Cafe Confusion

Something funny happened the other day and I thought I'd blog about it. It struck me as VERY funny, I just hope I can communicate it that way!

Four friends and I decided to go to our favorite french cafe for lunch after our Wednesday morning ladies' Bible study. (It's like Panera Bread, but the real deal!!!) Two of my friends have toddlers, so we went to the cafe looking for seating for a total of 7 people: 5 adults and 2 children.

The not-so-large cafe was almost full, but upon entering, we saw two open tables next to each other, positioned in a corner against a wall (see picture). There were two chairs, but also a bench seat which could easily seat 3. Not enough seats for everyone, but our friend Whitney and her daughter Brooke weren't there yet, so at least we could all sit down with the hopes of another table opening up shortly. We asked the waitress to clean off the tables for us, which she kindly did.

Seated at the table next to us was an old lady. As we went to sit down, she said something to us in German. No one was really listening when she started to talk, so we didn't catch everything she was saying to us. My friend, Peggy, caught the most though and understood that she was asking us to seat 3-year-old Zach on the bench seat against the wall. In the moment, the request didn't make sense (especially to 4 American women), but we kind of shrugged and sat Zach in the corner. Once we were all seated, I began to say something to our group to which the old lady immediately started waving her arm around and telling me I was speaking to loudly. Shocked (and yet not . . . I am often loud), I lowered my voice, but in that moment, it clicked to me why she had told us (not asked us) to seat Zach in the corner. It was the seat furthest from her! She didn't want him near her!! - most likely because he would make noise or be a disturbance in some way. Now I was miffed. I can handle a rebuke about my volume, but I cannot tolerate people who are mean or harsh with children.

A few moments later, three tables opened up in a different section. Wanting to get away from Miss Crotchety Pants, we decided to move. We would be out of her way and there were enough seats for when our other friends arrived. I asked the waitress if it would be okay if we moved to get some more space. I also asked if she would please clear the new tables off. She quickly complied and we all moved locations.

As we were in the awkward process of moving though, a couple came into the cafe and snatched up one of the three tables! Now we were faced with a conundrum. Do we move or do we stay? We decided to move because it would still get us away from our cranky neighbor. After much bustling about, we were all soon seated at the two tables. This time, Zach had to be on his mommy's lap. We decided to simply pull up one extra chair to one of our tables for Whitney and Brooke when they arrived. Brooke could sit on her mommy's lap as well. They arrived within a minute or two and we all placed drink orders with our patient waitress.

The seven of us were finally all together, but it was cramped. We knew the kids weren't going to be happy for long and the moms weren't going to be comfortable eating. As we sat pondering better solutions and waiting for our drinks, the old lady left the cafe! This now opened up PLENTY of seats in our original corner of the cafe!! Peggy gave the word: "Let's go!" So we moved again. I think we all felt some uncomfortability with this decision though. All total in this tiny cafe, there are probably ten tables and every single patron is now staring at the high-maintenance Americans. We did it though. We transitioned again. After all, our church is made up of very transient people. ;-)

Excitedly, we grab the lady's table and slide it over until it's adjacent to the other two, and all sit down. Suddenly someone notices that though the lady is gone, her coat and scarf are still setting on the bench seat! She's coming back!! Horrified, we all look at each other and start laughing. What do we do?! She's going to be so ticked off! So, we all squish together as tightly as possible and move her table back to where it was. We do not all fit well into this space. In fact, it's less comfortable now than it was at our previous location. About ready to give up and go to McDonald's (where we probably should've gone in the first place with two toddlers), a couple enters the cafe, approaches the old lady's table and asks us if it's free. We shake our heads. "No, the lady sitting there is coming back." After about 15 minutes in the bathroom, the lady finally returns to her table, collects her things and leaves, giving us a look of disdain on her way out.

We ended up truly enjoying our lunch and our time together. So, was it worth it?? I'd say yes. And it's a funny memory. Do I want to repeat it in the near future. Nope, not really. ;-) The little french cafe is great for 2 or 3 ladies. McDonald's is better if kids are in the equation. Why do Americans choose to eat so often at McDonald's?? This is why. McDonald's is forgiving.