text: &#x200B; The Diner &#x200B; The Robo-waiter charged the booth like an Olympic figure skater. It coasted right on up and made a perfect, abrupt stop barely an inch from the table's edge. A pleasant male voice coming from the automated attendant asked, "Are you folks ready to place your order yet?" Seated at the table were a man and a woman, both sixtyish and presenting a countenance common on folk that have hardened against an environment of scarcity and worry. The woman lowered her menu and looked across the table at her dinner partner. He folded his menu and gave the woman a quick nod. She asked their mechanical waiter, "What's your special today?" The automaton started up a display on its chest showing a video of a delicious looking dinner, and answered. "Ma'am, we have country fried steak and American fries, drizzled with gravy, with a side of fresh steamed, garlic-bacon green beans. Today's special comes with your choice of coffee or soft drink, and a dinner roll or biscuit." The woman customer noted a hint of southern accent from the machine's voice, and thought to herself "nice touch," as she said, "Yep, that looks real good. I'll have that, please, with some coffee and a roll." "Make that two," said the man. "Only I'll have mine with a biscuit and a Coke." He gathered up the menus as the woman handed over hers. He passed the menus to the robot who put them in a holding basket, located where a human waiter's leg would be, using one shiny metallic appendage. Meanwhile, it deftly filled two water glasses, and a Coke glass with another arm which seemed to have a drink spout for each beverage on offer. The automaton then inquired, "Ma'am, would you like your coffee now?" The woman thought for a moment and replied, "Actually, no, could I have my coffee after we eat?" "Certainly, Ma'am. Will that be all for now, folks?" asked the robot. "Yes, thank you." she said. "Uh, yeah, I guess that does it." replied the man, then went on to ask "Any idea 'bout how long 'til we can expect to get our food?" "Four, to four and one-half minutes, sir." the waiter answered confidently. The man let out a soft, slow whistle, a look of surprise on his face. "Say, that's pretty fast." "You can say that again." said the woman, as the robot rolled off toward the kitchen. She looked around the diner. It was busy. Every table had customers, a few more sat on a bench by the door waiting for vacancy. Their waiter was already rolling out a delivery to another table without even slowing down. It just swung by the food station and swept up a large tray of meals. The woman said to the man, "Gee, maybe I should have worn roller skates here. Anyhow, that waiter tires me out just watching him race around. " "Imagine it does." said the man. "Did you hear how fast he, it, said our meals would be out here? Under four and a half minutes? I couldn't a kept up cookin' at that pace, busy as this place is today." "Yeah, it sure is busy," the woman said, "I guess people go out to eat more often now." "Well, won't we?" the guy asked back. "Now that we get the Freedom Dividend? Shoot, we can eat out twice as much as we did before." "We never went out to eat before. What in the heck you going on about?" she replied. "Yeah, I guess your right. Well, we sure can now. One thousand dollars a month, for you, me, Tommy. That's an extra thirty-six thousand, each year, until he decides he wants to get his own place. Then, still, that's twenty-four grand for just us. Man, President Andrew Yang came along just in time too. We sure were hurtin, and what with automation taking people's jobs everywhere, and them self driving trucks." As he finished his thought, the man looked over the kitchen at the automated cooking machine that was flipping burgers, lowering fry baskets, and drizzling the gravy over their dinner plates. "Do you miss working the kitchen?" she asked him. "You know what, Alice, sometimes I do. But, I think things are better, now. More time for Tommy now. He and I are enjoying refurbishing all those boats for people. He has a real knack for it, ya know? I'm try'n help him much as I can. But, even though he has a passion for it, he never would have made a go of it, as a business I mean, had that UBI not kicked in. It just wasn't steady enough work. It was too hit or miss between projects. It sure is working out well now though. Folks got more money for things like boats, now." he said. The woman nodded and said, "Mrs. Coleman wants me to clean her house on Mondays and Fridays. And, I can start writing that novel I was always going to write. Besides, look how well this old diner is doing without us, Mel." Mel looked around the diner and began, "Yessiree, the time for man to trudge and toil for his dinner is over at long last, I reckon. We can't even keep up with these machines on our best day. We sure gave it a heck of a run though, didn't we?" Alice patted his hand and looked Mel right in the eye and reassured him, "Mankind created the machines. They're the product of our labors. Honey, we aren't being replaced by machines, we're being served by 'em." Just then the waiter zoomed up to the table again and deposited two perfectly cooked steaming hot plates of food onto the table, and said, "Enjoy your meals folks!" as it rolled away.