Dream Horse

The restaurant is empty. Dad puts his hand on the small of my back and thrusts me toward a booth. I walk fast to step away from the pressure. A girl not much older than me scurries over on high heels so tall it makes her foot perpendicular to the floor. She drops menus in front of us.

“Nice to see you again, Mr. Iverson.” Her smile is bleached-teeth white and takes up half her face. “We’re a little short staffed today, so I’m helping out. I saw you come in.”

 “Thanks, Mindy. I’ll start with the usual.” He lifts the menu to dismiss Mindy, who totters away on her skyscraper shoes to the bar. She’s back in a heartbeat and pushes a tall glass of gin and tonic on a paper coaster toward Dad. I get a Coke.

He lowers the menu and smiles at me. “Get whatever you want. Don’t worry about the price.”

Thing is, there isn’t much here I would eat. It’s all fussy stuff with lots of fancy ingredients I don’t even like. What I really crave is a Five Guys burger with a chocolate shake. I skim the menu columns fast and just pick something so Mindy will go away.