Slice of Life: More Bacon Here!

"I’ll have the oatmeal,” she stated not unkindly, but not politely either, her tone betraying her contempt for the grainy porridge, her words dripping thickly onto the smooth granite counter.

No one enjoys a late airplane and most enjoy airport cuisine even less. But here we were all stuck at the same counter while other passengers whizzed by, their airplanes accommodating them by actually meeting them at their perspective gates at the appropriate times. We were all fuming.

“I’m sorry, but we’re out of oatmeal,” the server stated matter-off-fact.
I looked the orderer up and down. She was a thin woman in her mid-fifties and judging from her expensive jogging attire, she was at the very least upper-middle class and perhaps quite fond of the elliptical machine. With nothing else to do but sit and nibble at my own breakfast, I found myself wondering what she might order next, the disdainful oatmeal being what it was. I glanced at the menu board and took a few guesses:

“Veggie omelet!”

“Dry toast with a poached egg!”

“Granola and yogurt!”

“I’ll have the three egg breakfast, extra bacon,” she stated after a brief pause.
I looked her up and down again. There was a large man in a grey pin-stripe suit on the stool next to her and I realized with relief that she must be sharing with him for no other reason than I had pegged this woman as an uptight, skinny white lady and god damn it, she was going to stay that way.

Minutes later her steaming plate of eggs, bacon and toast appeared, an extra plate was set on the counter with another stack of thick and crispy bacon piled high. I watched, I stared, I gaped, as the man in the grey pin-stripe suit turned to his companion, who was not the former oatmeal lady. At that moment the bacon lady barked, “More bacon here!”

And I watched as she ate it. She ate it all. And after, she ordered more and more, until she was fortified by a bacon blockade, barricading her from the rest of the airport, fortifying her from the rest of the world.

I exchanged a long meaningful look with the waitress. Then I paid my bill and left. I had seen enough and besides, my flight would be leaving someday soon.