RUNNING ON ITS OWN

We enjoy going out for breakfast on a Sunday morning. To

a restaurant In Woodbridge called Denny’s. You order comes

on a motorized three-level tray on wheels.

It stops at your table and waits for a waiter to serve you.

It’s fascinating to watch.

I ask him how the thing works.

He points to the ceiling where a group of small round

discs seemingly control where it’s to go. To which table.

“Someone in the kitchen loads up what you ordered," he said, "and

pushes, in your case, number 66. And off it goes. Right to you.”

I look around at the many tables and chairs scattered about

in no particular order. It left me puzzling how it could manipulate

its way without bumping into something.

“It will stop,” he said, “if anyone is in its path.”

The waiter was telling us this while placing our breakfasts in

front us. He disappeared and it toddled on back to the kitchen on

its own.

Writer’s comment: I’m stumped at such situations like this. How

can it work on its own with no one paying attention? It even waited

to let us pass as we headed out the door.