How Coffee on Mother's Day Led to a Minor Culinary Disaster

Today being Mother's Day, my brother invited my mother, sister and me over to his home for dinner. As I don't drive, my mother kindly offered to drive me over for the occasion, which was scheduled to take place at around 4:30 pm.

My brother Perry had also asked me to pick up a couple of bottles of white wine, so I asked my mother to make a short stop at one of the newer grocery chains in the area, where a small wine shop could be found. All this seemed simple enough. But it so happened today that my mother decided that she would like a coffee, and suggested that we stop off at Tim Horton's to get one. Not being an especially big fan of Tim Horton's coffee or their customer service, however, I suggested that we instead visit the Symposium Cafe, which was also in the area.

Having purchased the wine, I strolled over to the restaurant in question, outside of which was a sign reading Under New Management. Inside I found my mother seated in a plush chair with a latte near at hand, reading a Mother's Day card that I had given her earlier.

Although the cafe was busy, I was quickly approached by an attractive dark-haired girl with glasses and asked if I would like anything to drink. I asked for plain coffee, along with cream and sugar. My mother and I then proceeded to spend an agreeable interval admiring the cafe's opulent decor and exchanging family news.

Soon it was time to go, however, so I paid the bill, which came to around seven dollars, leaving a three dollar tip for the young server whom I had found so attentive and pleasant, even though the establishment was far from empty.

But alas, not every occasion is a perfect one. It turned out that my mother and I had let time get away from us. We were a full hour late arriving at my brother's house -- and my sister was even later than that! Dinner was as a result overcooked, and the hors d'oeuvres uneaten entirely.

Needless to say, my brother Perry was annoyed. But it was Mother's Day, after all, and my mom did want her coffee so much... But for some reason, in all that time, it never occurred to my mother or myself that we could make coffee at Perry's house instead. And it was not as if he didn't have coffee, either. I know for a fact that he did, because we had some with our dessert.

The coffee this evening was excellent by the way, though dessert was also slightly burned...