Talking Circle

[Trinityz1]

At a Truck stop off Illinois Tollway 5 and 59
N towards Rockford, was on a road trip. Well my son and I
stopped in for breakfast. Waitress was a bit of a snotty grump.
they had a counter and booths, I was in a booth off the counter.
Drivers section...I sit in it because I earned the right to and
be around people I have something in common with and enjoy the
conversation and even contribute if I'm of the mind.

Well there was this old guy at the counter and someone had bought
him a cup of coffee, so he was telling the nearby drivers how he
was making his way to go see his son. The other drivers were kind
to him, gave him a smoke to go with his coffee. He was a road
urchin, but down on his luck and doing no harm with a pleasant
demeanor. He was drinking a cup the guy next to him had bought
for him.

Finally waitress brought me some coffee. I saw the ol' boy glance
at the meals brought to his neighbors, the truckdrivers...his belt
was definitely cinched tight, like not a meal in a week tight.
There was something good and kind about that ol' guy. The
drivers next to him were quite taken with him.

So I asked the waitress could she please take my order now...
she grumped...motioned for her to lean closer so I could speak
soft....

Asked her to bring that old boy the biggest plate of biscuits
and gravy they could muster and put it on my tab and say it was
from the cook, he had made a mistake, and would the old
gentleman care to have it.....don't let on it was me bought it.

She teared up and said she'd get right on it. Well she brought
out a platter filled with fresh biscuits and fresh sausage gravy
and asked if anyone wanted it and held it out to the ol' boy
and everyone else close by (except us) had their breakfast.

He said well if it's going to waste, he'd take care of it. Then she
brought our breakfast, said she was sorry for being a grumpus,
and that was the nicest thing she'd seen in a while. I thanked
her for helping me out. My coffee cup couldn't go down even 1/2
way after that. Guys next to him, said Hey! how about that!

Well he cleaned that whole dang plate that had been overflowing
with biscuits and gravy....finished a fresh donated smoke,
swallered a last cup of coffee. We were about finished with our
breakfast so I left enough with the ticket to cover it and a
nice tip for Grumpus who weren't grumpy no more.
Waitress saw what I left her, had more tears in her eyes..
she said thank you ever so sweet as we left....

The old guy headed out the door towards the interstate...
we went out behind him, buckled up and took a look to see
where he was headed... there was some tall grass about a foot
high and the wind was blowing it flat....you could see for a mile

and I turned my head and looked back to the waitress
who was waving bye inside the window....
turned to look and he was gone....no where in sight...
hair went up on the back of my neck...

I drove around looking to see where he could've went to.......
nowhere to be seen.....like he just vanished...
we drove up and around the cloverleaf looking everywhere....
nowhere to be seen...and it weren't like he moved very fast
he was just gone....

draw your own conclusions. heard it said sometimes we might
entertain an angel...it certainly gave me pause that morning.