the pot

I’ve made it a bit of a habit to stop by the Lobster Pot for a late lunch. The true lunch hours are very, very busy, and I like a little nosh before I go about my afternoon adventures. Usually I’ll go to the beach and read, then hit the restaurant for a nice little lunch at the bar at the Top o’ the Pot.

Having done this quite a bit in recent weeks, I’ve developed a little rapport with the staff. They are an amazing bunch, some of whom have worked there for ten or more years. It’s a bit of a cliché to say so, but these ladies are a bunch of gems.

So imagine my mortification when I was told by one of them that I had accidentally underpaid my bill on a previous visit. I went in for my usual lunch (a cup of chowdah, tuna tartare, and a Stella), and the bartender Marie said, “Hey, Eric…you accidentally underpaid your bill the last time you were here, so Cassie covered it for you. You owe her four bucks.”

Well, I was appalled for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the fact that I had also stiffed Marie on her tip (which she graciously omitted from her tale). So I ate, and settled up, and made amends to all parties.

Cut to today. I went upstairs to the bar, and Rima held a seat for me despite the crowd. Cassie was behind the bar, and we shared a laugh about it. She said (in her cool Caribbean accent), “Hey, it’s no big deal. We see you in here all the time, and we knew you’d be good for it. Anyway, you’re one of us, so we were happy to cover it.” Then she bought me a beer.

That’s right. The Ladies of the Lobster Pot consider me to be one of them. I almost wept.

It was the second best thing to happen to me during this insanely wonderful summer.