And He'll Have...

This past weekend I was in Chicago with my daughter. On Saturday we had breakfast at The Original Pancake House. The line to be seated formed down a long hall. It is a popular breakfast establishment on Chicago's north side. One of the signs on the wall said, Your Entire Party Must Be Present in Order to be Seated. There was a smartly dressed older woman behind us, and she was by herself.

The hostess seated us, then she seated the woman near us. I overheard the woman give her order to the waitress and then say, "And he'll have a poached egg, toast, and oatmeal." But, there was no "he" in the chair. Only her coat and hat in the seat across from her. I think this additional order caught our waitress off guard. I know it caught me off guard. Throughout breakfast she read the Tribune. When she had finished her breakfast she had his now cold food boxed to take with her.

Her meal with "him" was to hold a memory of how she had always spent her Saturday mornings. Having breakfast with the man she loved––and still loves.