The Waffle House Dream

I ate at the Waffle House tonight. Everyone who knows me knows that I love Waffle House. I have always said that if I wasn't in ministry I would either be a pirate or short-order cook at Waffle House. To be honest, I don't go as much as I used to and the last time we went was such a bad experience that I almost wrote them off completely. But tonight it was near perfection! The hashbrowns scattered and smothered were the prettiest golden brown with the perfect crispiness. The ham and cheese omelet was just as beautiful and delicious. It restored my faith in this worthy establishment! As I sat there, I was flooded with Waffle House memories:

• When I was working night shift at Pepsi Cola in the mid 80's, my fellow worker, Bruce, and I would hit the WH at about 3am. There was a fairly attractive waitress that always served us. One night she told us that she had posed for Playboy! We were incredulous. She told us to wait there and promptly left the store to retrieve a copy of the magazine to prove her story. I told Bruce, whom I had been trying to be a light in his dark world, that I would not stay and wait. But Bruce stayed. He stayed until the morning light. She never returned and I mean never. She never returned to the WH and no one knew where she went. It has always been a mystery.
• One of my best friends and a fellow worker in the Gospel is Dwayne Sumner. We we were on staff together at the Hopewell Baptist Church for several years in the 90's. On a road trip, we stopped at a WH and as we walked in, the griddle burst into flames. It was a major fire. Everyone rushed out and they called 911. We got in the car and left but I couldn't talk Dwayne into the WH again. He said it was a sign!
• Dwayne also claimed that I had brainwashed my kids into believing that the WH was the best restaurant around. He would say to Ben and Joe after church. "You want to go to Longhorn's with me?" They would say "No! We're going to Waffle House! Do you want to come with us?" The kids favorite thing was putting quarters in the jukebox. The best music is on the WH jukebox!
• But my best memories are sitting with Pattie and talking for hours with her. We were good friends before we started dating. In fact, we were both dating other people and I would often call her after my dates and ask her if she wanted to go to WH (which was near her house) and I would share all my dating woes and she would give me advice into the midnight hours. Then one day I met her there and I realized what I had right in front of me! She asked how it was going with my latest interest and I said "I don't want to talk about her. I want to talk about you." My life changed that day! A relationship that had been cultivated over hashbrowns and waffles bloomed into true love. I love mine and Pattie's story. We call it "The Story of Us." The WH played a big part in our story. I guess that's why I can never truly write it off no matter how bad the experience is.