"Every restaurant has been standing by for this, Mr. Carr," said the manager. "It's on its way. Prepared, of course—it's been ready since he first arrived."
"Fine," said the little guy, Carr. "It can't be too soon. He's very hungry."
I glanced around and noticed for the first time that there was nobody else in the restaurant. It was past the dinner hour, but, even so, there are always late diners. We had the place all to ourselves and it bothered me. They could have ganged up on me....
But they didn't. A light gong sounded, and the waiter and manager hurried over to a slot of a door and brought out a couple of trays loaded with covered dishes.
"Your dinner, Mr. Weldon," the manager said, putting the plates in front of me and removing the lids.
I stared down at the food.
"This," I told them angrily, "is a hell of a trick to play on a starving man!"
hey all looked unhappy.