The Free Dinner

My wife and I were out shopping for groceries one night. We came across a "free meal" box in the middle of the frozen food section. You have probably seen these ugly little boxes. The sign says to "enter your name to win a dinner for two." I told my wife "why not?" as I never turn down a free meal. So I entered our names.

A few days later, I received a phone call from a local chiropractor. My wife and I won the grand prize of 2 free dinners at a local Mexican restaurant. All I had to do was listen to a presentation. My wife and I arrived at the restaurant thinking we were the only winners. We were escorted to a room full of other "winners." It would seem everyone who enters is a winner.

It was certainly a night of entertainment. We introduced ourselves and listened to an hour long presentation about back pain. It was worth the free meal...so we thought.

After the presentation, the host said our food would arrive shortly and to enjoy the company of the other couples. I was upset that we didn't get to order our own food. My wife used to be a former employee of the restaurant. She said we would get the "heartburn beans and rice platter."

She said it was the cheapest and least ordered item on the menu. It was nothing but a plate of beans, rice and a burrito. She was correct because that is what we received. And to make things worse, we were all asked to leave a tip for meals we didn't enjoy. Although we didn't enjoy the meal or the presentation, we did meet some interesting people; especially the couple across from us.

They were children of the 70s. The husband wore a mullet from hell and his shirt was unbuttoned, giving us an undesirable look at his chest hairs. He also had a thick Marlboro man mustache covered with sour cream and flies. His wife was at least 20 years his senior and dressed like an Indian. She gave new meaning to the word "cougar." They were free from the world and traveled across the country selling Indian trinkets and beads. They were strange but likable.

Unfortunately, trading food for leads wasn't lucrative because the chiropractor and Mexican restaurant both went out of business.

... William Greene

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