It’s very hard for a family with five boys ages two through eight to go out to eat. We have been able to go to Luby’s, but that is when Nancy and I are both feeling very energetic and patient. Little things like having the trays carried to the table by cafeteria staff are a given. The bright side is that with the children’s plate going for $2.99, we can get out cheaper than at a fast food place.
Two years ago in a weak moment, we decided that it was time to actually try to go out to dinner. At that time, the boys were 6 months, two, three, four and six. What were we thinking? We spent considerable time trying to figure out the ideal place to go. We finally agreed on a fairly large Mexican restaurant that we like.
It is one of those places where numerous waiters and bus boys are running around the table, picking things up and bringing food. Any mess that was made would be taken care of, we hoped. It is also very noisy, we wanted to blend in.
By the time we were settled at a table, everyone within 25 feet was staring at us. Yes, we are a couple in our fifties with five young racially mixed boys that obviously are not our natural children. I wondered if there would be as many people staring if Hillary Clinton and Jerry Falwell came in together. At least Nancy and I could quit worrying about causing a “scene”, we were the main attraction.
The meal went as expected. By the time the food arrived, the boys were full of tortilla chips and Sprite, so they either wanted to go to the bathroom, go home, or have desert. Nancy and I had our favorite dishes, which we had to wolf down during an occasional quiet moment.
Both of us particularly worried about the middle-aged couple sitting at the table next to us. Why were we seated next to them? They seemed to be happy chatting with each other, hardly looking our way. It was finally time to go. Our table looked like a mild disaster area, I gave the waiter a nice tip.
I had a moment so I spoke to the couple. I told them that this was the first time that we had gone out to eat with the whole family and that I really appreciated their tolerance of us. The man looked me in the face and smiled. He said, “Your family is quite entertaining. We enjoyed watching.”
I was glad that someone had enjoyed the meal.
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