Title: Peaches and Curry (1/1)
Authors:  Cousin Shelley and Arletta Asbury
Faction: Cousins
Date: July 9th, 2001
Time: Afternoon
Disclaimers:  All participants used with permission



"May I, ahhhhhh, help you?" asked the mustached French Canadian
maitre-d' in front of them.  He was eyeing their less-than-adequate
wardrobe and hoping they had NOT come to eat in HIS restaurant.

"We'd like a table for two, please," Shelley smiled at him.

"You want to *eat* at zee Jeweled Peach?" he asked, "dressed
like zat??"

Both women looked at their clothes self-consciously.  Shelley
tugged at her somewhat-less-than-spiffy t-shirt and said, "Can't
you just seat us in the back?"

"Follow me," he replied briskly, leading them past every other
table and even the doors to the kitchen.  In the very back,
away from everyone and everything else, was a tiny table with
two chairs that barely fit under it.  "'ere you go, madams.
Enjoy zee meal."  Giving them one last disapproving glance,
he sped off to another part of the restaurant.

--------------

"Well, wasn't he just the most pleasant thing!" joked Shelley.

"Absolutely!" Arletta smiled back.

"Now, what should we order?" Shelley continued the joke by
looking at the menu.

"Uhhhhh...everything?" Arletta suggested.

"Sounds good!"

The waitress walked over, rather surprised to see two paying
customers at that tiny, back table.  She normally took her breaks
there and had never seen Monsieur Cabon actually seat someone
in that particular spot before.

"Can I get you drinks?  An appetizer, perhaps?" She asked the two
women.

"Yes," both women answered simultaneously.  They then giggled at
each other.

Missing the private joke, the waitress began to recite the wines
and other beverages available.  "Yes," the two giggled again.

Now completely mystified, the waitress looked questioningly at the
two women, giggling in their seats.  Maybe *this* was why Monsieur
Cabon sat them here.

Finally calming down, Arletta said, "we'd like one of everything
on the menu, please.  One of every beverage as well.  We're, uhhhh,
very hungry."

"And very thirsty too," chimed in Shelley, grinning.

---------------

The tiny table was crowded with odd colored food.  The floor around
the table also had bright pink, green, and purple food on plates
in every direction.

"What color are we looking for again?" Shelley asked, for the 100th
time.

"Blue.  B-L-U-E.  Specifically E-LECT-TRIC BLUE," Arletta said,
slowly pronouncing each syllable in the hopes Shelley would one
day remember this very simple thing.

"Oh yeah....don't see any here."

"Me either."

Both women sighed and paid their bill with the credit card.  Walking
out, they heard Monsieur Cabon exclaim, "Sacre Bleu!  Look at zee
dishes of zee food!  Zey are PINK!!!"

They walked faster towards the exit.



-----------========***************========------------



"I'm sorry, I can't help it, but this place just makes
me nervous."

"Why?" Arletta asked, looking thru the van window in
puzzlement at the innocuous Indian restaurant.

"Don't your remember what happened to my van here?  It
took *forever* to get those fanged smiley face stickers off
after that attack," Shelley answered, shivering slightly.

"Oh, you're right! ... But we need to test the food here
too.  Wait a sec, I've got an idea.  Let's drive back
to CERK, park the van there, and take a cab instead."

"Good Plan."

----------

Sometime later as Shelley and Arletta examined the menu,
the waitress asked, "May I take your order?"

"Yeah, we'll have one."

"One what?"

"One of everything on the menu."

The waitress gave them a funny look and scurried off.

"I just *love* saying that," Arletta announced, grinning.

-----------

After a few token bites of everything the two women
performed the, by now, all-too-familiar test for Vitamin U
and came up with the usual negative results.  Shaking their
heads in disappointment, they paid the bill while ignoring
the stares of the restaurant's staff and headed for the next
eatery.
*********