Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Lunch at Arnie's


‘Tis the season for holiday gatherings and I was meeting three friends for lunch at Arnie’s in Edmonds.  It was a drippy day but the upbeat atmosphere in the restaurant was enough to cheer up a Scrooge.  My friends and I had a booth with a view out onto the Sound and watched the Kingston Ferry boats working their way into the slip. We  enjoying our seafood feast among happy holiday chatter as the restaurant was packed.

After lunch, leaving our booth, I noticed a woman in a wheel chair sitting at the end of a long table filled with about 20 people.  She was wearing the most sensational hat.  It was a wide brimmed purple hat with fuchsia-colored feathers flying out at all angles.  I was taken with it and could not pass her without saying something.  It’s always a risk talking to a stranger but I was game for the encounter.  So I walked over to her.
 
"I love your hat," I say.

"Why thank you,” she replied.  “I have two fancy hats and whenever I leave the house to go to a restaurant I always wear one.  It makes the servers think that I am very rich and that I will tip well, so I get the best service and it works every time."

I thanked her for her great suggestion and will use it in the future.  Now I have to hit the big department stores to find if they have  millinery shops - it's either that or Goodwill.