A few summers ago, I took a trip to the coast with a friend… She grew up in the area, & wanted to take me to her number one diner, claiming that they had the best clam chowder she’d ever had, and when my buddy & I arrived at the diner for breakfast one night, the hostess’s makeup was practically melting off of her face, & her pained smile was haloed by a sheen of moisture on her upper lip.
“Good night, ladies,” she said.
“Unluckyly, we’re having a bit of a problem with our a/c system, however if you can handle it, you’re more than welcome to stay & dine with us.” I wasn’t excited about resting in a sweltering diner while the cooling system was down, however my neighbor begged me to stay & try to chowder. I reluctantly agreed, & my buddy & I took our seats at a high-top; I had hoped that the high-top would get our heads closer to the vents, where the fan was blowing lukewarm air for circulation, but after our appetizer, the server observed my perspiring & apologized: “Our Heating & Air Conditioning company is in the attic now! She says that our a/c device is having a condensation problem.” “So am I,” I responded, fanning my damp forehead. I tried to order a chilled gazpacho soup, however my neighbor stopped me halfway through my order. “She’ll have the chowder, & you won’t regret it!” I didn’t contest, but I was dreading eating sizzling soup in a diner separate from a working cooling system. I eventually laid eyes on a sizzling Heating & Air Conditioning company, who was defeatedly shaking her head while speaking to the hostess. When my chowder came, I think my body temperature climbed another ten degrees. While the chowder was delicious, I would have favorite it with a side of a/c!