A thank you for the Millennial generation

Sometimes you read about Millennials being the “Me … me … me” generation. And sometimes you meet some who know how to say “after you.”

It’s Saturday evening and the restaurant is slammed. The hostess says no tables in the dining room are available, but we’re welcome to visit the bar area, where the booths are first-come, first-served. So my wife, her 95-year-old mother and I go to the bar area, which is equally slammed. The booths are full, the bar stools are full and there’s a 30-something couple standing near the entrance, obviously waiting for the first opening.

While we stand at the far end of the bar, I eye the booths like a vulture, ready to swoop in as soon as one empties. The people at one booth are done eating, but then they order after-dinner drinks. In a well-padded booth, four well-padded customers are eating desserts in slow motion. I’m tempted to walk over and encourage them to hurry up by saying something diplomatic, such as “Hey, you guys REALLY don’t need to finish those desserts.” But that might not be helpful.

Finally, the people in another booth signal for their check and I edge toward it, hoping the young couple we passed on the way in hasn’t noticed. But then the 30-something guy spots it and walks toward the booth shaking his head.

“You’re right,” I concede. “It’s just that, well, we’re here with my mother-in-law who’s 95 and you know … ” I let the rest of the sentence tail off, hoping he’ll take the hint that when someone is 95, you never know how many more restaurant meals they’ll be able to enjoy. I feel a little guilty about that, though, because the woman is healthy as an ox and probably will Zumba on my grave. But, hey, it’s getting late and my mother-in-law gets surly if she has to wait too long for her gin and tonic. The young guy shrugs his shoulders. I return to the bar.

A moment later, a waitress walks up and says our booth is ready.

“That young couple actually was ahead of us,” I admit.

“They they want you to have it.”

We take the booth. When we’re finished eating, I approach the young couple, who are seated at the bar. Their names, they say, are Karen and John. Or maybe it’s Karynn and Jonn; parents of Millennials were big on free-form name spelling. I thank them, buy them a round of drinks and leave the restaurant feeling pleased.

Maybe giving us the booth was no big deal. It’s just nice to know that there’s still a generation with members willing to say “after you.”

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