Word: lagniappe

 

lagniappe

\ lan-YAP, LAN-yap \  , noun;

1. Chiefly Southern Louisiana and Southeast Texas . a small gift given with a purchase to a customer, by way of compliment or for good measure; bonus.

2. a gratuity or tip.

3. an unexpected or indirect benefit.

 **************************

“See, I told ya it’d work.”  Kelly said.  She kicked up her feet and set it on the table, leaning far back in the chair as she looked at Leslie. 

                “Yeah, I guess.  That doesn’t mean I have to like it though.”  Leslie said.  She held the small stack of small bills like they would come alive and bite her.

                “Pff, who cares if you don’t like it?  All that matters is the results.”

                “But it’s so…degrading.”

                “Oh please, showing a little skin to get better tips isn’t the end of the world.  It’s not like we work at a strip club or anything.  Now that’d be degrading.”

                “Well, yeah.  But still, do I really have to bend over so much?  I mean, I could practically feel their stares.” 

                “If you want big tips you do.  And you get used to the leers.  I’m kind of surprised you’re even complaining about it.”

                “Getting looked on the street is one thing.  This is entirely different.”

                “If you insist.  But trust me, it gets easier.”

                “I’m just asking if there’s a better way.  I mean, can’t we just, you know, wow them with a pleasant attitude and good service?  I can do that no problem.”

                “That only works if the table is all women.  For the guys, showing some skin is the best way to go.”

                “It just feels wrong to me is all.”

                “Wrong?  Les, you’ve got some insane assets going for you.”  Kelly said.  Leslie felt her face getting red and she pulled down the hem of her skirt just a tiny bit.  She had suddenly become keenly aware of the busboy cleaning off a table behind her whose eyes were definitely not on his task.  “It’d be almost criminal not to put them to work for you.  ‘Sides, a little T&A never hurt anyone.”

                “I just feel like if I act like I’m trying to flirt with them, they’ll get the wrong idea.”

                “Well, yeah.  They will.  That’s the point.  You want them to think you want them.  If they think they have a shot with you, they’ll give awesome tips.  If you just take their order and leave, you’ll get normal tips.  Trust me; this’ll net you a lot more green than you’d get if you did it your way.”

                “Ok, yeah, I get that.  But some of the guys here are well...”

                “You don’t have to tell me about the guys here.  I know some of them are creepy as hell.  But hey, that’s gonna happen no matter where you go.  And hey, not all of them are bad.  You do get some really hot guys coming in.  It’s those you want to keep an eye out for.  That’s how I got my boyfriend you know.”

                “Yeah, I know.  You told me.”  Leslie said, “Several times.”  She added under her breath.

                “So yeah, just a little harmless flirting gets big results.  You get tons more tips, and if you get a hot guy out of it, then bonus.”  She said, saying that last word with a sing song voice.

“What makes you think I even want to get a boyfriend here?”  Leslie asked.  Kelly returned to a normal sitting position before replying.

                “Don’t want…  Listen Leslie, you’re young, hot, and single.  Those three things sound not be used to describe the same person at the same time.  You have the ability to get any guy you want, use it.”

                “I’d just rather not define myself by my ability to get a man is all.  And I’d rather earn my tips, rather than my cleavage doing it for me.”

                Kelly didn’t answer right away.  She just sat and looked at the junior waitress with a mixture of shock and surprise.  To her, what Leslie was saying was akin to blasphemy.  How could Leslie not want to use her god given traits?  Every girl she knew who was so endowed was quite willing to show it off and make use of it, including Kelly herself.  And yet, here was Leslie, not doing just that.  It all came out as one thing in her mind.

                “You’re kind of weird.”  She said.

                “Why?  Because I want to succeed with my skills and abilities instead of my looks?”  Leslie said. 

She was having much less difficulty understanding Kelly’s point of view than the opposite.  All her adult life, she had known women just like Kelly who relied on their looks to get ahead.  She wanted none of it.  After all, she wouldn’t have her looks forever, so why rely on them?

“Exactly.”  Kelly said.

“Look, I’m not saying you shouldn’t show a little T&A as you call it, but it just feels wrong to me.  It might hurt my tips in the short run, but I really think it’ll be better later on.”

“If you say so.”  Kelly said.  She just looked at Leslie with an odd expression on her face.

“I do.  So, I’m going to try it my way.  I admit I probably won’t get great tips with all my shirt buttons buttoned, but it’ll be much more rewarding when I do.”  She said, confident in her choice.  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get home and change into something normal.” 

Leslie headed into the back of the diner to record her gains for the day before heading home.  Kelly just looked at her oddly the entire time, trying to figure out what was going through the other girl’s head.

******************************

I can honestly say I've never had a waitress act all 'flirty' with me.  But then again, most of the waitresses I've encountered have been a bit more advanced in years than the two in this story.  And when I've had a younger waitress, I'm usually with other people, so it doesn't come up anyway.  But I'd think it happens in other places, right?