Myshuno! 2014 Prompt: Where everybody knows your name (260 words)

[esmeiolanthe]

    The prompt for this story was “Where everybody knows your name,” submitted by fuzzyspork. This story fits into the current chapter of Already in Progress or thereabouts. There are no spoilers.

Rating: G

Dramatis Personae
Frederic Miller, restaurater
Isaac Miller, his husband

Setting
Frederic’s restaurant. Frederic and Isaac are walking through the dining area to the street. Frederic is greeting the regulars and the staff as he passes them.

FREDERIC: Hey, Princess! How’s it going? Everything okay? (claps waiter on the shoulder) Jay here treating you right? (wags a finger at the woman dining at the next table with a man) Naughty naughty, Mrs. Tellerman! I promise I won’t tell your husband. (turns to speak to a passing waitress as the diners laugh) How’s it going Michelle? Got everything you need? (off to the next table as the waitress nods) Dee! So good to see you! (as they pass the host) I’m out of here, Frank. Don’t burn the place, ‘kay?
(Frederic and Isaac emerge into the cold air)
ISAAC: How do you do that?
FREDERIC (turning up his collar): Do what?
ISAAC: Remember everybody’s names like that.
FREDERIC (blankly): I don’t know what their names are.
ISAAC: Sure, there’s Frank and Michelle and, um, Dee.
FREDERIC: I call all the men Frank and all the women Michelle when I can’t remember. And Dee is half of a pair of identical twins. – Tweedledee and Tweedledum?
ISAAC: But you didn’t call that one waiter Frank.
FREDERIC: Yeah, his name’s Jeff or Jonathan or Jerry or something like that.
ISAAC: But you knew Mrs. Tellerman and that she was cheating on her husband!
FREDERIC: She was eating with her husband. And their name’s not Tellerman. She’s just really into Richard Tellerman. You know, the actor? (stops by their car) Are you driving or am I?



Note: Regular readers may recognize Richard Tellerman as the actor who plays Goldberg on Goldberg & Silent Lady. For those who did not recognize the name, now you know. :)

Comments

[katrisims.livejournal.com]

Heh. I wonder how the co-workers and customers feel about Frederic getting their names all wrong, and happily so. But I suppose they're used to it. :D

[esmeiolanthe.livejournal.com]

Well, a lot of them are nicknames and everybody likes fun nicknames, right? :) The rest I based off one of the instructors at my dojo (where I study aikido) who can't remember certain people's names, so when he speaks to them, he'll call them "Katri" this time, and "Esme" next time, and "Goopy" the time after that, and so on. They find it mildly amusing and not offensive, which I hope is what Frederic's customers think.

Thanks for reading and commenting! :)