Sorry I brought my baby. The waitress apologized on a blind date, but what the single dad did changed everything. Before we continue, please tell us where in the world are you tuning in from. We love seeing how far our stories travel. Ethan Carter sat alone at table 12 in the fanciest steakhouse in Austin, Texas at 7:45 on a Saturday night, checking his watch for the third time in 5 minutes.
and he was about 2 seconds away from texting his sister that he had a sudden work emergency or food poisoning or literally anything that would get him out of this blind date he never should have agreed to in the first place. The restaurant smelled like money and expensive cologne. All dark wood and soft lighting and people who probably didn’t shop at Costco.
And Ethan felt like a fraud in his button-down shirt that Sophie had ironed for him this morning while giving him a pep talk about how mom would want him to be happy. Here’s the thing. Nobody tells you about being a widowerower for 3 years. Everywhere you go feels like a betrayal. And this restaurant specifically was where he was supposed to celebrate his 10th anniversary with Mia.
Except she died 6 months before they could make it. And now he was sitting here waiting for a stranger while his dead wife’s memory sat in the empty chair across from him judging his life choices. His phone buzzed with a text from his sister Vanessa. Her name’s Ruby. She works there as a waitress. I met her at Sophie’s school fundraiser. Trust me, you’ll like her.
And Ethan typed back, “This feels wrong.” But Vanessa just sent the eye roll emoji and Sophie made you pinky promise. You’re not backing out. The waitress who’d been serving his table came back with a water refill. And Ethan looked up and really saw her for the first time, probably mid to late 20s.
Dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, tired eyes, but a genuinely warm smile. And she said, “Can I get you started with an appetizer while you wait, or do you want to give it a few more minutes?” Her voice was kind, a little raspy, like maybe she’d been on her feet too long. And Ethan said, “I’ll wait. Thanks though.
” And she nodded and moved to the next table. And he thought, “Man, I hope my date is half as nice as this waitress because at least then the night won’t be a total disaster.” Except the waitress kept glancing at her phone every time she passed the server station. And Ethan noticed because he’d been a single parent long enough to recognize the specific panic of someone dealing with childcare issues.
the way she’d check the screen and her shoulders would tense up and she’d take a breath and pace the smile back on. 8:00 came and went, his date still hadn’t shown. And Ethan was starting to think he’d been stood up, which honestly would be a relief when he saw the waitress talking urgently to the manager near the kitchen.
Her hands gesturing, her face pleading, and the manager shaking his head with this cold expression that made Ethan’s jaw clench. The waitress disappeared into the back for a minute, and when she came back, she was carrying something. And Ethan’s brain took a second to process what he was seeing because she had a baby carrier with an actual baby inside, maybe a year and a half old, and she was trying to move quickly toward what looked like an office, but the manager spotted her.
Ruby, what the hell is that? The manager’s voice carried across the entire dining room loud enough that conversation stopped and heads turned and Ethan watched the waitress Ruby apparently freeze in place like a deer in headlights. I’m so sorry, Mr. Peterson. My babysitter had an emergency. Her daughter’s sick.
I just need to keep him in the back office for the last hour of my shift. He’s sleeping. He won’t make any noise. I promise. Ruby’s voice was shaking and Ethan could see her cheeks burning red with embarrassment and the baby started to stir, making those little whimpering sounds that meant he was about to cry.
And the manager’s face went purple. You brought a baby to work to a fine dining establishment? Are you out of your mind? You’re done. Get out. You’re fired. Ruby’s face crumpled and she said, “Please, I need this job. I need tonight’s tips. I’ll take him home right now and come back, please.” And the manager said, “Too late.
You should have thought about that before you brought your kid to work. Like this is some kind of daycare. Get your stuff and leave before I call security.” The baby started crying for real now. Loud whales that echoed off the high ceilings. And Ruby was crying too, trying to shush him while fumbling with the diaper bag.
And every single person in that restaurant was staring. And Ethan felt something snap in his chest. He stood up so fast his chair scraped loud against the floor and walked straight over to where Ruby was standing and the manager’s eyes narrowed. “Sir, I apologize for this disruption.
Please return to your table and we’ll comp your meal.” Ethan ignored him completely and looked at Ruby.Really? Looked at her. Saw the tears streaming down her face and the way she was holding that baby like he was the only solid thing in her world. Are you okay? Is the baby all right? His voice came out gentler than he expected. And Ruby looked up at him with these huge brown eyes filled with humiliation and fear. I’m fine.
