I was just on Facebook chatting with Leigh Ann Waller Templeman, a dear next door neighbor/ childhood friend who now lives in Athens, GA. Wow, it still blows me away about the ease of communication with others.
As I was getting ready to log off, I noticed that a college friend had written on my wall. What he said, dusted off a long ago story that I thought nobody knew/remembered...His comment was, "Every time I go into a nice restaurant, I think of you shaking steak sauce all over that poor man!" Yes, I'm going to share it.
My birthday (Dec. 3) happened to fall on the day/night of the Morristown Christmas parade in which the Rogersville High School Marching Band was performing. I was in the flag corps. In celebration of my special day, Mom and Dad were going to come to the parade, pick me up afterwards and treat me to a special birthday supper @ Shoney's Restaurant-my pick.
(Remember--Shoney's was pretty close to 'upscale' dining at that time.) The plan worked.
We were seated and placed our order with the waitress. I had ordered a hamburger steak (yeh, boys--out on the town/no price limit that night!) and baked potato. I loved Heinz 57 sauce and there was none on our table when our food arrived. I proceeded to find a bottle on a table a few booths behind us. I went to retrieve it and commenced to shake the bottle to mix it well. Even though the lid was ON the bottle, it was NOT screwed on securely. While shaking the bottle, the lid came off unknown to me--of course, I was talking and not paying attention-- and when I got back to the table, Mom said, "Hannah, what is that...." at the same time I noticed I had drenched my LONG blond hair and my uniform with steak sauce. We summoned the waitress for napkins or towels to clean me up. When she brought them back to us, we heard the man across the way from us ask her, "Ma'am, could I please have a rag, too?" My heavens, I had marinated him! Needless to say, I was humiliated. Thank heavens, he was very nice man. I apologized over and over. He was so kind and knew it was totally accidental. He even refused to take money for the cleaning bill for his clothes or a reimbursement for his clothes. I think he even felt sorry for me. That was a birthday supper I'll always remember.
I have remembered to check the lids of all bottles before I shake them since that night @ Shoney's.
Hannah, hahahha loved that!! Love you and it is so amazing how easy it is to stay in touch. I just wish it had always been this way. I think my children are lucky to have this but sad that they don't write and receive letters. Emma spent a month last summer in Cambridge England and still talks to the friends she made there almost daily. I also loved the memory of the Morristown Christmas Parade!!
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