We Talked!

The next time I saw my friend, Don, he asked how it was going with Moe.

“What do you mean, how's it going with Moe?' I laughed self-consciously. “How's it supposed to be going?”

“You know what I mean,” Don demanded. “Are you getting to know him when he comes in for dinner?”

“No,” I laughed. “I say hi, he says hi, and then he goes and eats his food.”

“Well, you've got to work harder!” Don declared. “You've got to go sit down at his table and talk to him.”

“Right,” I laughed again. “I'm not going to go over there and make a fool out of myself. Anyway, he always has other people he's talking to.”

“Brother,” Don sighed in frustration. “Do I have to do everything for you?”

I worried what he would do next, but at the same time I had run out of ideas, so I hoped he would come up with something.

The following Friday Don poked his head in the cafeteria earlier than usual, then hurried over to me. “Gale, write your phone number down on this piece of paper,” he said, thrusting a little scrap of paper at me.

“OK,” I said, using the pen by the cash register to write my number down. “Why do you want it?”

“I'll be back,” Don said without answering my question, rushing off down the hall and out the doors before I could stop him.

“What is that man up to?” I wondered as I kept ringing up food for my customers.

Moe came in as usual awhile later, got his dinner, smiled when I rang it up, and went off to eat with his friends. I was busy, so didn't have a chance to clean tables until he had finished and gone back to work.

“Did you talk to Moe?” Don wanted to know later that evening when he popped his head in the door just before my shift was over.

“Not really,” I said, finishing cleaning out the salad cart.

“Well, I gave him your phone number, so he'll probably call you this week.”

“You gave him my phone number?” I asked in alarm. “He's going to think I told you to do that.”

“So?” Don replied. “Whatever it takes, right?”

“I should shoot you,” I answered, aware that my cheeks were getting hot and I must be turning bright red. But I wasn't all that unhappy. Maybe Moe would think I asked Don to give him my number. So what? As long as he called me.

Of course, he didn't. All week I jumped every time the phone rang, but it was never Moe calling. The following Friday I waited with baited breath for him to come through my line, and when he did I smiled my biggest smile and said, “Hello! How are you doing tonight?”

“Great,” Moe answered, smiling back. “How are you?”

Well, that was good. At least it gave me an opening to talk for a few more seconds. “Really good,” I answered happily, thinking, “Now what can I say?”

“Did you have a nice week?” I asked Moe, I'm such a witty conversationalist.

“Yes, it was good,” he answered, still grinning from ear to ear. “When you get done checking these people out, why don't you come over to my table and talk to me.”

Really? Had he really just said that? My heart beat so fast I was sure everyone in the dining room must be able to hear it, and my fingers shook as I picked the nickles and dimes up out of the cash register so I could give Moe his change.

“OK,” I agreed shakily, grinned at him one more time, then turned to the next person in line.

As soon as I'd rung up all of my customers I hurried over to Moe's table. He was sitting with three other men, chatting happily.

“Do you have time to sit down and visit with us?” he asked as I came up.

“A few minutes, until someone else comes in,” I told him.

“Good. I wanted to talk to you, and find out what other lies our friend Don has been telling me about you.”

“Oh, brother,” I laughed nervously. “No telling what Don's been saying.”

“Yeah,” Moe agreed. “He tells me you have11 kids. They must all be twins.”

I laughed. “No, I really only have five children, though sometimes it feels like eleven.”

Moe only had a couple of minutes until he had to get back to work, so we didn't have long to talk, but I was able to tell him a little about myself, my kids, and what I did for a living. Then it was time for me to get back to my register and for Moe to go back to work in the Temple, but at least we had had our first conversation. He didn't say anything about Don giving him my phone number, and I didn't ask, but I wondered.