Lunchtime | The Dreamweaver

I was with my great-grandfather and we had some time before we were to meet my mother, so we decided to go for lunch.

We parked the car on Fairfield and walked slowly through the alley until we got to California.

Zayde wanted to go to the kosher restaurant where Tel Aviv Pizza used to be, but I said we’d have more selection at the restaurant across the street.

We crossed the street and found there were still a few minutes before the restaurant opened so we stood outside and watched a short movie that was playing on several TV sets placed in the doorway.

Quite a large crown of businessman had begun to gather just as the restaurant doors opened for the lunchtime rush.

Zayde and I walked in and we picked a booth at the back on the wall and sat down.

Our waitress came over with the menus and asked if we were ready to order or if we needed some time.

Zayde said he’d have a cheeseburger and I said I would have the same.

As the waitress was walking away, I called out to her to ask if I had ordered the cheeseburger and she confirmed that I had.

I was surprised that she didn’t ask if we wanted anything to drink and wondered if they still made chocolate phosphates.

I called mom to tell her we had stopped for lunch and that we’d be going home afterwards so Zayde could take a nap.

She said that her old high school friend Nina Blackwell had already been to the house and was sorry that she missed seeing me.

Then my mother said the new downstairs neighbors had a new puppy they wanted to sell because they were moving .

Then I woke up.