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Van Horn Advocate

Opinion

Wednesday, December 10, 1997

Guest Column
By Jerry Hulsey

Two green beans make one waitress happy

Since your editor was so kind to invite me to Thanksgiving supper at his
mom's house, I felt obligated to write a column for him and give him a
day's rest. This, for me, is easier than washing dishes, so maybe he
will forgive me for not helping him dry the dishes.

He did more talking and I did more eating - I'm a good listener when the
table is well laden with food - and he was complaining about still being
full from having eaten a chicken-fried steak platter at a restaurant
across from the college where the two of us went to classes some days
and played cards even more.

He was commenting on the huge platter of steak, baked potatoes, salad,
and vegetable...green beans...when I had to interrupt my eating to tell
him a humorous episode concerning my compadre Felipe.

Montana's (the restaurant) has waitresses more luscious than their
cuisine. They are college girls working their way through school; they
are well-trained and understand that friendly service garners good tips.

One night per week, Felipe and I went out for supper and then to buy
groceries. He always insisted on Montana's even though he liked pizza
better. The waitresses were always very attentive to him, even
attempting to talk with him in Spanish. This made him feel as big as any
cowboy in the house, and he in turn was gracious with the tip.

However, on one particular occasion, we got a real "sour pickle" for a
waitress. Neither of us eats green beans, so we always ask for extra
salad in lieu of green beans, but that night the plates arrived with
green beans. As the waitress set the plate in front of Felipe, he
pointed to the detested vegetable and commented, "Me no eat green beans."

Almost hatefully, the waitress looked at him and blurted, "Eat them so
you will grow taller."

I winced with remorse at this comment, because Felipe is only four
eleven according to the tape measure, but he's the tallest person in the
world in my eyes and those who know him.

I bowed my head and ate my supper in silence, again caught in one of
those situations where I didn't know what to say. Surprisingly, to me,
Felipe at more heartily than ever, cleaning his plate of every morsel -
except two green beans.

It was my turn to pay, so I had the correct change ready when the
waitress returned with our ticket on her little black tray. I placed the
exact amount on the tray as I started to get up, when Felipe broke the
silence with, "Just a minute, senorita...your tip...and he laid two
green beans on top of my payment.

I was too dumbfounded to move. Obviously, I don't know how to manage
feminine sentiment or I wouldn't still be a bachelor, but Felipe must be
much wiser or more worldly.

The "hateful" waitress started smiling, then laughing, ran to show her
co-workers her prize of the day.

"Everything's good," Felipe commented to me on the way out. "She get
happy and I saved two pesos."

Jerry Hulsey is a guest columnist of the Pecos Enterprise.

Your View

Knowing your children can prevent problems

To the Editor:
I would like to respond to the letter from "concerned retailer" and
"concerned parent."

First, to the retailer: the fact that a minor can pay a "wino on the
street" to purchase alcoholic beverages for them is, in this case,
beside the point. The fact is, 12 of our local stores' personnel did not
do their jobs and broke the law through their negligence. I will not
shop at stores if I witness their personnel failing to "card" a
customers whose age is questionable. I wish store personnel would take a
little more time to just LOOK at the person standing in front of them. A
few teenagers' lives, literally or figuratively, could probably be saved
that way.

Second, to the concerned parent. The only way to prevent your minor
child from drinking is to know where he or she is at all times. Know the
parents of your childrens' friends. When you ask your child his/her
plans for the evening, don't accept "we're just gonna ride around" as an
acceptable activity. Know the adults your child hangs around with or
acknowledges while he's with you at the store, etc. As a former
bartender in this city, I have seen just about all the stunts teenagers
will pull in order to get alcohol.

The best way to ensure that your child isn't one to do drugs or alcohol
is through constant vigilance and supervision. Don't allow your child to
claim you are violating his right to privacy by asking questions if you
have a legitimate cause for concern. Checking up on your kids constantly
is not being nosy, it's being a good parent.

Name Withheld by Request

Pecos Enterprise
Mac McKinnon, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail: news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP Materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing.

Copyright 1997 by Pecos Enterprise
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