Rebecca Johnson

Writer

... I wonder if I've made the correct decision to abandon my mask. I'm fully vaccinated, but is it too early?

'I forgot how loud it gets when the dining room is full,' my favorite co-worker adds.

Three guests seated at a larger round table realize that part of the group isn't ready for the old normal. They need to vacate.

I'm Waiting Tables Without A Mask Again. Is It Too Soon?

Emily Baumgartner, left, and Luke Finley, second from left, join friends in a birthday toast at the Tiki Bar on Manhattan's Upper West Side Monday, May 17, 2021, in New York. Restaurants, shops, gyms and many other businesses in New York can go back to full occupancy if all patrons are inoculated. (Kathy Willens/AP)

Emily Baumgartner, left, and Luke Finley, second from left, join friends in a birthday toast at the Tiki Bar on Manhattan's Upper West Side Monday, May 17, 2021, in New York. (Kathy Willens/AP)