Memorial Day weekend. I took my parents and my sister's family to Dragon Bay Seafood Restaurant for dinner.
I ran into my coworker Sandra Chavez just as I finished paying the bill.
I was thinking what a small world it was, the two of us ending up at the same place.
Then I heard her recite my phone number to the cashier.
My jaw dropped. She just winked at me, playful as ever.
“You have a membership here, right? Let me borrow it real quick!”
Before I could respond, the cashier cleared her throat politely. “I'm sorry, ma'am, but this account only has a dollar left on it. Will you be paying the remaining $1,300 by card or cash?”
——
My sister's family had brought my parents to Havenport for the long weekend.
When lunchtime rolled around, I took them all to Dragon Bay Seafood Restaurant.
I had a membership card there with some money still on it.
Today seemed like the perfect day to use it up.
While we were ordering, my sister pulled me aside and whispered.
“Isn't this place kind of expensive? I just saw a basic vegetable dish going for forty-eight bucks!”
I squeezed her arm. “Don't worry about it. I've got a membership card here, and there's still some money loaded on it.”
“Plenty for this meal!”
Once she heard about the card, my sister relaxed.
Still, when they ordered, nobody went overboard.
My sister's family of four, plus my parents, plus me.
Seven people, and they only picked ten dishes.
The food at Dragon Bay was delicious, but the portions ran small.
I knew they were trying to save me money.
I slipped away under the pretense of using the restroom and checked my balance at the front desk.
$987 left.
I ordered more dishes, carefully calculated to spend down every last dollar on the card.
When the servers started bringing out the extra plates, my mom looked alarmed.
“Why did you order more? We have plenty!”
I grinned. “It's fine. Eat up. My treat today.”
My mom shot me one of her looks, half-scolding, half-touched.
My sister muttered under her breath, “You should be saving your money, not throwing it around like this.”
I laughed. “What's the point of making money if I can't spend it on you guys?”
The meal was warm and easy, everyone talking over each other, plates emptying fast.
After we finished, they stayed upstairs chatting while I went down to settle the bill.
I had just paid when I turned around and saw Sandra.
The second she noticed me, a flash of guilt crossed her face.
She covered it quickly with a smile.
“Oh hey! You're eating here too?”
I nodded. “My parents and my sister are in town. Figured I'd take them somewhere nice!”
Sandra waved me off. “Go on back up. I just need to pay my tab.”
I didn't move. I stood off to the side, figuring I'd wait for her.
That was when I heard her recite my phone number to the cashier.
My brain stalled for a second.
I thought my ears were playing tricks on me.
Why would she give them my number to pay her bill?
I stepped closer. Sandra caught me in her peripheral vision.
The guilt on her face deepened.
Her voice came out thin. “Oh, you're still here! I thought you already went back up!”
I kept my tone even. “Was that my phone number you just gave them?”
She let out a soft "oh," then flashed me that playful wink again.
“You have a membership here, right? Let me borrow it real quick!”
I was speechless.
The membership at Dragon Bay worked like a prepaid account. You loaded money onto a card.
Minimum deposit: a thousand dollars.
Put in a thousand, you got a five-percent discount.
Put in two thousand, ten percent off.
I'd signed up during their grand opening and scored the ten-percent discount plus an extra two hundred in bonus credit.
I remembered mentioning it once at the office, casually, during a group conversation.
Someone had said there was a new seafood place on the south side of town, great food but pricey.
I said I'd gotten a membership card.
Every pair of eyes in the room turned to look at me.
