Zoe, Wyona and I went to the Dairy Queen a few days ago. For some reason Wyona and I were dressed up, although I can’t remember why. At any rate, there we were, Wyona eating Zoe’s sundae so that it didn’t melt, while Zoe began to consume part of her $7 meal deal while it was hot. Zoe always orders the chicken fingers and fries – no burger for her.
I picked up the Ketchup and began to pour a bit of it into the fries tray so that we would have some condiment to poke our French fries into. I thought the bottle felt full, but when I turned it over, nothing came out.
“Not like the Dairy Queen to forget to take out the piece of foil so that the Ketchup will work,” I thought as I turned the bottle right side up again to screw off the lid and remove that foil that was preventing the Ketchup from flowing. I have no idea why I looked at the nozzle and gave it one more squirt, but I did. There was a rush of air and then Ketchup spattered upward, all over my hair, my glasses, my cheeks and my neck. I knew this was a moment where I did not want to take a selfie. Still I sat there for a minute, first letting Wyona see my face and then Zoe.
Zoe began to laugh so hard she leaned her face down on the table.
“You wouldn’t be laughing so hard if this had happened to you,” I said.
She agreed and patted my hand, but then she started to laugh again.
And again.
Her mother sent her over to fill the drinks up at the fountain.
I could still see Zoe laughing over there, uncontrollable, not able to contain herself.
When she came back she took some serviettes and tried to clean my face up, but that was hard to do with no water at the table.
Wyona took my glasses off, gave them to Zoe and told her to take them to the bathroom and clean them up for a start. As she left Wyona said, “Zoe has never cleaned a pair of glasses before. I have no idea how they are going to come back to you.”
The answer is that this is the first time I have looked through my glasses and seen a light smear of pink on the lenses.
I have no idea, just no idea why I would look down the squeeze top of a bottle of Ketchup and then press it really hard to see if it were working.
Arta
I picked up the Ketchup and began to pour a bit of it into the fries tray so that we would have some condiment to poke our French fries into. I thought the bottle felt full, but when I turned it over, nothing came out.
“Not like the Dairy Queen to forget to take out the piece of foil so that the Ketchup will work,” I thought as I turned the bottle right side up again to screw off the lid and remove that foil that was preventing the Ketchup from flowing. I have no idea why I looked at the nozzle and gave it one more squirt, but I did. There was a rush of air and then Ketchup spattered upward, all over my hair, my glasses, my cheeks and my neck. I knew this was a moment where I did not want to take a selfie. Still I sat there for a minute, first letting Wyona see my face and then Zoe.
Zoe began to laugh so hard she leaned her face down on the table.
“You wouldn’t be laughing so hard if this had happened to you,” I said.
She agreed and patted my hand, but then she started to laugh again.
And again.
I could still see Zoe laughing over there, uncontrollable, not able to contain herself.
When she came back she took some serviettes and tried to clean my face up, but that was hard to do with no water at the table.
Wyona took my glasses off, gave them to Zoe and told her to take them to the bathroom and clean them up for a start. As she left Wyona said, “Zoe has never cleaned a pair of glasses before. I have no idea how they are going to come back to you.”
The answer is that this is the first time I have looked through my glasses and seen a light smear of pink on the lenses.
I have no idea, just no idea why I would look down the squeeze top of a bottle of Ketchup and then press it really hard to see if it were working.
Arta
hahahahahaha
ReplyDeleteAnd that is exactly the way that Zoe laughed when she saw my face. Oh boy. Laughed and laughed. Thanks for reading, Rebecca, and getting the joke.
ReplyDeleteI needed that laugh. I was laughing not just at that moment you captured, but also at all the similar moments I have lived from the perspective of being a ketchup bath recipient ... at my own hands and those of others. I live that you held the moment, letting your dinner companions process and enjoy the moment without words.
ReplyDelete