Monday was always crazy. It was 5.30 p.m. There was a hawk flying and growling in my stomach. I did not have my lunch. I rushed to the China square to find something to eat. The restaurants were quiet. The restaurants owners or managers were sleepy, staring at their cash registers. Most tables were empty. It might have been busy or it might have been empty earlier. The waiters were holding the menu lists, waiting for customers by the doors.
The hawk in my stomach led me into one of the restaurants, a small clean and quiet restaurant. The lady behind the cash register lifted her slanting sleepy eyes gazing at me as I entered the restaurant. The waiter, a woman in her 30s smiled faintly, seated me in the deep corner and gave me the menu list.
“Welcome. Please choose what you eat, ok?” she left me with the menu list. She came back with a cup and a zinc tea pot. She put the small white porcelain cup and poured the Chinese tea.
“You, ok?” she asked.
“I am still thinking.” I said trying to figure out what to eat. I was often indecisive.
She stood still with a smile on her pale face in front of me. I began to hear strange roaring noise from her stomach. A similar growl to the one from my stomach but of a different kind of animal, it must be a dragon. The hawk in my stomach and the dragon in hers began to talk.
“You have not been fed by your master?”
“No, I have not.”
“But you are lucky. You will be fed soon.” the dragon in her stomach said jealously.
“But your master works in a restaurant. She can feed you anytime she wants.”
“No, the master of my master will not let her eat while she is working. We will eat after this place closes after 10 p.m.”
“Oh, really. Why does not your master find another job?” the hawk in my stomach asked simplifying things.
“She does not speak the language of this land. She only knew few words.”
“You are a dragon. You are strong.” the hawk said.
“Nothing compares to when we came here. I almost died. We were on a kind of big vessel. I was not fed for weeks.”
“You, ok?” asked the lady whether I was ready to order. The dragon and the hawk stopped talking.
“I think, I will have beef broccoli and rice.”
“Chinese broccoli or American broccoli?” she asked.
“What’s the difference?”
“This… Chinese broccoli and this American broccoli.” she pointed at the pictures on the menu.
“I will have the Chinese broccoli please. Thank you.” she took my order, took the menu list and left. The dragon in her stomach was still roaring.
Few minutes later she came back with a bowl of rice, a plate of beef broccoli, and the chopsticks. She smiled as if she had said “enjoy your meal”.
I began eating quietly. She went back to her post, stood still to the right of the entrance holding the menu list and wore a light smile on her pale face. I could still hear her dragon roaring faintly.
She looked at me through the corner of her eyes and learned that I had finished eating. She gave me the bill and a fortune cookie on a small bamboo tray. I paid the bill and left two one-dollar bills and few coins on the table.
“I hope that you will be fed soon. My master left some tips on the table.” said the hawk in my stomach.
“No. The master of my master takes all of the tips.”
I took the fortune cookie and gave it to her.
“For you, for your good fortune.” I said.
She took it in her hands, held it cautiously. She said nothing but I could see a smile on her face, a sweet smile of a dragon.
By: Ouda Teda Ena
Dialogue Magazine 1/XXXIV/2013
Vocabulary:
· A hawk (noun) = a strong fast bird of prey/ a bird that kills other creatures for food = seekor elang
· Rushed/rush (verb) = to move or to do something with great speed, often too fast = buru-buru
· Lifted/lift (verb) = (transitive/intransitive) to raise something or somebody or be raised to a higher position or level = mengangkat
· Slanting (adjective) = not straight or level; sloping = miring
· Gazing/gaze (verb) = to look steadily at somebody or something for a long time, either because you are very interest or surprised, or because you are thinking of something else = menatap, memandang
· Faintly (adverb) = that can not be clearly seen, heard, or smelt = dengan lemah
· Figure out (verb phrase) = to think about somebody or something until you understand them or it = membayangkan
· Indecisive (adjective) = unable to make decisions = ragu-ragu, bimbang
· Whether (conjunction) = used to express a doubt or choice between two possibilities = apa(kah)
· Chopsticks (noun) = a pair of thin sticks that are used for eating with, especially in some Asian countries = sumpit
· Quietly (adverb) = without much noise = dengan tenang
· Through (preposition) = from one end or side of somebody or something to other = melalui
· Cautiously (adverb) = being careful about what you say or do, especially to avoid danger or mistakes; not taking any risks = dengan hati-hati
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