Saturday, November 17, 2007

We Forgot Lauren

Last night as I am walking out of the restaurant I see Dan and Kelan playing around the car in the parking lot. Dan gives me a weird look and asks, "where's Lauren?" Huh? "I thought you had her?" He swears he does not and I am thinking this is an awful joke and why is he not laughing yet. I come closer and oh my god, he is STILL not laughing which means - we forgot Lauren.

I run back into Bombay Palace (great Indian food - but this is really not important at this point) and I hear the hostess say, "she is right here" and motions to the main dining room of the restaurant. I sigh with such relief that I swear everyone can hear. I am so embarrassed. Every patron is laughing (Lauren is obviously okay and enjoying herself immensely with her new found freedom of running in between all the tables). The owner comes up to me and says that she will make a great hostess someday because she has been greeting every table. How does this happen? I will tell you: mass chaos.

We have gotten a little tired of our Friday night spot (Tacos Guaymas - Mexican food) so we have been trying out new spots with the kids. The new restaurant (and the fact that Dan just got back into town from a three day business trip) excited the kids. Sadly our dinner was keeping the kids in their seats, preventing water spills, controlling/quieting outside voices, and lastly, enjoying the amazing food. Dan and I inhaled the last bites on our plates and started gearing up to leave. This means: find the server/check and wrestle coats/hats on children. We needed to get the kids outside - fast. Dan said, "I'll take them out to the car." This is the turning point. I heard Dan say them. In reality he said Kelan (sounds the same - sort of). In my defense, the dining experience alone could have caused my brain to malfunction, but coupling that with the three days I have been on my own with the kids - I heard THEM.

I wait by myself at the table for the check. I speak to the couple seated next to ours and apologize if we have interrupted their meal too much - no, we have not. I thank our server, I leave a big tip (I cannot begin to describe the amount of rice under the table) and head towards the door - soon to realize my mistake.

During the car ride home, Dan and I retrace our steps (and imagine poor Lauren's). The best we can come up with is that she followed Dan and Kelan out of the dining room and went into the bar instead of going outside. We guess that when I left the restaurant she doubled back and started talking to the guests - which is where I found her when I came racing back into the restaurant. Kelan contributed to our conversation by continuously saying, "we forgot Lauren!" all the way home. Lovely.

We can laugh about it now because she is fine. Yes, we forgot Lauren, but only for a couple of minutes. I am sure we would not have driven off without her. All's well that end's well. You can say that again.

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