If I Never Knew Your Name

I had to smile at that and said, "No, Mark. Each salad is hand-made to order in the kitchen, and then I take it to the customer."

Mark then asked, "So, when Aunt Ginny visits, she orders a salad, and you bring it to her?"

"Yes," I replied. "I'm a waitress, and that's what I do."

"Oh, okay," Mark said, apparently satisfied.

The conversation with Mark made me flashback to the first time Virginia came into Jack's ...

May 1985

I clocked in at 10:30 AM and checked my table assignment for the day. I had only been working here for six weeks at "Jack's Salad Bar and Grill," so I had the least seniority among the girls working today. I usually got the tables the other three girls didn't want. I saw I was covering section three today. This was the front of the restaurant by the big window. I was surprised because this was one of the nice sections. Cathy, the girl with the highest seniority, usually gets it when she's working. I didn't question it since I didn't want to get stuck with the tables in the back. "Maybe Christy likes my work ethic," I thought to myself as I psyched myself up for the day. I knew I was a hard worker, and I always did my best to make my customers happy.

I've really enjoyed working here. I got along with the other girls, and Manny and I hit it off right from the start. He loved chatting with me when things were slow, and he loved bouncing ideas off me on new salads he was thinking about making. He was a great cook, and if he hadn't been gay, I'd have been tempted to make a play for him. Oh, well, after the last date I went out on, I wasn't sure I really wanted to mess with men again. "Maybe I'll just take a vow of chastity," I thought to myself as I prepared for another busy day.

We didn't open until 11 AM, which gave us time to bus all of the tables we were responsible for and make sure everything was presentable. I went to my section and made sure all of the tables and chairs were clean. I made sure all of the condiments were full and set up correctly. I then got the sweeper and made sure the floor around my tables was clean. Once I had everything set up, I went back to the kitchen to check the menu to see what the specials were for today and look for any changes to the regular items.

Manny saw me checking out the menu and called out, "Good morning, Bonnie. What do you think about our new salad for today?"

I quickly looked to see what was new and saw the Strawberry Pecan salad he had talked about doing before. I loved strawberries, so I looked up at Manny and said, "The Strawberry Pecan salad looks delicious. Where'd you get the strawberries?"

"I got them from a farm up in the Oxnard area," Manny explained with a proud smile on his face. "They usually just grow them for export, but I knew someone who knew one of the farmers, so I was offered several bushels of them." He reached down, and when he brought his hand up over the counter, there was a beautiful strawberry in it. "Here, try one," he said, handing it to me.

I took it and bit into it. It was juicy and sweet, and the taste was wonderful. I nearly moaned in enjoyment, and I said, "Manny, that's absolutely delicious!"

Manny beamed at my praise. Just then, Christy walked in. She was the hostess and also the shift manager today. I quickly stepped out of the kitchen so they could talk. I went back to the bathroom to make one last check on my appearance before the restaurant opened. Sue, Cathy, and Veronica were also making their final checks. They all greeted me as I greeted them, but I could tell Cathy was unhappy I got the section she usually gets. I didn't want to aggravate the situation, so I just smiled and made my way back to the floor.

Right at 11 AM, Christy unlocked the doors, and we were ready for business. Soon the lunch crowd made its way in. I got my share of customers, and I was busy taking care of them. I always made sure I was smiling and friendly when I first greeted them. Jack's serviced a higher quality of customer than some of the recent places I've worked, and I find I get better tips. Of course, being just two blocks up from the beach didn't hurt either. Manhattan Beach was a city for well-to-do people to live in.

About halfway through the lunch rush, Christy told me I had a new customer at table four. I was slightly disappointed to hear it was only one customer, so I'd have to work harder to get a decent tip. I headed out onto the floor, making sure I was smiling. I looked at table four, and my heart nearly stopped at the sight of the woman in the military uniform sitting at my table. My brain screamed at me to keep moving. As my brain tried to process what was happening, I nearly stumbled when I heard a whispered, "She's the one," in my ear, clear as day, even though nobody was near me.

As I struggled to maintain my composure, I came up to the table, a broad smile pasted on my face, and said, automatically, "I'm Bonnie. I'll be your server today. Can I start you out with something to drink?"

I couldn't help but notice she seemed to be checking me out as I was still struggling to get my emotions under control. Somehow, the thought she was checking me out made my heart thrill. After a beat, she smiled at me, locked eyes with me, and answered, "Thanks, Bonnie. I'll have some unsweetened iced tea with lemon."

I had managed to get my emotions under control by now, but when she looked me in the eye and smiled at me, I nearly lost it again. Her voice was sultry and smoky, and I thrilled at the sound of it. Her smile was so brilliant I thought it would blind me. I noticed she had made an effort to use my name, which many customers won't bother to do. To buy some time to get my emotions under control, I smiled again and said, "Okay. Do you need a minute to look at the menu?"

She smiled at me again as she said, "Yes, please."

I quickly turned and walked away, trying not to run or stumble. The emotions swirling through my head made me nearly swoon as I headed to the drink station to get the iced tea. "Why is she making me so crazy?" I wondered to myself as I busied myself pouring her iced tea. "And, what was that voice I heard saying, 'She's the one?'" I asked myself.

I put a wedge of lemon on the side of the glass and headed back to her table. I steeled myself, and as I walked up to her table, I could tell she was checking me out. Again, my heart thrilled, and I had no idea why I reacted to this woman like that. Up to now, I had only experienced this feeling when a good-looking guy was checking me out.

I checked her out as I walked up. She looked to be my height and build with long honey-blonde hair up in a loose bun. She looked so lovely in her uniform, which fit her like a second skin. She had the most incredible sapphire blue eyes that just captivated me. Her smile was wide and genuine as I set her glass down on the table and asked, "Are you ready to order?"

"Yes, Bonnie," she said, locking eyes with me. "I'd like the Strawberry Pecan Salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing on the side, please."

With difficulty, I said, "Good choice." I licked my lips and swallowed, my mouth suddenly going dry, before I said, "That's one of my favorites. I'll get your order right in." I constantly reinforced the customer's choice that way, making them feel good about the food they ordered.

I turned and headed back to the kitchen. I could swear I felt her eyes on my ass all of the way until I turned to head up to the order window. I took a moment to compose myself before pulling out my order pad and writing down the order. I tore off the order slip and clipped it to the carousel. I said, "Order up," before rotating it around so Manny could reach it.

Manny looked at it and smiled. He said, "Looks like the new salad is popular."

I smiled back and said, "Yes, I've been pushing it if the customer is having trouble deciding what they want."

I grabbed another order and headed out to deliver it to my table. I glanced over, and I noticed the military woman was watching me. I don't know why, but I felt compelled to show off a little for her. I worked my walk, and when I bent down to deliver the food, I made sure I wiggled my ass. As I headed back to the kitchen, I again felt her eyes on my ass, and I loved how it felt.

Manny had my order ready for table four when I returned to the kitchen. I grabbed the order slip and folded it, and stuck it in my pocket. I double-checked the salad to ensure it was perfect, the balsamic vinaigrette dressing on the side as she had asked.

On my way back to table four, I grabbed the pitcher of unsweetened iced tea so I could refresh her glass. I steeled myself as I rounded the corner and headed toward her table. She looked up as I reached her table and bent down to put her salad on her table. As I topped off her iced tea, I asked, "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

She replied, "No, I'm good for right now, Bonnie. Thank you!" She smiled again, and I felt compelled to smile back. Again my heart thrilled when she said my name. I headed back to the kitchen, feeling dizzy from all of the emotions swirling around my brain. I concentrated on my other tables for a few minutes until I got myself under control. I did stop by her table a couple of times to check to see if she was doing okay. Each time I did, she smiled at me, making my heart flutter. Finally, I noticed she was finished with her salad, so I wrote up her check and took it to her. I smiled at her as I put it on the table.

In another minute, I went back and saw she had put a twenty on the check. When I reached for it, she locked eyes with me and said, "Keep the change."

I thrilled at the large tip, quickly smiled, and said, "Thank you. I hope you enjoyed your lunch?"

She smiled and said, "Yes, very much."

I don't know why I did it, but I locked eyes with her as I folded the twenty in half and tucked it into my breast pocket, taking my time to make sure it was secure. Then I smiled and turned, walking away, working my walk. Again, I felt her eyes on my ass, and it made me feel hot and bothered. Once I got around the corner, I let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding. I sucked in a big gasp of air and then peeked around the corner and watched as she walked out toward the lobby and out the door.

Just then, Christy came up to me and said, "I've never seen someone from the military in here before."

I replied, "I've never seen a military person in uniform before, either." Of course, the places I've worked at before working here were probably places military people wouldn't want to go, especially in uniform. "Maybe she'll recommend us to her co-workers."

"That'd be nice," Christy said before heading back to the hostess desk. I silently agreed with her. If they all tipped as she had, I'd be delighted to take care of them.

I went back out to bus the table. As I worked, I thought about how I had reacted to the woman who had sat there. "I don't even know what her name is," I thought to myself as I headed back to the kitchen with the dirty dishes. I chastised myself for not looking for a nametag, so I could at least have her last name. As I popped into the bathroom to splash some water on my face and get myself put back together, I mused, "Why am I so affected by her?" As I checked myself in the mirror, I remembered the check in my pocket. I pulled it out, stared at it for a moment, and then pulled out my pen and scribbled "She's the one?" on the bottom of it and refolded it and put it securely in my pocket. I put the twenty she gave me with it before heading back out on the floor.

I kept myself busy, putting my musings on hold, waiting on several more customers through the rest of the lunch rush until things slowed down. Once things slowed down, I started refilling the condiments and sweeping the floor in my section to keep busy. I started thinking about what had happened earlier. I remembered what Mom's friend, Kathy, had said to me at Mark's birthday party last month when I had asked, half-seriously, "Kathy, what if there isn't a guy out there for me?"

Kathy had replied off-handedly, "Who says it has to be a guy?"

At the time, I remembered thinking to myself, "Why not a woman?" After all, my friend Bill was gay, and he seemed happy with his life. Could I date a woman? Would I like it?

I snapped out of my reverie as I saw Christy bringing a customer to one of my tables. I put a smile on my face and stepped up to greet them, my thoughts about the beautiful military officer momentarily set aside.

October 1985

When I got to the parking lot next to the Manhattan Beach pier, I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw there was a parking space still open. As I pulled into the spot, I noticed Virginia get out of her car. As she always does, she walked up and fed the meter while I got out and popped the trunk to get my overnight bag. I handed it to her before I went to get the boys out of the car. By the time the boys were out of the car, Virginia was headed back toward us. She wore a pretty white polo top hugging her figure and tan high-waist shorties displaying her long, toned legs. The boys smiled and ran to Virginia, yelling, "Aunt Ginny!" My heart thrilled at the sight of Virginia greeting them, hugging them one at a time, and giving each of them a kiss on the cheek before telling them how glad she was to see them.

When Virginia looked up at me, I gasped from seeing the love she had for the boys in her eyes. I could feel the burn of unshed tears in my eyes, and I flashed back to what happened last week ...

We sat on a bench in Pollywog Park, watching the boys running around and playing on the monkey bars and swings. It was a beautiful day, and I enjoyed just sitting there next to Virginia, holding hands while our shoulders, hips, and thighs were touching.

We had to be careful not to show too much affection for each other while in public which chafed Virginia to no end. I understood we had to be careful, and I always made sure Virginia knew I was okay with it. Still, Virginia always worried her hesitancy to be affectionate with me in public would make me think she didn't really care for me. To ease her concern, I occasionally squeezed her hand and smiled at her as we sat there.

We instinctively took turns keeping an eye on the boys while we chatted and exchanged sweet nothings. I was nattering on about events occurring at work, just to keep a conversation going. I couldn't believe Virginia would really care to hear about the trials and travails of waitressing, but she actually did. I knew she really listened because she asked me questions about things I had told her weeks before, and I could tell she really did want to know my thoughts on things. All that did was make me love her even more than I already did.

I know I really enjoyed hearing Virginia talking about what she did. It was thrilling to hear about all of the places she's been to all over the country. When Virginia told me about her trip to London, I imagined I was there with her as she described the different places she had seen while she was there. Virginia wouldn't tell me what she was doing there and when I asked, she apologized but said it was classified and she couldn't talk about it.

I turned to tell her it was okay, and that was when it happened. The boys had been chasing each other around when I heard a thud. I knew one of them had gone down. I happened to be looking into Virginia's eyes when I saw her eyes dart to the source of the thud I had heard. I saw that moment when Virginia's maternal instincts kicked in. I never saw someone move so fast in my life when I saw Virginia get up and practically teleport herself to where Mark was lying in a heap.

From experience, I knew he wasn't severely hurt. I couldn't begin to tell you how many scrapes and skinned knees I've treated over the years. I got up and strolled over to where Virginia had kneeled down and had scooped Mark into her arms, reassuring him he was okay. As I came upon them, I saw Virginia pull a tissue out of her fanny pack, dab it with her tongue and clean up the scrape as though she had done it hundreds of times before.

Virginia kept murmuring reassurances to Mark as she carefully cleaned up the scrape. I could tell he was hamming it up for Virginia when he briefly looked up at me and smiled. She then pulled a Band-Aid® out of her fanny pack and put it over the wound. It happened to have Superman on it, and when Mark saw it, he smiled and jumped up and ran off, but not before he said, "Thank you, Aunt Ginny!"

Up to now, I have had to reserve my judgment about entering into a relationship with Virginia. Despite my feelings for Virginia, the boys had to come first. I had really wanted our relationship to work and had agonized over having to make that decision. By her actions just now, Virginia had made that decision for me. She looked up at me with a look of wonder on her face and tears in her eyes. I teared up as I reached down and pulled her up and hugged her tightly. I kissed her cheek and whispered, "Welcome to the sisterhood of motherhood."

Virginia pulled back and looked at me and said, "Now I understand why you said Matthew and Mark had to come first." She looked over at the two boys, who were back to running around like crazy before she looked back at me and said, "When I saw Mark fall down, it was like a bolt of lightning zapped through my whole body."

I glanced over at the boys before I said, "I know. It's scary when you think about how so many things can hurt them, and you want to be able to protect them from everything." I turned back to Virginia and said, "As much as you want to, you'll make yourself crazy if you try." I cupped Virginia's face with my hands and said, "Thank you for taking care of Mark. You did that like a pro."

As we walked back to the bench to sit down, I was thrilled I was no longer alone taking care of the boys.

... As Virginia came up to me, she gave me a quick, chaste hug and said, "I'm glad we could do this today. I really love seeing Matthew and Mark."

I smiled and said, "I'm glad to do this. The boys can't stop talking about you."

Having waited long enough, the boys came up, and Matthew took Virginia's hand, and Mark took my hand as they both said, "Let's go!"

Virginia and I shared a smile at their enthusiasm, and I said, "Okay, let's go!"

Every Saturday morning, the vendor booths were set up, and people were hawking their wares. We took our time strolling down the pier, checking out the tables and the wares. I noticed a booth up ahead selling jewelry. I wanted to buy Virginia something nice in appreciation for loving the boys and me. I handed Mark off to Virginia and said, "I want to go check out a booth and maybe buy something. Do you mind watching both boys for a while?"

Virginia smiled at me and said, "Go ahead. I got them."

I admonished the boys to behave while I was gone and hurried down to the booth. As I came up to the booth, I noticed two women were behind the table. They were standing there side-hugging each other. I immediately suspected they might be sympathetic to my need to buy something for Virginia. I wouldn't have to be embarrassed to discuss what I wanted with them.

As I came up to the table, the taller of the two women broke away and came up to greet me. She was older than me, about Mom's age, and had auburn hair and lovely green eyes. I couldn't help but notice she was fit and looked nice.

She said, "Hi! I'm Cindy. Can I help you find something?"

I was drawn to her green eyes, and I looked her in the eye as I said, "Thank you, Cindy. I'm Bonnie, and I'm looking for a gift to give my friend." I put a bit of emphasis on 'friend' to let her know it was someone special to me.

After she glanced over to the other woman, Cindy asked, "What does your friend like?"