I frequent a local Coney island restaurant twice a week for breakfast. I've got to know the head waitress there and we get along very well, always kidding and teasing each other.
Those who know me know that I'm a smartass... a kidder... but rarely a schmuck. I walked in to the restaurant today and saw my fav. waitress standing just inside the kitchen doorway. I walked over and poked my head into the kitchen joking about how "You should never look inside the kitchen of the restaurant you're eating at." All tongue-in-cheek. Of course she says how clean the place is and jokingly I ask "No rats or cockroaches the size of armadillos?" An older couple seated nearby overheard me and laughed at my wisecrack as did my friend and the cook.
Oh, but the owner was not so amused. An immigrant and not very good with English, he didn't understand I was joking. He darts out to confront me in from of all the customers yelling at me "If I'm not happy eating here, then just leave. You're always complaining about something"... blah-blah-blah. Not true BTW. Towering over him and out weighing him by about 150 lbs., I got really pissed and jumped right down his throat. "MOCKERY... do you understand the word?" No replies. "EXACTLY, you do not understand that I was just joking with my friend (waitress), so shut the fuck up AND DON'T EVER CONFRONT ME IN PUBLIC LIKE THAT AGAIN."
He went on blabbing about how he doesn't like my attitude which sounded to me like white noise with an accent. Not wanting to make a further scene and more importantly not to get my friend in any trouble, I sat down to order my breakfast. My waitress friend was obviously concerned about the situation from the look on her face.
I quitely sat and eat my breakfast (which BTW seemed to have extra large proportions on this particular day - thanks cook) and every time I looked up, the owner was standing behind the counter giving me the evil eye. Just as I was finishing-up, I see the owner's wife saying something to my friend who was casting glances my way as they spoke. My friend had a very upset look on her face. A moment later she went into the ladies restroom and didn't come out. As I got up to pay the bill the owner yells over to me not to come back.
My gut reaction was to say nothing and simply never return. I can just see this tool punishing my waitress friend over all of this. What a total asshole. Oh well, I guess I'm finally going on the diet.
/Mike - 'Making friends & influencing others for more than 50 years.'
posted by RaceDweeb @ 4:15 PM
