So there we were, my HCBW and I, just enjoying our salads. The waitress comes up and asks "How are your salads tasting?"

"Great!" my wife said.

I had just speared some lettuce with my fork and put it in my mouth. That's when I saw it. It was on it's back - legs spread and broken, thorax compressed, wings sprawled on the leaf, but otherwise it was fully intact.

"There's something in my salad," I told the waitress.

I angled the plate toward her and pointed at my finding. "What, a piece of lettuce?" she said.

"No, it's a fly."

"Oh... Yeah... I'll get you a new one." Without another word, she took the plate away and within a few minutes brought me back a new salad.

Still couldn't get that image out of my mind though. With every bite it was as if I felt insect legs getting stuck in my teeth and the soft crunch of exoskeleton. I had reached my gag threshold and couldn't eat any more.

The waitress came back and asked if we were done with our salads. She looked at my full plate of salad then looked at me.

"Yeah, I kind of lost my appetite," I said with a smile. She stared at me expressionless. "Because there was a fly in my salad," hoping that would clarify things for her.

"I'm sorry," she said. I thought she would say more, but she didn't. She just looked at me with this expression in her face, like I was an idiot and was overreacting.

Normally I am an easy going, jovial guy. I would love to give this girl the benefit of the doubt, but this transended ridiculous and was headed for bizarre.

"Can I speak with your manager, please?" I said firmly. I realized I had to do what she should have done in the first place. She looked surprised and stood there for a moment.

"Sure," she said. "I'll go get him." She stood there for a moment longer, then walked off.

I looked at my HCBW. "Um, I think we should go." She agreed.

The manager was a nice guy, gave us the meal on the house to go as well as a free meal for our family for next time. He also said he'd talk to the girl. Not sure if that will help, she seemed pretty dense. But people change.

And will I go back to the Texas Roadhouse, you might ask? Yeah, I like their rolls.

The End