MY TREAT Mahattan Fish was offering a 1-1 treat and so hubby and I decided to grab it for our light lunch. The restaurant was quite deserted with four tables occupied. That suited me well. I am not a crowd person. They caught my attention instantly because their presence was unusual for the place. Two primary school girls about ten years old were seated at one table enjoying their oglio and pasta. A bit unusual for them to be around, my mind monologued and wondered. I didnt mean to sound prejudiced for usually I would expect such groups of pupils to hang out at Mc Donalds, Burger King or KFC. More suited for their kind of budget. Probably these were the lucky ones who receive big fat pocket money and can dine in style. My eyes went back to the waitress. We made our choice; baked fish with Mediterranean style sauce. The fish would be served within twenty minutes. Quite a long wait for my rumbling stomach. With that much time to spare our conversation revolved around my mum, two sons and our weekend jaunt. The girls were not out of my sight nor mind. Ocassionally, I stole glances at them, envying them. When I was their age, I only had forty cents to last me half a day. If I took the bus to school, my pocket would jingle with thirty cents only to be spent on a bowl of mee soup. These girls are extremely fortunate to have more notes than coins in their pocket. The girls had completed their meal quite a while. The bill had arrived. Then I noticed it. They were doing their sums and division of their bill on their phone. Not once, not twice but several times. Their wallets were emptied out and their pooled money was counted and recounted. Something was amiss. Their tense and frowned look told me so. Maam could you kindly move to that table, please? We need to join this table for a bigger group. The waitress pointed to a vacant table beside the two girls. We moved as requested. No fuss made. I positioned myself near the two girls as I could find out more about their predicament if they did have one. I let five minutes pass and still they had not settled their bill. I tried not to let my eyes meet theirs, hoping to save some embarassing moment for these little girls. They next asked for a separate bill. By then I suspected that they had had a shortage of cash to pay the bill and were helpless and feeling desperate as to how to find the extra cash. Can Aunty help you, girls? They were silent. Let me see your bill, I requested. The girls had a bill totalling $52.20. Not a usual expenditure for two ten-year olds. And I bet they did not expect that much with the tax and service charge added in. I was near enough to notice that they had taken out all of their savings - all notes laid out neatly and the coins in same denominations stacked upright. And still the amount wasnt sufficient for their Italian lunch. Trying to distract them from their financial strain, I started some idle chat with them like the school they were studying from, their favourite subjects and the on-going exams they were sitting for. When the girls were more at ease, I asked them,Do you have enough money to pay your bill? They had come to the restaurant to try out the pasta. However, they had underestimated their purchasing power. No, Aunty, answered Pearlyn meekly, lowering her eyelids and clutching their money in her palm tightly. I took out ten dollars and passed the note to Joey. By now the girls had become my new friends. They did another round of counting. I passed them a few more dollars. They turned me down but accepted the extra cash as there was no other way for them to settle the transaction. All smiles at last! The girls asked me how they could pay back my money. I told them that there was no need to. I explained to them that I could have helped them on that occassion and I hoped someone else would have helped me another day when my turn came. Take this as auntys birthday treat for both of you and for you to do well in your exams, I uttered. The girls Thank Yous were countless. The Manhanttan treat of 1-1 lived up to its name, for me. Or should I change it to 1-2 treat?
Posted on: Tue, 27 May 2014 14:20:15 +0000