I can't count the times I've been out with a group and one or two meals didn't appear and didn't appear, only to either never arrive or be so late everyone else was leaving. The usual table response is "they had to go kill the cow" or "catch the fish." That typically happened at places I never return to.

I am remembering a really nice meal times two, though. My son and I went up to the favorite Mexican restaurant (mentioned above) for lunch and were seated in a small enclosed porch area. A few minutes after we were served a young man (I'd guess late 20s) was seated a dozen feet away. We had a view of his profile; he was in military fatigues (light camouflage), a really short haircut, a hearing aid behind each ear. We continued to eat and talk, he placed his order, and when it arrived he arranged the parts of the meal on the table like it was a ritual, and placed a bottle of Aleve (naproxen - a painkiller) on the table next to his water glass. He clearly was enjoying every bit of his lunch. Since that restaurant is one of my favorites I presumed it was also a favorite of his, but this was more than just lunch, it was a ceremonial meal by someone who was back from a rough time. When we walked up to the cashier in the next room I told the her I wanted to pay for that other lunch, hoping the gift would add one more bit of pleasure to his afternoon. They were excited to comply, and I asked if they'd wait to tell him after we left. During our meal I had quietly called my son's attention to the other diner (the hearing aids, the pain medication) so he knew what I was doing. Not just a gift, I hope I was setting a good example.