be careful of being helpful

i just had the worst dream. i was in a small strip mall area and had lunch at a small restaurant. the owners were busy and some of the tables needed to be wiped off, so i got a dish rag and wiped the empty tables before i left.


i went down the street to another restaurant, a small diner, that an asian couple owned. i really liked them and, of course, their food, and had told them i’d watch their place while they ran an errand. it was afternoon so they hadn’t expected many customers.

i went in and sat at one of the tables just enjoying the sunshine and the quiet. then i got up and went over to the sink, which was next to a small refrigerator and a george foreman grill. those items constituted their kitchen.

the husband came in and sat at one of the tables, just to enjoy the day. then three burly guys in suits came in and said they were going to wait for the owners. then a whole bunch of people came in and filled up the rest of the tables but from what i could hear they were there for a meeting, so i happily announced that if any of them decided they wanted something to eat, to just let me know.

one of the tables of eight said they wanted menus. i passed them out and went back to the kitchen area. i figured i should at least put water on every table even if they weren’t going to order, so i opened the overhead cabinet and found a number of small water pitchers filled with water and ice, so i took several of them and started distributing them. then i remembered i better put glasses all around, but everyone had already gotten their own.

i went back to get more pitchers, but couldn’t find anymore. and the natives were getting restless. i kept looking and found some vases, but no more pitchers. crap. and then one of the ladies took the bag of ice and started filling the glasses at her table until the bag was empty. i knew we didn’t have anymore ice. crap.

i figured i’d better go over and get the orders from the table of eight so i headed over there, realized i didn’t have anything to write on, went back and searched for paper, and went back to the table. the first person said she wanted something i’d never heard of, and she had to show me on the menu. the next person ordered a hamburger for him and his two grandaughters. i suggested since it would be bedtime soon that maybe they’d just want water rather than pop to drink. the mothers smiled at me. the next person ordered something i couldn’t even figure out what she was saying. i thought it was ‘beam’ or ‘dean’ but when she showed me on the menu it was ‘faur’ and i just thought WHAT am i doing here???!!!

so i went back over to the kitchen area and before i even thought about the fact there was no way i could fix food for ANYone, the owners came back. as i was telling them about everything, i woke up. thank god!