What Do I Say After I Say Hello?

My church runs a meal program once a month. I can tell just by looking at the organizer's eyes that it pains her that we can't do it more than once a month. But we also run a food pantry.

I used it when I was between jobs. Costco is extremely generous with their baked goods. Extremely.

This past week, I went directly from work instead of stopping at my house, which is on the way.

I'm glad I did. I was in a mood so that if I came into the house, I would have stayed in the house.

I got there a little after the spiffing up begin in the lunchroom. This is in the now-defunct grammar school's lunch room, so it's crazy loud. There are some kind of acetate covers on the tables and cute hand-made centerpieces. I don't suppose they would lower the lighting if they could. There are lots of kids and lots of elder folk.

This was my first time on my own. I'd figured out a way to serve everyone at my table and was proud of mentally mastering the way of doing things.

The first customer was a silver haired fox who reminded me of Mickey O'Rourke. A cleaner Mickey O'Rourke. He was easy to serve because he was the first and only one to serve for about twenty minutes. Then came toothless Granpa. He was waiting for his girlfriend, but she was at work. Granpa had quite an appetite, especially since the food was so soft - ziti or lasagna for the main course. Salad and dessert from a dessert cart where Costco showed its bounty again.

I was and am also expected to socialize while we are at table and despite my uncharacteristic friendliness, was now abandoned on my usual Isle of Silence.

I couldn't ask "Where do you live?" because Mickey lived in his truck.

I couldn't ask "What do you do?" because Granpa was out on disability.

What books have you read lately? Seen any good movies? What did you think of so-and-so's interpretation of 'Hamlet' on Broadway. Even I don't know that anymore because I can't afford to go over to NYC.

Mickey got tired of waiting for his friends. He and Granpa had seconds of everything and then got takeway platters. I tried to clean up the tables but there were so many volunteers that it was done before I could look around.

Well. At least I made sure everyone at my table got enough to eat and drink. That's something.