From “On Waitressing,” which was published in September by The Stinging Fly.

Before I was eighteen, I found talking very difficult. I was a really shy kid. I lacked ease, and craved it more than anything. I was extremely attracted to people who seemed to glide through the world, who kissed cheeks and touched arms and delivered jokes over their shoulders without stopping. People who had naturally good timing, who didn’t jerk or stutter, were miraculous to me.

Waitresses seemed to personify this kind of social grace. I admired them the way another kid might have admired Disney Channel…