Coffee? Tea? Serenity?

For the past couple of months, my mom has been saying, "Some good crabs!"  That repeated comment helped me to know exactly what Mom would appreciate for Mother's Day.  Mom was very excited when I told her my plans.  The restaurant was found.  The small trip was planned for Saturday evening. 

It was I who was the more surprised, though.  To sit and watch her enjoy those crabs was a delight.  There was no elegance in the restaurant we chose - good thing!  First we order drinks.  Next, we order our meals.  Then comes the appetizers.  Three of us had seafood gumbo.  I had salad.  One of us had no appetizer.  With this day being the day before Mother's Day, the place was full, filled with sounds of joy and children, and the wait was a little long.  We waited patiently.

The waitress approached our table to say that the crabs would be ready before the other foods ordered and she wanted to know if it would be alright if she brought those out first.  Well, of course!

Here come the crabs!  Mike ordered some and of course Mom did.  I could not eat them, though I did taste, do to a recent, mild allergic reaction to shrimp.  Dad, Scott, and myself chose to eat other choices - which could never compare to the taste of those crabs.  They were just yummy.

No one had to ask Mom if she was enjoying her order.  It was quite evident.  She tackled those critters with aggressive delight.  The shells were scattering everywhere.  I sat directly across the table from her.  I had shells landing in my lap.  She had shells in her hair.  Lord knows where the poor waitress found bits of crab shells as she cleared our table.  As Mom finished her last crab, she said, "OH, Cindy, that was very good!"  The family at the table near us looked our way with a sweet, understanding smile. 

Mike enjoyed his crabs, too.  At one time, he said that his fingers were too big and he could not work as quickly as he'd like to eat them.

As we were leaving the restaurant, Dad seemed a bit uncomfortable with the fact that Mike and I grabbed the tab for the entire meal.  That was my intention - as a gift to Mom.  When he mentioned the "bill", I said to him, "Dad, it was well worth every penny to see Mom and Mike enjoy those crabs."

The gift that I gave to Mom turned out to be a real treat for me as well - to watch her enjoy hers.