40 Years in the Making

Elias started his work day like any other. Check the supplies, make sure silverware was rolled, then go look over the books and see if they had any reservations for the day. "Oh nice, only one! For eight o’clock. Wonder when they booked it?" His finger followed the chart and he froze. "Eh! Ricky, come get a look at this!"

His manager Ricky came wandering over. He looked where Elias was pointing. "Oh! Today is the day!"

"What do you mean?"

Ricky smiled. "This reservation is our restaurant's version of an urban myth. It was made 40 years ago. It's been in every training manual for managers, and we even have the original note."

"Nobody thought it was a prank?" Elias asked as he checked the glasses.

"Nope, it was a mom who came in with her daughter. She was quite insistent, so the story goes." Ricky shrugged and headed over to help a guest who had just come in.

Elias shook his head. "Guess we'll see if anyone shows up." Elias thought about it all day. Why would some­one book a reservation 40 years ago?

It’s not like this was a popular restaurant - it was a local joint. For big holidays, people booked six months in advance. But 40 years… And it was a mom? Was this some kind of love story moment where she booked it while she and her husband were in a bad spot, and she booked it in hopes that they would be together to celebrate? He laughed at that idea; life wasn't romcom.

He couldn't wait to see what was going to happen. The day ticked by. Soon it was seven-thirty, so the table was set up. The whole staff waited on edge to see if anyone would show up. They'd even put bets on it.

Elias stood at the host stand, watching as the minutes ticked down to eight o'clock. Then a woman walked in. Her eyes were red and puffy like she'd been crying. "Ma’am, may I help you?"

She took a moment to pull herself together. "I’m about to ask you something crazy."

“‘Do I have a reservation for 8 o'clock tonight?’" He said with a slight smile.

She was taken aback. "Yes." She blinked a few times. “Is there really a reservation for tonight?”

Elias picked up a menu. "Yep, it was made 40 years ago. Come, right this way."

He led her to the table. "She really thought of everything..." the woman whispered.

Elias pretended not to notice. "Long day?” He asked as she sat down.

"Kinda…? It's my 45th birthday today. Please don't make a big deal about it," she added quickly.

"Promise." He put his hand over his heart. "But, Happy Birthday," he whispered.

"Thank you." She smiled. "But my mom set me on a crazy memory train from my childhood, and to places I haven't been since I was little."

"Oh, that seems wonderful." Elias could see how that could make someone emotional.

"The crazy part is, Mom has been gone for over 30 years... She was sick and yet she planned something for my 45 birthday…."

"Maybe she knew you'd need something special this year."

"Yeah, maybe she did." The woman smiled softly.

And Elisa left her to look over the menu. Throughout the evening, he kept meaning to get back to her table to see how she was doing, but he was always too busy.

With luck, he just happened to be at the hostess stand when she was paying. "How was everything?" he asked, like she was any other customer.

"Wonderful. I will need to come back." She smiled as she reached for her wallet to pay.

"We hope you do." After she paid, he pulled out a small box. "I saw you didn't get dessert, and it is your birthday, so…here." He handed her the box. "It's our classic cookie - on the house."

She looked at the box like she wanted to argue. "Thank you." And with that, she left.

Elias watched her go. What a crazy story, and he had gotten to play a small part in it.