Pam and I have a Wednesday night tradition of stopping at Bandidos after prayer meeting. A new Bandidos opened up near us sometime during the past year. We usually get their after 9 pm, and we can be in and out in a half hour (depending on what we order). Though we have houseguests for the foreseeable future, we still want to keep this Bandidos date for ourselves.

We rarely find more than a few other patrons at that time. The same server greets us, a youngish guy with blonde hair who knows that Pam wants a diet Mountain Dew and I want Sierra Mist, and he brings them without asking. His low-key, non-intrusive approach fits what we’re after–a quiet, comfortable time to debrief about the day and enjoy each other’s company.

We often order a medium nachos with just the beef and cheeses, and we share it. That’s what we did last night. I’m also partial to their three-taco meal, though I can’t remember off-hand which Spanish name it goes by (Ramona? Eva? Juana?).

I don’t know our server’s name yet. I should ask. I always tip him 20%, which last night would have come to $2. But, the Christmas spirit upon us, Pam and I decided to tip him $4 last night. I wrote “Merry Christmas, Steve and Pam” on the bottom of the bill. It’s fun doing stuff like that.