The Double-Booked Table

Moss manages the small Italian restaurant on Fifth Street, and tonight the booking system has failed him badly. Two different parties, both reserved for seven o'clock, arrive within a minute of each other. Both groups insist they booked the same corner table.

莫斯经营着第五街上那家小小的意大利餐厅，今晚预订系统狠狠地坑了他一把。两批客人都订了七点的位子，却在一分钟之内先后到了。两批人都坚称自己订的是同一张角落里的桌子。

Elowen's group came to celebrate a coworker's promotion. They have waited all week for tonight. Wyatt's group is celebrating a birthday, complete with a small wrapped gift already on the table. Neither group is willing to simply wait outside. Behind the counter, the evening host warns Moss about three more reservations due within the hour. That makes everything feel even more urgent.

埃洛温这一桌是来庆祝一位同事升职的。他们为了今晚已经等了一个星期。怀亚特这一桌是在庆祝生日，桌上已经放着一份包好的小礼物。两批人都不愿意干等在门外。柜台后面，当班的领位员提醒莫斯，一个小时内还有三桌预订要到。这让一切显得更加紧迫。

Moss checks his tablet twice, but the system genuinely shows both reservations at the exact same time. If he sends either group away, he'll probably lose a loyal customer. He needs a solution that works for absolutely everyone, and fast.

莫斯把平板电脑查了两遍，可系统确实显示两个预订就在同一时间。如果他让任何一批客人走，很可能会失去一位老主顾。他需要一个对所有人都行得通的办法，而且要快。

"What if you combined the tables?" Elowen suggests suddenly, surprising even herself. Wyatt looks skeptical at first, glancing at his half-finished birthday cake sitting nearby. But the restaurant is busy, and no other table is free tonight.

“把桌子拼在一起怎么样？”埃洛温突然提议，连她自己也感到意外。怀亚特起初有些怀疑，瞥了一眼旁边那块只吃了一半的生日蛋糕。可是餐厅很忙，今晚也没有别的空桌了。

The two groups end up pushed together at one long table, awkward for the first five minutes. Then someone raises a toast to both occasions at once, and the awkwardness melts away completely. By dessert, twelve strangers share the birthday cake instead of six friends. Someone even starts a small trivia game between the two families about who has visited more countries.

这两批人最后被拼在一张长桌上，头五分钟有些尴尬。然后有人为这两个庆祝的场合同时举杯，尴尬就完全消散了。到了甜点时间，是十二个陌生人一起分享生日蛋糕，而不是六个朋友。甚至有人在两家人之间开始了一个小小的问答游戏，比谁去过的国家更多。

Moss watches from the kitchen doorway, relieved and a little amazed. He decides to keep the booking software. But he's adding a phone call to confirm every reservation from now on.

莫斯站在厨房门口看着，既松了一口气，又有点惊讶。他决定继续用这套预订软件。不过从现在起，他还要加一个电话，来确认每一个预订。