The Gentleman and his Absent Wife...

[dys167]

One evening I walked up to greet my table. A gentleman sitting by himself, but clearly still waiting for a joiner.

I mentioned the features and he said he'd have a wine while waiting for his wife who was running a little late.

After bringing him his wine, he said his wife had just called. Apparently she was running a little late, but had instructed her husband to order for her. And so he did including a glass of wine that I could bring to the table so she'd have it when she arrived. He also asked me to place the order as his wife would be in almost immediately.

Ten minutes went by and their food came up. I ran it to the table and it was still just the gentleman by himself. His wife was here, he said, but just in the washroom. He ordered himself another wine which I brought out shortly after.

And there was still no sign of his wife.

I was closing that night and finishing off my closing duties, and at this time was in and out of the dining room quite frequently. At some point I checked back on the gentleman, my only table. He was almost done. His wife's plate was missing perhaps a couple of bites, but her wine glass was empty.

"She's just in the washroom again", the gentleman said, "she'll have another wine though". I brought it out and returned to my clsoing duties.

Some time went by, I'm still busy attending to my clsoing duties, and am called over to the table.

"You know, my wife had to leave", he said, "she'll have her food wrapped up though..."

Both wine glasses were now empty.

He paid for his bill and left with the leftovers.

I was left doubting myself. I was reasonably sure that his wife never showed up, but judging by his actions and the course of his stay with us, there was room for doubt.

It wasn't until a couple of months later, when he came in again and did the exact same thing, that I knew it wasn't me, but clearly him.

[agnes]

My name is Agnes, and I was reading your story, it was intresting. I was just thinking, maybe his wife was imaginary, kind of a ghost .....maybe in the past he came with his wife to this restaurant and now she is gone......who knows

[dys167]

I always imagined him having a hard time getting over the death of his wife, turns out though that was not the case...

After writing this story, I was talking to a friend who also used to work at the restaurant and she filled me in... he is married, or at least he was at the time... he used the wife story to cover up the fact that he was secretly pouring "her" wine into a carafe...

guess he was an alcoholic and only did this on holidays when the lcs were closed...

so, eitherway, not a funny story after all...

Welcome to Hospitality Nightmares though...

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