The Faces of Joy

LJ and Ms. Kitty asked me to put some thought into this post. After all, these two innocent looking faces had just moments before caused a near total panic at Karl Strauss. In fact, their reaction to good news was so strong, I thought the walls were about to come down and the glass shatter all over! Luckily, the building stayed intact.

LJ was the ringleader. She decided that a Saturday beer was in order and we agreed to meet in the afternoon. I knew Ms. Kitty would never forgive us if we beered without her, so I gave her a call. Yup, she was in! We all did our things that day to get ready for beer. LJ went and had a massage, Ms. Kitty and I went out and exercised to pre-burn our beer calories. It was hot and muggy and a perfect day to find a/c. At this point, we were still our normal selves. Ms. Kitty was dreaming of Oatmeal Stout, since as a seasonal beer, it's not always available.

When we checked the beer menu, Oatmeal Stout was not on the list. There was a 10th tap, brewer's choice listed, but last time I was there, it was a Hefewizen. LJ was quick to point out that Hefewizen was on the list and there was hope for Oatmeal Stout. I thought the odds against us getting the stout were low, and said so. We all looked for alternate beer and pondered life without the Stout. It was quiet at the table.

Our waitress arrived at this quiet and lifeless table. We asked about the 10th tap. "It's an Oatmeal Stout," she replied, without giving her words much thought.

At this point, a sonic wave blasted across the table! It's hard to explain fully but both myself and the waitress were nearly knocked over by the blast. LJ and Ms. Kitty were in total unison at this announcement and they both rose up over the table to look at me and the echo of "OOOHHHHH!" came from both of their mouths. The look on their faces was that of sheer joy, they had just received the Oscar, won the Presidential race, landed on the moon, and returned to the winning lotto all in that moment.

The waitress literally jumped back two feet. I rolled over on my seat and could not stop laughing! It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. People at other tables stared. I'm sure everyone in the restaurant heard them. The waitress had never witnessed such a site. When everyone was composed, the waitress brought us a pitcher and filled our glasses. The beer was great. Ms. Kitty told me that I was to be called Thomas for the rest of the day. Doubting Thomas to be exact.

We enjoyed the beer and once again, it was a great day in Carlsbad!