Yes, Ma'am

I thought I'd mis-heard the waitress when she said it the first time but then she repeated it after taking our drinks order. She called P Sir, too, which is fairly unusual these days in the informal casual atmosphere of chain restaurants. But the 'ma'am' is more often heard on American TV or British Royal Family interviews or productions. I mentioned it to my husband, he'd noticed it too, he said he'd thought at first she might be American but then listened and there was no accent, in fact if there was any accent at all it was a slight Birmingham lilt. He also noted she was a very attractive girl, bright and alert, he said she should be running the restaurant.

I can't name the restaurant just in case, but it was one we do use occasionally as a convenience if we've been to the cinema or something and know we don't need to book. Throughout our meal she gave us particularly attentive service and repeatedly appeared to favour me, smiling and addressing me as opposed to P when asking if everything was OK and could she get us anything else etc etc, it was highly unusual, we'd never met her before but she was treating us like old and valued customers. P said he thought she might fancy me, I nearly spluttered a mouthful of zucchini into my dish as I laughed. He said, "I'm serious, I think she might, why don't you engage in conversation with her and see." I couldn't really see the point but my husband seemed amused by it so I said I would, just a bit. He said not to worry he'd be there to protect me if she started coming on. He was smiling, it was silly but he was enjoying the distraction.

So I chatted a bit without slowing her from her work, she'd been transferred from another group outlet at her own request because she hadn't got on with a new manager. P said "See, she doesn't get on with men," and winked at me. I said he didn't know the new manager was a man but he just smiled in an infuriating way he has sometimes. When we asked to pay she brought our bill and placed it on my side of the table then, standing next to me, told us a bit more about her last place of work and I told her she was really a very good waitress and her pretty face lit up. The restaurant was slowing down by now so she could chat a bit more, she told us she'd been to college and done two years food and beverage management. P said she should be running her own place, she probably would one day, he said he'd back her, she was exactly the sort of young person who should be entering the business. He didn't say the backing thing to her, she'd gone off to another table.

"Well you'd better pay the bill then being as she's brought it to you," P said but I knew he was joking I could see he was already fishing for his wallet. "She really does fancy you, I can tell".

When she came and collected, and saw her cash tip, she beamed and said "Thank you, ma'am." She took the tab and money back to the counter and we sipped the last of our wine. P said if she came over again and sidled up to me he was going to ask her to stop flirting with his wife, as it would get her into trouble, she'd probably get a good spanking for it when she got home. He was lying of course but the thought of it made me blush, it would probably have made her blush too if she'd heard what P said next. "She ought to get a good spanking herself for the way she's behaving, despite being a very good waitress...perhaps she'd prefer you to do it than me." That made me blush a bit more because, ridiculously, somewhere deep down, the thought affected me.

As we were about to leave, she came back with our receipt, my side of the table of course, and bent down to talk, she asked if I knew tripadvisor, I said yes, then she wrote her name on the receipt and said next time I was on there would I mind doing her a favour and mentioning the nice meal and service we'd had, including her name of course. I said no problem and we left. On the way back to the car I said to P, "There you see, no sapphic undertones, just wanting to get credited on tripadvisor." P said no that wasn't the end of it, why did she put her full name on the receipt, that wasn't normal, it was so that she could be contacted, game on, up to you now. He was chuckling, then he squeezed my bum and said he was only joking. I hoped he might carry out his pretend threat to spank me when he got me home but it didn't happen. 

I did get spanked the next day but that's another story:)

Have a fun weekend.

Ronnie

xx