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 An Anniversary Surprise!
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved worldwide.
Steve held the door open proudly and let his mom
and dad enter the restaurant. Today he felt ten feet tall. It wasn't often that
an eleven year old took his parents out to dinner and he was pleased with
himself.
Actually, his sister Shelley, who was ten, had
helped. They pooled their allowances for two months so they could give their
parents a special anniversary present this year. Steve knew that his parents –
especially his mom- loved going out for dinner.
As the hostess came towards them, he smiled
nervously, and said, "Steve Martins. Reservations for four."
"What a delightful restaurant! It’s so romantic –
candlelight and all!" his mom remarked.
Dad winked at him. Steve felt a nice warm feeling
all over. The Pizza Hut or Wendy's would have been more to his liking but this
was for Mom, and she loved it.
After they were served, Steve bowed his head and
said a thank you prayer for the food. A few months ago he would have been
embarrassed, but not now. Just four weeks ago he had asked Jesus to be his
Savior, and Jesus had proved to be the best friend he ever had.
When the waiter brought the bill, Steve was still
sipping his ice-cold root beer. Shelley picked it up and studied it. She kicked
him under the table and slid the bill towards him.
"I think we have a problem," she muttered.
Before Steve could look at it, the waiter set a
dainty cake in front of his parents. Smooth chocolate frosting dripped over the
edges and a sparkler crackled merrily on top.
"Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad!" Steve and
Shelley chorused.
While Mom was busy serving the cake, Steve peeked
at the bill.
"Oh, no!" he gasped.
The siblings had saved and brought sixty dollars
but the bill was for sixty-six and they still needed money for the tip.
"I thought the cake was complimentary," Shelley
confided to her parents.
"Since you two are buying dinner how about
letting me buy dessert? I should have six dollars and some tip money in my
pockets somewhere," Dad said.
They all laughed as his dad pretended to be a
magician. He reached into each of his pockets, waving his hands as if a rabbit
should appear. Finally, he reached into his back pocket where he always carried
his wallet.
"Abracadabra!" But no wallet appeared. Dad felt
each pocket again, only this time slowly and carefully.
"I forgot my wallet. Can you believe that?" At
first Steve thought his dad was teasing, but his dad was not smiling.
It was no use asking Mom. She had left her purse
at home. She claimed she always liked to travel light.
"Will they make us wash the dishes?" Shelley
asked.
"Don’t worry. We’ll work something out," Dad
said, but Steve thought he looked uneasy.
"Will they call a policeman?" Shelley asked.
"Once when we ate at the Spaghetti Factory they called a policeman in because
someone wouldn’t pay their bill."
"Hush," Mom said calmly. "You enjoy the cake and
take your time. I’ll slip out and pick up Dad’s wallet at the house."
Steve wasn’t listening. He remembered that Jesus
cared about everything and He never made mistakes. Bowing his head, he prayed
quietly.
Before his mom could leave the table the maître
de approached them. "Could I please have your bill?" he asked tersely.
Steve handed the bill back to him and watched the
waiter walk away without saying another word. But soon he was back. He laid a
fresh bill on the table next to Steve.
"We have an etiquette rule in our fine
restaurant. A waiter never brings a bill until the patrons have completed their
meal. Your waiter gave you your bill before I brought the cake.
"Don’t worry about the tip, young man. We
calculate the tip into the total bill. Enjoy your cake and have a nice day."
Then the waiter was gone before Steve could say thank you.
Steve picked up the new bill and looked at it
closely. Sixty dollars, tax included. He grinned. God did come through for him.
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