Monday Writing Essential - March 4, 2013: Did She Just Call You Honey? A Waffle House Tale

Last Thursday at breakfast, the woman in the next booth pointed toward the waitress and hissed, “Did she just call you honey?”

By the way she dove headlong into indignation, you could tell she did it a lot. The man in the booth with her, tried to calm her down. You could tell he did that a lot too.

“It's the Waffle House," he explained, "it's what they do.”

“Why are we here?” she asked.

“You can't visit the south and not eat at a Waffle House,” he said. “Try the pecan waffles, you will love them.”

“I don't eat waffles,” she said.

That much was obvious.

She was uncomfortably thin and dressed to show it. She wore her black skirt and sweater tight, and the blackness of her hair was something only chemistry could produce.

Perhaps her thinness had something to do with her attitude, her nerves must have been too close to the surface.

“Then order something else,” he said.

She examined the menu card. “There is NOTHING here I would eat.”  She flicked it over then flipped it back.  With each turn of the menu her indignation ratcheted up a notch.

“She didn't call me 'honey',” she said.

The guy just stared at her. He knew what was coming.

“She is flirting with you, isn't she?” she said, “and you are letting her do it.”

“It is all good fun,” he explained.

About then, the waitress strolled by with a pot of coffee and topped off his mug. “Are we ready to order?” she asked.

“No!” the woman said.

The waitress moved on.

“Excuse me,” the woman called after her “I'd like another glass of water..... Please!!”

“Sure, be right with you, Sugar.”

“Did you hear that?” the woman said.

“What?”

“She called me sugar!”

“See!” the guy said, “they call everyone either honey or sugar.”

“No!” she said, “She called YOU honey and ME sugar.”

“What's wrong that?”

“Sugar is what you call a child, not a grown woman. It's a put down. She put me down.”

“Why would she do that?”

“Because she is flirting with you.”

The guy groaned and put his face in his hands. “Sure,” he said through his palms, “she's buttering me up because she knows I am the one who is going to pay the bill.”

“WHAT?” the woman said. “That is the most sexist thing I ever heard.”

“But it's true.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Okay, you pay.”

“I can't. I don't have my purse.”

“Bingo! You don't think she noticed?”

“Okay, lend me a $20 and I will pay.”

“I don't think so.”

“Why not?”

“Because I know you, you will stiff her.”

“She deserves to be stiffed.”

“Why? For flirting?”

“YES!!”

“She works for tips.”

“You mean she flirts for tips. You don't find that a little tawdry?”

“Not as tawdry as stiffing a hard-working waitress.”

“She's using her sex for favors.”

“You mean like you do?”

“WHAT!!??”

“Like the way you always 'forget' your purse?”

With that, the woman rose in a huff and stomped out the door. Within the beat of a heart, the waitress was beside the table, “More coffee, honey?”

“Sure darling, fill 'er up,” he said.

***

This week's challenge: write a scene.

Start with a setting.  It can be anywhere.  Put a character into the scene.  If you don't want them mumbling to them-selves, give them the company of another character.

Now let them loose.

Here are some hints:

• He said, she said is always a wealth of material.
• Write about two cats discussing diner, with their diner. (I always like it when diner has a say.)
• Let the setting speak for itself.  Let it say more than the characters.  Think like Thomas Hardy.
• Start with a conflict.  Resolve the conflict.  Ignite it anew at the end.

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• Post your article to Gather Writing Essentials.

• BE SURE TO TAG your submission with MWE.  Note: I search for articles using the tag "MWE"  If you don't tag it right, I will not find it.

• Include "Monday Writing Essential" in your title.
  

• Try to post by next Monday but don't worry if you don't finish in time.  I will be glad to include your post the next week.

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The last MWE challenge was to write about post a blog entry. Here are the responses:

MWE--Write About Writing--02/25/13

At My Desk, or Rather All Around Town: Happy Birthday to my Hubs 2/24/2013 (Posted for GWE Monday Writing Essential) by Alison H.

Jenny Craig and CBS (MWE, Monday Writing Essentials) by Ms Lee P.

Blog Entry #xyz [Monday Writing Essential - February 25, 2013: Why You Should Write and Post Regularly] by Joann B.

Five reasons why I don't want to write a blog post (Monday Writing Essential: 2/25/13) by Angela A.

Here is are two reminders that it is never too late to post to a MWE challenge:

Monday Writing Essential (MWE): Fired up and ready to go! by Kingston Kaprinski

John Q Jerk - Monday Writing Essential - January 28, 2013 by Cathy J.

Weekly reminder: don't forget to recommend an article that you like (to learn why, read Ann Marcaida's article Attract More Writers and Artists to Gather!)..  Also try to place a comment on at least one article and say more than you liked the piece.  Tell the author what worked and what needs work.