Tag Tuesday - Butterfly; And a Story: CAN SHE SING?

The theme today was Butterfly.

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For details on how I made this, or to join in on the challenge, please go to 

Blog Challenge Garden.

Can She Sing?

(25th in the Tuesday Story Series)

When my husband John and I married in 1981, we took a very simple honeymoon in the mountains of North Carolina. My husband is a man very adverse to debt, and since we paid for most of the wedding ourselves, we knew that the honeymoon had to be inexpensive, and of course still romantic. For us, being alone in the mountains, relaxing and spending time together, was something we both looked forward to. My roommate had a co-worker who owned a small A-frame mountain vacation home near Black Mountain, near the Blue Ridge Parkway, and gave us the use of it for the week following our wedding. We were very thankful for his generosity and even though it was June, the weather was cool and comfortable.

One of the places we visited that week was Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River. We hiked some of the trails around the park there and afterward ate dinner at the restaurant that had just been built. It had a high arched ceiling of peeled pine logs and very large windows which afforded diners beautiful views in all directions. 

When we went into the dining area, I noticed that there were very few people at the tables, so we almost had the entire place to ourselves. We settled in and began looking at the menus we had been given. Our server, or waitress, whichever you prefer, came to the table with her pad and pencil ready and waiting. She was on the tall side, had long wavy hair and a young, narrow face. And she was Perky. And she was Chatty. 

She started right off talking to us and asking us where we were from and then began telling us about herself. She lived not very far from there, and had the distinct local accent and I think this was her first job. Hoping to head off more information than we wanted, I asked her what she would recommend from the menu. She enthusiastically replied. "Whah the rost beef is just wonnerful! Thayt's what thayt guy is having- right thayer" and she  pointed to a man dining alone about three tables from us. 

She turned to him and said very loudly "Isn't thayt rost beef just wonnerful? Jus go 'head an tell these folks how wonnerful it is!"

We stared, first at her and then at the poor guy. He looked speechless for a second, and then shook his head slowly and shrugged. We heard him mumble "Uhh, no..... it's just okay."

His response didn't seem to deter her at all, in fact she seemed determined that we should have the roast beef. She began chattering about the chef, and how talented he was, and we finally interrupted her and told her that was okay, we really didn't want the roast beef and we settled on burgers and fries. After taking our order, she started off, then whirled around and said,

"Y'all know what else? Ah ken sing too! Didja want to har me sing?" which sounded like "sang" when she said the word.

"Well, umm," we replied, "that's all right. We believe you. You don't have to sing"

"But you'd love to har me, Ah ken sang real good!"

"Thanks, but that's all right, we're kind of hungry and...."

Without letting us finish, she began belting out Elvira. That was the summer of 1981 and Elvira was a hit song that year sung by the Oak Ridge Boys.  It wasn't a song we particularly liked, and certainly not as a solo before dinner! She even did the "oom papa mau mau's". I was expecting someone to come out of the kitchen and stop her, but no one ever came.

We never knew why she sang to us, I guess she was hoping to get a break into country music. Perhaps she sang to everyone that sat at her tables, or she was related to the owner, I don't know. This was long before American Idol was a hit on TV, and she wasn't that great anyway although she certainly had the twang. We haven't been back there, so I don't know if the restaurant is still open. If it is, she may still be in there serenading her customers!

In case you aren't familiar with the song, I found this on Youtube for your enjoyment! 

Enjoy your week!

Rebecca