved." Still smiling, maybe only half smiling but still chipper on the inside.

"Reserved? How could it be? You said that other table was reserved!"

He was getting a bit too vocal for my liking. And a bit spitty round the mouth too, I mean I actually had to wipe some off my shirt. He was like one of those salivating dogs. I'm not sure if this excitement was brought on by the thoughts of the lovely food on the new menu or rather his frustration at not getting the seat he wanted.

"Yes Sir, we do have more than one table reserved this evening. It's actually going to be quite busy what with the concert on nearby.

"Concert?"

I was very fucking tempted to explain what a concert was but thought better of it.

"Yes Sir, some lady singer, popular in the eighties I believe. Anyway Sir I will have to ask you to move back to the first table I sat you on."

"Right!' he exclaimed like a huffy teenager. I escorted them back and told them I would return forthwith to get their order. I wasn't as forthwith in returning to the table as I would have hoped. I was answering stupid questions from stupid people on the phone, "Do we have to book?" Well you are on the frigging phone now so why don't you just go ahead and book!

But when I finally did return to get his order guess what? That's right he was off again on his journey's. Are you fucking kidding me?! This time to the first table he wanted to sit at. I approached the table and before I could get a word out he said,

"Right I'll have the fish and she'll have the chicken and can we get a bottle of Shiraz." For one moment I thought I had entered a parallel universe and not just because of the Shiraz with fish and chicken thing. What was he thinking? Did he think I just wouldn't notice that he had moved three tables over?

"Sir, like I have told you twice already, this table is reserved! You cannot sit here."

"Oh for god sake, but they aren't here!"

"Yes sir I see that too, but they will be here and when they do arrive I am going to sit them right here where you are."

"I would really rather sit here."

"But you can't"

"But I really would prefer it." Oh my god is he pouting his bottom lip? The man had to be 60 if he was a day! And here he was with his daughter pouting his lip in a restaurant because he couldn't get to sit where he wanted. Sweet mother of Gordon Ramsay this was nuts.

And then it got worse.

Waiter chum number one came down and whispered in my ear that, wait for it, the couple that was booked for that table had just cancelled! Now I don't like to give in. I would rather mess myself than lose face. It's a fault I know but there you go. I really didn't want this 60 year old child sitting in a good eat as he had been such a dick about it. But I really didn't have time to be debating the issue either. So I lied. Don't you dare judge me......

"Sir I will let you have this table but if the other couple insist on it I will have to move you. Is that okay?"

'That seems fair."

"Good so it's settled then."

"It is."

And off I stormed. No skipping. Chipperness dissolved. The song in my heart deleted. I went back to check on them during their meal only to discover that he had put on his very large overcoat. Turns out that there was a little draft howling through the seems of the window and obviously he wasn't gonna ask to move seats again.

Bwahahahahahaha! I laughed until the chipperness returned.

It's true what they say, the table is always greener on the other side.

26 People trying to get Manuel's attention:

Megan McGurk said...

You're too nice, Manuel.
Fuck that asshole.
I would have made him move tables or told him to go elsewhere.

Manuel said...

I was so tempted but I really did have other things to be doing......

Anonymous said...

How very dare you, waiter, yes you waiter, have me sit here. Do you know who I am, have you felt my pain, ploughed all I’ve furrowed, done the drugs I’ve done/did. And you ask me, demand of me, that I sit here, in this inauspicious place, how very fucking dare you.
And what did the daughter do while this carried on, did she cringe like Spiderbastard did when you murdered him coldly, or did she beam in a powerful but sick, sad and sick, paternal glow.
Patience is a virtue kid, well done fillet.

Manuel said...

sniffle & cry: she sat there impassive and not bothered at all....it seemed to me that she had been through it all before....bless

Jenny said...

I swear this kind of person is never happy. Even if you had given him the table he wanted without him asking, he would have said he didn't want it. Toxic, stupid people annoy me, but I was laughing by the time I got to the end. As long as YOU'RE Chipper, that's all that matters.

Manuel said...

boxer: Chipper for sure! I should be asleep but I'm too chipper for sleep right now.....

Anonymous said...

Some people are just unbelievable! But in the end he got the cold draft he deserved.But that person on the phone must have been something with all that was going on at the table.So really you had two headaches going on at the same time.You earned your pay tonight!
Does anyone else work there besides you?

savannah said...

i love the fact that the window was drafty! sometimes things have a way of working out in your favor when you least expect it!! xoxox

(by the by, the MITM might have a post up by the weekend)

Silverstar said...

Well, you wanted him to take a chill pill, and I guess he did. Serves him right.

Simon said...

The more I read of these stories, the more I know I could not do your job. I consider myself reasonably patient, (I worked on various help desks for a few years) but just that one situation would have had me inserting something large and angular into that dude. Sainthood beckons Manuel...

Quiet one said...

Arrgh! It's just amazing how some people can be! I don't know how you manage.

By the way, I had my own Spiderbastard and I couldn't sleep until I had found and destroyed him! Your posts about Spiderbastard were so funny and so like my experience. I'm glad I'm not the only who had gone to war against such a beast!

Red said...

DICKHEAD!!
Him, not you, obviously...

Anonymous said...

no way it was his daughter.........

Anonymous said...

the table is always greener on the other side because kids pick their nose and wipe it there.

Manuel said...

steve: yes but very believable! oh yeah there are quite a few of us but I'm like a magnet for the weird, the strange, and the infirm......

savannah: sweet!

silverstar: yes, yes he did. Still I would have liked to give him a touch of the spiderbastard treatment.....

simon: no, no I'm for the other place....

michelle: we should form a spiderbastard support group hehehehe

red hair red face: oh I dunno...

redleeroy: bwahahahahaha! I'm sure it was but she was weird too, never spoke!

sheepo: we have been known to clean the tables from time to time.......

Anonymous said...

An Idea....
Monty Burns type ejector seats on one of the better tables (vip behind screens) & the waiter has the button.
Consider it dangerous dining or a foodie russian roulette. Be nice or else......

Kitty Catastrophe said...

Christ how obnoxious, I hope he got a cold from that draught! I'd have been scarlet if I was the daughter.

Anonymous said...

I used to hate people who played musical chairs:

"Table for 1?"

"Yes, can I have that one?"

"That's reserved for 8 people."

"So?"

Sigh.

Anonymous said...

Have you/Coud you/Would you ever ask someone to leave/ I would be extremely tempted after all that.

Anonymous said...

ah! this is hilarious and happens all too often to me on my side of the pond, my friend! sigh... much luck!

Anonymous said...

What an arsehole. Were you guys swamped for Gloria Estefan?

Anonymous said...

Heh, that was rich. Karma is sweet. Reckon the old codger got what he deserved. You should have done a Manuel on him like spill something.

Lottie said...

This is why I could ever be a waiter (again). I would be locked up in some sanatorium on a harbour after beating the pulp out of this man with a cork screw!

Paddy in BA (Quickroute) said...

you have the patience of a saint - Manuel for pope say!

Manuel said...

anfearbui: one can only dream....

kitty cat: cold? you're too kind.......i'd give him the flu....or worse.....

maxi: it's a heartbreaker every time......

conortje: it takes extreme circumstances and a manager with backbone to back you.....

assinflats: welcome! it's depressing eh?

byw: one couldn't comment.......

sue.c: welcome! yes like coffee.......by the pot load at that.......

lottie: one day.....sooner rather than later....

quickie: no! cult leader......

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