They didn’t go out to lunch often, although they had been going out for a while. Alyssa was trying to watch her weight (she had put on about ten pounds within the last couple of months). And her boyfriend, Noah, liked to watch his wallet (though he was by no means cheap, just thrifty). On this occasion they had a date at IHOP and Alyssa was practically enraptured. “I’m going to get pancakes. No, eggs. No, eggs and pancake...