From time to time I eat breakfast at the Hardees in Ooltewah, TN. Breakfast time is the peak business time for Hardee’s and it was especially busy this morning. I usually don’t mind a great deal if I have to wait in line to be served. What I do mind is when a complete stranger wants to make small talk as we stand in line together. I don’t do small talk beyond “Good morning.” To discourage a dialogue about the weather or the unusually long line this morning I directed my attention to my phone. Staring into my phone is as good as hanging a sign around my neck that says “Don’t talk to me.”

The counter help at Hardee’s was a bit stressed because of the crowd but overall they did okay keeping the line moving. Finally, my order was ready and I spotted an empty booth in the corner of the restaurant. I have noticed that at every Hardee’s I have ever visited for breakfast there is always a small crowd of senior adult males having their old guy meeting. I have a secret fear of becoming one of those “old guys.” I sincerely hope that when I retire I have more going on than a daily breakfast meeting at Hardees in Ooltewah, TN.

After sitting down in the booth I realized the person at the counter who gave me my breakfast didn’t supply me with a fork. I got a plastic knife and spoon but no fork. I went back to the counter and was politely told that they ran out of forks earlier. Oh well, being short a fork would not defeat me in my consumption of greasy breakfast goodness.

An older couple sat down in the booth next to me. I didn’t mean to eaves drop…..okay, yes I did. They were both upset about the long line they just endured. The gentlemen had remarks about the intellectual ability of the man who collected his money then failed to accurately calculate his change. The lady had questions about allowing a man with so many tattoos to wait on customers. I’m not sure if she was offended by the nature of the tattoos or if she was offended by the fact of their existence. Together they decided that the man probably resided in a mobile home park near railroad tracks. After settling the matter of the nasty tattoo man behind the counter at Hardee’s , the lady discovered that she was without a fork. In fact, they were both without forks. The older gentleman made the same trip back to the counter that I had made earlier. When he returned a moment later he informed his bride that they would have to eat their breakfast with spoons. If the worst thing that happens to me today is that the Hardee’s ran out of forks…..well……I think I’ll get by. The long line, the fork shortage, visible body art, the lack of change making skills etc. were recapped and settled. I did hear one more thing as I gathered my trash and slid from the booth. The lady said to her husband, “Honey, would you pray and ask God to bless the food?”