Mom's Tip

Kathy looks at the clock and sees it is 1:25pm. Lunch hour is practically over. It is her worse day for tips since she started waitressing part-time at The Hog. She blindly fumbles the bills in her front pocket and, although it feels to be a large lump, she knows it is fewer than $20. Waitresses do not share tips at The Hog but she works only 3 days each week. It will be challenging for Kathy to smile at any new customer who might come in now, because she accepts that she just worked four hours for nothing more than gas money for the week.

Kathy begins cleaning her last table where the previous customers sat for one hour but left no tip. The two men at this table blatantly flirted with her and one had the audacity to ask if she had a boyfriend. She does, but of course she told him no. Her thinking was that would entice the man to tip more. Kathy had really hoped his table was going to be the one to bring her cash pocket up to $30. She overtly flirted back; he left no tip.

Kathy accepts that today is going to be the first day she has never made at least $40 in tips. The Hog stops serving at 2:30 and she knows that the people who come at the last minute seldom tip or tip very little. Kathy will let the other waitress take any of those customers if they come in so she can call this day kaput. She finishes wiping the table and moves to take the dishes to the dirty-dishes bin until a familiar voice stops her.

“Well, hello, is this table taken?”

“Mom!” Kathy’s excitement and pleasure was genuine and not artificial as it had been for the previous two customers who sat at this table.

“I just finished cleaning it for you!” Kathy laughed, actually having no idea that her mother was going to eat here today. “What are you doing here today?”

“I went to the library to take my books back and got hungry. Plus, I wanted to see my daughter in action at her new job. What’s it been now? Two months you’ve worked here?”

“Yes!” Kathy proudly proclaimed, at first. But then remembering her dearth of tips, she despondently looks down at the table as her mother takes a seat. Kathy lowers her voice and forlornly says, “Mom, I made absolutely no money in tips today. I practically worked here for free today. No one tipped me barely at all! I hardly made gas money for this week.” Kathy hopes her mother hears the dejection in her voice.

“Oh honey, I’m sorry to hear that. It’ll get better, Kathy. I’m sure. Try not to let it get you down.”

Kathy goes to get Mom a menu. She is jubilant now because she knows her mother will tip at least $10—maybe even $15. Mom’s tip will get almost all of Kathy’s gas money for the week. She can then spend the $20 she’s already earned on those chunky, small-hoop earrings at Nordstrom she really wants to get when her shift ends.

Kathy banters with her mother throughout the lunch. She introduces Mom to the other waitress and even to the manager. There is no questioning that Mom’s arrival at The Hog is the cause of Kathy’s palpable high spirits.

About 45 minutes later, they hug each other goodbye. Kathy remarks that she hopes Mom does not smell the sweat and grease that reeks from her uniform. Her mother waves goodbye to Kathy one last time from the doorway as she exits The Hog.

Kathy turns back to the table and opens the server book that holds the receipt for the meal. The price of the meal was $17.87 and the wallet organizer held exactly $18 in bills. There was practically nothing extra. On the receipt where the customer is supposed to write the amount of the tip, Mom wrote four simple words:

“You live rent free.”