The woks rattled noisily as the harsh light beat down on Anna’s sweaty neck. She reached up to swat away a fly, and then shoved her hand back into the creamy bubbles of the washing up. Plate after oily plate, she washed, trying not to think of all the unknown objects in the water beneath her hands. An itch was starting to creep its way up her neck but she did her best to ignore it. It was getting worse so eventually she used her teeth to pull off the sticky washing up glove and relieved the scratch. Through the continuous clang of the pots and pans she heard the shrill call of the phone.
“Anna! Phone!” screamed her boss. Although Anna was treated like dirt, she knew the restaurant needed her. Her boss was like a domineering Aunt – she pushed her around, but was still “family”.
Sighing, she yanked off the other glove and half-ran, half-dodged her way through the messy kitchen to the little front desk.
After her chirruped greeting, the customer gave their order which she promised would be ready soon. Just before she could turn back to the kitchen, a gust of wind came in as another customer opened the door. She took his name and money and told him his order would be ready soon. He moved away from the counter, a lonely figure – with his No. 27 order to go – the order of someone with no one to go home to.
Anna went back to the mundane work of the washing up, periodically returning to answer the phone. Another rush of wind heralded the next customer through open the door. Glancing up distractedly, Anna took the ladies’ name. As she was about to write down something, the sound of an indrawn breath made her look up. The two customers were staring at each other, stunned – their mouths trying to form words and yet failing. Abruptly, the woman pointed her finger accusingly and muttered something, something that sounded like “What!? You? What are you doing here!?”
The little room vibrated with tension as these 2 strangers continued to gulp and gasp like confused fish. Anna looked between the two, seeing the likenesses. The same shape nose and the same green eyes. The woman looked at the man who was slightly shorter, almost accusingly. The man looked back one hand extended, beseechingly. Although Anna needed to get back to the dishes, she couldn’t drag herself away from this fascinating scene.
What was happening? Instinctively she knew it was something big. Something like a reunion? Two lovers finding each other after years apart? Anna could only guess, as she moved around the kitchen and into the restaurant, catching only snatches of their conversation.
“Where have you been all this time?”
“Where have I been? I was told…”
Even when both of the orders were ready, they ignored the steaming Chinese food. Anna impatiently motioned for them to leave - they were blocking the door. But they were in a little world of their own, everything else around them forgotten.
Then an idea came to Anna. Picking up their food, she took it to a vacant table, then coming back; she gently led them to Table 6. Sitting them down, she promised to bring them something to drink.
Barely noticing her, they continued their fraught whispers, caught up in each other.
Anna went back to the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of red and two glasses. Mentally, she reminded herself to take the cost of the bottle off of her own pay. Desperate times called for desperate measures. She returned to the table with the wine and glasses; the customers were bent closely towards each other, deep in conversation.
She heard only fragments:
“You never contacted… I felt so alone.”
“I’m so sorry; I just couldn’t work up the courage…”
“I only wanted to understand…”
Anna went back to work, with a warm feeling inside her.
An hour later, it was getting close to the end of Anna’s shift. The man and the woman were still huddled together at Table 6, their take-aways open, and being devoured ravenously. The wine seemed to have brought a happy sparkle to the woman’s eye and a warm glow to the man’s cheek.
Just as Anna was packing up to leave, she heard a drawn-out sob. Startled, she turned to see them as tears streamed down their faces. Anna stood there, for a moment then they noticed her.
Embarrassed she tried to back away, as the woman muttered her thanks explaining that they were brother and sister and had not seen each other for years. A silly argument had escalated and neither would call to apologise. Both parents and another sibling had died, and each had felt so alone, so isolated…
The woman said all this very quickly, then stopped just as abruptly, embarrassed to be revealing such a personal story to a complete stranger.
Anna just smiled at the two of them and quoted something she’d heard somewhere:
"That's something I've noticed about food: it brings people together.”
The estranged brother and sister laughed and hugged some more.
