Beth and Tina and a Waffle House Christmas

While driving through Northern Georgia the other day, I realized it was time for some grub and a pit stop. Exited  at a Waffle House with a gas station nearby. I sat alone at the counter while glancing at the couple holding hands in the next booth. Nice, I thought. Decided to have the pork chops and hoped they would be edible.

My waitress seemed a little "goth" for this neck of the woods. A short-haired lass named Beth with the tips of her tresses dyed green and a pierced silver horseshoe extending from her nostrils. "Have another cup of coffee" she said as she tipped the carafe. "Today's my last day".  "Oh, why's that?" I asked. She explained that all Waffle Houses are open on Christmas (a good fact to know, while on a road trip) and it is mandatory for all employees to sign a waiver stating that they will either be scheduled for a shift on that day or work on call. Beth  really wanted to fly home to Texas to see her family for the holiday, so she had to quit, in order to schedule her trip. After she served my slightly burned lunch (while suggesting the chops be smothered in Heinz 57 sauce - a wise move) she went out for a smoke with the mouth-breathing-fetus of a manager. 

Then, Tina, a weary-looking 40-something took over. I immediately noticed her pretty purple ring and asked if it was amethyst. It was a gift from her parents and she was sure the stone was real. Then Tina asked me if I liked the rental car I was driving. I got lucky with that Nissan Versa. I told her that I would buy that car if I could afford it, since it was so much fun to drive and very fuel efficient. She pointed over to her identical car in the parking lot and said that she just got it. "I love mine", she said. Then she explained why she was driving a new car. Back in July, Tina, her husband and mother had pulled over to let an ambulance through when screaming from behind, came a big box truck that never even put on its brakes. It slammed into them and then jumped OVER Tina's car. Her husband wound up in the hospital with severed vertebra. Tina had suffered knee and back problems and also required hospitalization. Her mother escaped uninjured. Turns out the truck driver was on his cell phone and highly distracted. Yet, Tina had to hire a lawyer in order to get any money out of his company's insurance, to pay for the medical bills and get a new car. Her own insurance agent refused to speak with her as her old jalopy no longer required collision or comprehensive coverage. Tina had health insurance but it hardly paid for anything. While wrestling with the legalities of the situation, she had to continue working at the Waffle House, so that she could put dinner on the table. Her lawyer said it was best to quit her job - otherwise she could not prove that she had been injured in the accident.  I watched her limp up and down the aisle. 

Due to her legal battles Tina's family is barely scraping by, but she insists on working . Her husband, who had been laid off before the accident, must stay flat on his back for most of the day. And then, she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said "But the worst thing is, my family won't even have Christmas this year." Knowing what I learned from Beth, a few minutes earlier, I understood that not only were they broke, but Tina had to work. I asked Tina to tell me about her 3 kids. Turns out that they are all girls - the youngest is 15 and the others are 24 and 25. I told her that if I had anything to do about it, she WOULD have Christmas!

I ran to my car and to my suitcase, where I keep my little cardboard jewelry boxes. I explained that after my open heart surgery, the Prednisone I was taking made me do wacky things, like buy jewelry off of a web site. I found a few pieces that I have never worn: a silver garnet necklace and a gold sapphire one, as well as a man-made diamond and blue topaz ring. I asked if she thought her daughters might like them and she nodded her head while looking a little stunned. "Now you can have Christmas", I said. Her mouth-breathing fetus manager looked on, disapprovingly. I excused myself to the ladies room. When I returned, Beth and Tina would no longer speak with me, glancing over their shoulder at their 20 year old boss. "What a dick", I thought. I bet he'll go far in the Waffle House corporate culture. I wished them all a Merry Christmas and they smiled and waved me on my way.