Law Students

Sometimes I Just Need a Man to Toss My Salad

By Grace

I'm cheating on my salad bar. With Alejandro.

I love my salad bar, because I love the idea of getting exactly what I want. And that's what a salad bar is all about. Choices. Well, you know sometimes I don't want to make choices. I want them made for me.

So today, I walked into my salad bar. I picked up my plastic to go container. I walked over to the selection of toppings. And froze. It was all just too much. I felt overwhelmed. Too many choices. I couldn't do it. So I walked out.

I walked around the block looking for something to eat. Nothing seemed to grab my attention. Corner Bakery sucks. Au Bon Pain sucks more. Panera sucks the most. (Sorry Lilly).

Inexplicably, I wandered into a restaurant I never noticed before. I never caught the name of it, but I'm sure I'll know it soon enough.

I walked to the back of the restaurant and read the sign "Create your own salad! 3 toppings w/ a protein- $5.99!"

Alejandro's eyes met mine. "What do you want?" he said. I pointed to the sign.

"Ok," he said evenly. "Mixed greens or romaine?"

I shrug. It's not that I am indifferent. I just don't know what I want. He doesn't wait long for an answer.

"OK, then. You get romaine." I smiled gratefully. He knew. He's seen it before. And he was prepared.

"It's not a BBQ chicken day, is it? Grilled chicken, right?"

I nodded again. I might have gotten a little teary. Alejandro knew me. He GOT me.

"OK, Lady. Now you pick three toppings. Wait... let's just do one at a time. Can you pick one topping?"

"Mushrooms," I said.

Alejandro smiled. "Nice. Very nice. Mushrooms are good. Can you pick another one?"

Feeling more confident, I burst out with "cucumbers!!"

"Oh, yeah, honey. Cucumbers are so good. Good girl. Now one more."

I was spent. "I don't know," I confessed.

Alejandro knew. Fuck yeah, he knew. "OK, then I give you broccoli." I could have kissed him.

I was done. I'd made it to the other side. Almost. Alejandro needed more from me.

"What dressing do you want?"

We stood there staring into each other's eyes, challenging each other, each waiting for the other to answer first.

Finally, I couldn't handle it anymore and blurted out "FAT FREE RANCH!"

He exhaled, and gently shook his head, like I had been a very bad girl.

"You're getting ginger-soy, Lady."

I blushed and nodded my head. Ginger soy it was.

And as Alejandro fervently drizzled the ginger soy all over my salad, I knew it would be a lunch I wouldn't soon forget.

Gracias, Alejandro.

Full post as published by Law with Grace on November 14, 2007 (boomark / email).