Ageless wonder

Upon paying a compliment recently to the attire of a woman who frequented the establishment where I wait tables, that was the response I received. This woman was a fairly attractive individual, at least on the exterior, and the sweater dress that snuggled her form was laden with shapes of snowflakes and the essence of the holiday season. I, therefore, thought it appropriate to place the compliment in her ear, as I’ve found that reiteration of quality appearance is a tasteful, but not too forthright, approach, when initially interacting with clientele who have gathered to feast at the restaurants I’ve worked at.

Her verbal reaction, however, did not appease to my taste of earthly comrades, and neither did the rest of our exchange. She was in constant need of dining formalities, but not when the rest of her party requested such accommodations. If there is one thing a waiter despises, it is asking confidently and cohesively of any additional desires after presenting the food to the table and then scampering off to collect, only to find one straggler who was quite present during the initial discussion, and yet pipes in for “another” upon the waiter’s most recent return. It’s like reminding someone to bring a coat, and then listening to them complain all night about the cold after they don’t.

Amidst my meanderings around this particular table, while I checked the status of effective flavors and spawned waterfalls above the glassware, I couldn’t help but overhear our meticulous friend admit that she was, in fact, 52 years old. With an air of haughtiness that seemed to re-balance the sapphire spectacle she assuredly envisioned resting toward the pinnacle of her form, she sat straight up on her pedestal and proclaimed that her most recent statement, by definition, makes her “worth two 26 year olds.”

With a laugh that only echoed inside the cranium of the thinker, I pondered upon the insecurity laced within the statement. I concluded she seemed intent on seducing herself into the logic that her appearance was still flawless as it had ever been, while simultaneously surmising without discretion that her wit and vigor could not be matched by 10 darling damsels stricken by the configuration of youthfulness, let alone two.