"Toni! There's a situation on the floor!"
"What is it this time, Jerry?"
"Well, there's a customer, and they're, um..."
"Out with it!"
"He's a dog!"
"Are you bad mouthing the customers again, Jerry?"
"No! I mean, literally, he's -"
"Jerry, we've been over this. You can't pick and choose your customers. Just because he's not one of your lazy friends doesn't mean you can pass him off. Most are glad to have the extra tips. Also, you know I hate when people say 'literally' to mean figuratively."
"But I wasn't -"
"I don't want to hear it! Now get back out there and serve your customers."
The door shuts on Jerry's face. He turns around and goes back toward the restaurant floor. He finds it nearly abandoned, the other waiters hiding in the kitchen and all costumers fled except for one cartoonishly large anthro wolf sitting at a candle lit table in the middle of the seating area looking at a menu. His bulk strains the chair on which he sits, making its metal legs quiver nervously, like the chair itself is afraid of collapsing.
Steeling himself, Jerry marches back out, ready (as he'll ever be) to serve. "Good evening, Sir. Can I get you anything to drink to start you off tonight?"
"Just a bowl of water for me, and a thimble or ice tea for the lady." The Wolf responds without looking up, smelling the items on the menu more than reading them.
"The lady?" Jerry asks, resolving to figure out those serving sizes later.
"OH! I ALMOST FORGOT!" The wolf shouts while slamming the menu down, sending the plates and silverware in the restaurant jumping several feet in the air before landing back exactly where they were. Alex rolls out his tongue, letting it unfurl onto and across the table until, with a squeak, a tiny toon mouse who had apparently been rolled up in his mouth tumbles to far end next to the second place mat. She stands up and rings out the slobber from her brown hair with her tiny pink hands.
"Um. Right ... right away sir and madam." Jerry walks backwards slowly before rushing off towards the back.
The manager's door flings open, "Toni! He scared away all the customers and brought a mouse in with him!"
"Are you still on about this? If you can't handle a single customer, then maybe I should find someone who can."
Jerry gulps, "I'm sorry boss! But it's just this customer isn't- "
"Sigh, the customer is always right. If you every want to become a professional, you have to learn to adapt. Now get back out there!" Toni slams the door again.
Jerry returns to the table with a try balancing an 8 qt. mixing bowl and shot glass, the largest and smallest containers that they have. He places them in from of their respective diners, filling the shot glass and then dumping the rest of the water pitch into the bowl. The shot glass comes up to about the chest of the tiny mouse who gingerly tips the glass and takes a sip while the wolf palms the bowl and slurps the whole thing in one gulp. "Refreshing!"
"Uhh, are you decided yet? On your order?" The tiny lady answers in a high, squeaky voice, "I would like a charcuterie platter with Mimolette, Coupole, and Tartufo truffle gouda." Jerry writes down the various cheeses before turning across the table, "and for the Sir?" The wolf puts down a pair or reading glasses that Jerry was positive he didn't have a second ago. "Yes, yes, old sport! I would like the meat lover's pizza, if you would be so kind my good man. Jolly good!" Jerry, unable to hide a confused look, says "uh, I'm sorry, but we don't serve pizza. Could I interest you in one of our pasta dishes? He have-" The wolf interrupts, "Spaghetti it is! But don't let me catch you short changing me on the meatballs!" Jerry writes down the orders and shuffles off again.
"So, Rachel" the wolf leans in towards his dinner guest, "How are you enjoying the evening?"
"I'm good, Alex! I've never been to a restaurant this fancy before. But I think you may have made our waiter nervous."
Alex is taken aback, "nervous? What's he got to be nervous about? We're just a couple of lovebirds on a first date."
"Well, don't take this personally, but sometimes you come off as forward and blunt."
Alex recoils and freezes with a look of shock, all the color draining from him as the sound of a mirror breaking sends a crack across his heart. This date is going horribly! Negative criticism! For the first time ever (that he can remember)! And it's from the girl he likes! Suddenly Alex if sweating bullets. "Excuse me, I have to... uh... relieve myself in the bathroom before the food arrives," he announces before speeding off.
Jerry comes back carrying a platter of cheese and a huge plate of spaghetti with a side bowl of meat balls. Placing the food in their spots, he asks, "Um? Where did the big guy go?"
"I think I shook his confidence and now he's panicking in the bathroom." A bellowing cry is heard from down the hallway as tear water spills out from under the bathroom door.
"Oh. OK..." Jerry starts, questioning if he should leave it at that or not, but musters him courage and asks, "Say, I'm not supposed to talk to the costumers like this, but what's the deal with you two? How are you..." Jerry gestures with his hand at Rachel's cartoonish mouse body.
"Not exactly the conventional pair, are we? Well, believe me that he was not so big back in high school. I embarrassed him back then and now I'm making up for it." Rachel explains.
The two's unorthodox relationship was not exactly what Jerry was referring to, but followed up anyways, "oh, that sounds... kind of petty. Are you ok with this?"
"Oh sure! I mean, it's better than being eaten, that's for sure!" Rachel says before sliding a chuck of cheese the size of her head down her throat and then takes another casual sip of water.
What in the world has Jerry gotten in the middle of? A tiny cartoon mouse girl or not, this person is only with this wolf under duress? That's not right, and Jerry has to do something about this. But what?