Set in stone
He looked at the clock on his wrist and turned to the door. He was supposed to meet a client in this restaurant. But his client was late. He had been waiting for half an hour on the appointed schedule, but she was still a no-show.
However, he was not like the other attorney who got paid by the hour. In his case, this was a pro bono. Therefore, he did not get even a dime for doing this job. Nevertheless, he knew how important this was to his client, so he opted to wait.
"Would you like to order something else with your coffee?" The waitress in the diner asked as she refilled his cup with freshly brewed.
"Let me have a pancake." He knew it was rude if he kept drinking their refillable coffee without ordering anything else.
That was one more thing about his current employment. He barely earned anything. Truthfully, he had to spend most of his income to cover the expenses of his pro bono work.