I was a little bored tonight so I wrote a short story. I hope you enjoy...
Thank You Goodbye
It had become a ritual. Every Friday night Charles Franken stopped by the Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant for takeout. On most Fridays this brief trip was the day’s social highlight.
The food at the Golden Dragon was nothing special, there were cheaper and tastier alternatives in the neighborhood. The kitchen wasn’t quite clean and the service was always a tad slow. None of that mattered to Charles because he had fallen in love with the restaurant’s cashier, a girl he quietly nicknamed “Pigtails.”
Pigtails was about Charles’ age, so far as he could tell, and she seemed to work at the Golden Dragon from opening to close, seven days a week. The little English she spoke was heavily accented. Though she wore a grease-stained apron, Charles always noticed the meticulous style of the clothes underneath.
Many customers who go to the Golden Dragon Restaurant call ahead of time with their order. Not Charles. He enjoyed sitting near the register where he could observe Pigtails for the good 10 or so minutes it took until his food was ready. “Thank you goodbye” she’d say in one breath, too abruptly for Western manners.
Charles never said an extra word to Pigtails. He was shy and imagined her waiting for the rich, handsome customer who could pull her out of her lifestyle and take her on trips around the world. Charles was a scruffy, struggling novelist and never left the city.
One Friday Charles was sitting at the Golden Dragon, waiting for his order of fried dumplings, and glancing frequently at Pigtails. In walked a dangerous looking, middle-aged man who quickly approached the counter.
“Hello! What you want?” Pigtails smiled brightly. Charles often wished she were more selective with her energy.
The man removed a duffle bag from around his neck and dropped it harshly on a nearby table.
“Look at you darling! So adorable!” His voice was loud and coarse. “I’ll have a #6, now how much is that?”
“6.95!” Pigtails replied.
“You’re killing me! Okay, okay, let’s make it happen.”
Pigtails called out the order in Mandarin. Charles was at full alert, he didn’t like this stranger’s tone.
“Tell me something sweetheart, are you married?”
The man leaned aggressively on the counter, spreading his arms out and sticking his butt into the air.
Charles froze, first with anger at the man’s intrusion and then with curiosity. He had never considered the possibility that Pigtails was in a relationship. What if she was?
Pigtails shook her head and Charles breathed a sigh of relief. She picked up a nearby receipt, a tactic Charles knew was designed to make her look busy.
“Well then, let’s get to know each other better. I’m Tony, what’s your name?”
Charles tensed in anticipation.
“Son-ya!” She replied awkwardly and turned her attention toward a new customer.
“Sonya huh? I never figured you for an American name. Hey over here hon, that guy ain’t better looking than me.”
Charles fumed. This idiot actually thought Pigtails was BORN with an American name.
“You gotta treat me better than that. When I was young no girl could resist my charms. I guess I ‘ll have to try harder now. What time you get off work?”
Pigtails was quiet.
“Oh I’m just messing with you. Damn. Look at that hair! You’re really beautiful, you know that? Not just your looks, but you got a great personality too, I can tell.”
Charles always thought of Pigtails as his secret. Hearing another man describe her like this in front of the entire restaurant was infuriating. Charles wished he could stand up, tap the man on the shoulders, and tell him to get the hell out. But how could he? Tony was twice his size and if Pigtails was really in danger, there were tougher looking guys who’d step in.
An eternity passed and Tony’s order was finally ready.
“Oh yeah! That’s the good stuff. Here’s five dollars.”
Pigtails frowned, “No…$6.95”
“Ha ha ha…you said $5 before, but okay. I’ll budge. How can I resist that smile of yours? Here, you hold on to that five dollars, and I’ll get you a little something else.”
Asshole! It was always $6.95 and he knew it! Why wasn’t anyone else paying attention? All the faces Charles scanned looked apathetic.
Tony reached into his duffle bag and began shuffling inside.
Charles imagined Tony pulling out a gun on Pigtails and quickly assessed an escape plan.
Tony lifted a wad of crumpled bills victoriously into the air and Charles breathed a sigh of relief. “Here you are, baby, you keep the change. Now before I go…how about you write down your phone number for me?”
Charles twitched violently. NO! Don’t you DARE give him your phone number! Charles was ready to forsake the little religion he had left in him if she complied.
Pigtails counted the money, looked at Tony with a smile, and said: “Thank you goodbye.”
Charles cheered. It was the perfect, perfect move, absolutely impossible to retort or ignore. The day was won.
Tony snatched his food and Charles overheard him muttering a few curses on the way out. While celebrating, Charles was interrupted: “Your order ready!”
He breathed deeply. This was his chance.
Charles stood up and smiled his best smile. If he could only reference the incident with Tony, expressing both disdain and sympathy, it would give him something to work with, something to build a connection from. This was fate.
He handed Pigtails the money for his food, put the change in his wallet, looked her in the eyes, and then…
“Thank you goodbye.”
