The Waiter

Roger was a waiter in a trendy French restaurant. Every day he carried heavy plates, delivered drinks, and carefully took orders from the tables. He greeted every customer politely and smiled, even when he was exhausted. But many customers did not treat him the same way. Some snapped their fingers to grab his attention, others shouted across the room, and a few made silly jokes about the food. Roger never shouted back. On the outside he appeared calm, but inside he was angry. He worked hard every day, yet nobody seemed to respect him.

One evening the restaurant was full. Every table was taken, and the noise of voices filled the room. Roger was serving a group of businessmen. From the beginning, they were difficult. First, they complained that the soup was ‘too cold’. They sent it back to the kitchen, then sent it back again a second time, claiming it was still not hot enough.

Roger’s patience was running out. The third time, he made it so hot that steam filled the air. When the men tasted it, they burnt their tongues. They shouted and waved their hands, but Roger only smiled politely. Inside, he felt a secret joy.

Later, one man asked for more pepper on his steak. Roger took the steak back to the kitchen and put so much pepper on it that the meat was barely visible. Then, when the man tried to eat his peppery steak, he couldn’t stop sneezing.

Soon after that, another man shouted for water. Roger brought him a glass filled right to the top. The moment the man touched it, water spilt over the table and onto his expensive suit. Roger smiled politely and said, ‘So sorry, sir,’ while the man tried to dry his clothes.

The businessmen were already upset, but Roger was not finished. When they asked for bread, he brought the hardest bread from the basket. It was old and dry, and when they tried to break it, small crumbs flew across the table and onto their clothes. The other diners turned their heads, trying not to laugh as the men fought with the bread.

Next, the businessmen ordered an expensive bottle of wine. Roger went to the kitchen, but he did not bring wine. Instead, he brought a wine bottle filled with grape juice. He poured it slowly into their glasses. The men sipped and nodded with serious faces. ‘Excellent wine,’ one of them said proudly. Roger kept his face serious too, but inside he was almost laughing out loud.

At last, the meal was finished. Roger carried the bill to the table. Inside the folder was not only the bill but also a small note, written in neat handwriting:

‘I hope you enjoyed your meal. I made a few changes to your meal tonight. Some of these changes may have escaped your notice. Be careful how you treat your waiter. Next time, the changes will be more obvious.’

The businessmen stared at the note with confused faces. When they looked up, Roger was no longer there. His apron lay folded on the counter, and nobody had seen him leave.

📒 Key vocabulary

• trendy – fashionable or popular at the moment
• snap (snap, snapped, snapped) – make a quick, sharp sound or movement, often with fingers, to get attention
• steam – the hot gas that comes from boiling water
• sneezing – suddenly blowing air through the nose and mouth, often because of dust or pepper
• spill (spill, spilled, spilt)– cause liquid to flow out by accident
• crumbs – very small pieces of bread, cake, or other food
• diners – people eating in a restaurant or café
• sip (sip, sipped, sipped) – drink slowly in small amounts
• nod (nod, nodded, nodded) – move head up and down to show agreement
• folder – a cover or container used to hold papers
• handwriting – writing done by hand, not printed by a machine
• apron – a piece of clothing worn over the front of the body to protect clothes, usually while cooking or serving

🤔 Comprehension quiz

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