Expensive Drinks

I've mentioned Rosie's Diner before. It's a great neighborhood hangout where many of us will go for a good, cheap meal before we hit the links, hit the job, or try to figure out what to do with the rest of the day.

It's a local dive that feels like home. You can walk in the door and hear someone call out to you, while the owner gives you a friendly wave and heads over to you with your favorite drink.

You're allowed to pick where you want to sit, but most of the time the restaurant's packed, so seats are at a premium. No worries: If you can't find a table or a booth, there's always the lunch counter.

My friend John and I met there for breakfast one morning, and later on in the day he realized he'd left his expensive $350 Revo sunglasses behind. This week, when we were able to get around to it, we stopped by Rosie's for those sunglasses and a drink to go.

John had called ahead, and Rosie was happy to produce all the sunglasses they'd recently collected. None of them were the Revos. But luckily John looked up and saw them perched on a shelf nearby. "Up there!" he said, and he pointed behind Rosie.

"These?" asked Rosie, handing them to him.

"Yes, thank goodness!" said John. "These are expensive!"

"Really? They don't look so different to me," said Rosie incredulously.

"Yeah," John said. "To the tune of about $350!"

"In that case," joked Rosie, "You owe me a finders' fee. That'll be $100, please."

John answered, "Oh yeah? Then you'll have to work it into your regular costs!"

They laughed it off, and John ordered a couple drinks to go.

Soon Rosie reappeared, carrying two styrofoam cups filled with soda. She carefully put them down next to the register, and rang up the charge. She looked up from the register.

"That'll be $100, please," said Rosie.