Yesterday I worked at the cart, and it was moderately busy.

Brisk.

It was fine, I was working with the sullen young man, that broods silently about whatever it is that fills his mighty mind, and keeps mostly to himself.

While this is not my most favorite model of work, he and I get a lot done and are typically quite successful.

He thinks I am old and resents me not allowing him to play his electronic music, and I find him insufferably young and cranky and am happy that I can play the old lady card and nix the music.

It is a delicate balance, but we make it work for five hours a week.

Yesterday, we were dealing with a new system of take out, a new venture by Uber, where you order food online and an Uber driver picks it up and drives it to you.

You can eat out while in your pajamas.

Hooray.

People have been doing this for decades with pizza and Chinese, but this is branching out to all the foods in the whole wide world.

It is a terrific concept, but it was new to us, and new to the drivers and there was this chirping and chiming ipad to contend with, rather than real people calling in their orders.

All the while our regulars, in all their hungover glory,
all the families with hungry children
young people in love,
elderly picky eaters,
each and every one, kept right on coming, all through the dinging and chiming.

 All through the chirping and tweeting, time marched on and the tickets piled up and the people had ten thousand questions, and we lovingly answered every single one, because that is what we do, we cook and serve with

l o v e.    

We remember who likes extra syrup, and who adds bacon to the sausage and who likes their things extra crispy.  

Then the new guy let the bacon run out, and surly dude and I gritted our teeth and steeled our nerves and worked through it.

"I was thinking you made those preemptive eggs too early, but they are almost gone"  

Is the closest thing to a compliment he said to me all day. 

And at some point there was a fellow named Kyle that ordered online and his driver was a little confused and needed to use the restroom, and I was feeling very nervous because I had made Kyle the most beautiful, breathtakingly gorgeous sweet treat in universe with whipped cream and berries and I just could not square that with the restroom, but there it was. I suggested he leave the bag, or better yet RUSH the food to it's recipient, pronto, and the hint was received.

My blood pressure rose and rose as I watched the driver wander around and around and eventually tramp off into the fog.

Naturally there was nothing I could do, but it disturbed me greatly.