A Night with Mr. Unknown

Chapter 2

By six in the evening, I was already behind the counter, tying my apron around my waist

Working after a long day of lectures wasn't how I imagined my final year would go, but bills didn't care about my plans

The restaurant was quite different from the usual ones around campus; it had its own vibe, totally different from the ones in the city. It was quite expensive and strictly by reservation

Most of our customers were wealthy women and men whose names I could recognize from the city, even when they barely recognised mine

I liked it that way

"Table seven needs their order my manager called

"Coming "

I picked up the notepad and walked towards the private dining section

As I approached the table, I noticed the room was suddenly quiet

A man had just walked in

He wasn't dressed like the usual customers, and something about his presence felt off. It felt as if he had just dominated the whole dining section. There was something about the way everyone seemed to move around him carefully, almost respectfully

I lowered my eyes and continued towards table seven, but my colleague Aliya stopped me

She knew how tired I was

"I will take it from here," she said, moving to table seven

"Good evening, sir. May I take your..."

"Not yet ", he interrupted

His voice made me pause

I looked up

For a second, our eyes met

Cold. unreadable.

I couldn't explain why, but something about his stare made me uncomfortable

I looked away immediately

"I will call when I'm ready "

I nodded "Of course, sir"

I turned to leave, but before I could take another step, my manager called from across the room

"Maya!"

I looked back

"Yes?"

"Take care of him; he's a very important guest"

I stared at the man again

He was well- built, probably about six feet tall. He had a nice taper fade cut and almond-shaped eyes; his face looked calm and expressionless, almost impossible to read. His suit could speak for itself; it was clear he was dark-skinned and handsome

As I was scanning him, he looked up, and I looked away almost immediately

For the next hour and a half, I attended other tables, occasionally checking on him; he barely looked up from his phone

And finally,

The moment I've been waiting for, he finally looked up from his phone, and I quickly rushed over to his table

"I would love Alfredo pasta...."

"Yes, sir I replied almost immediately

This time around, there was something about his voice; it was soft, gentle, almost soothing

"Get a hold of yourself, girl I muttered to myself as I left to get his order

30 minutes later

I came back with his order and gently placed it in front of him.

"I wasn't done ", he said

"You are too impatient for a waitress he added almost immediately

"I'm sorry I apologised, lowering my head

That one statement could cost me my job here

"Get me Château Margaux 2015...."

"Anything else? " I asked immediately, more like I was interrupting him

"I'm sorry ", I added

" That should be all for now he said, not sparing me a glance

After he was done eating, he stayed for a while, slowly enjoying his wine, before eventually leaving

But for some reason, I had the strangest feeling that this wouldn't be the last time I would see him

The next few days passed in a blur

I blamed constant headaches on stress, school, and the ridiculous amount of work I had piled up. I didn't think much of it; I had more important things to worry about, or so I thought

"Maya!"

My mum's voice pulled me from my thoughts

I had gone home to be with my mother and my younger sister, Lena.

"Good evening, Mum", I greeted as my mum sat on my bed

"What's bothering my damsel?" My mum asked; she knew quite well the answer

Dad died, leaving us with nothing but a mountain of debt yet to be cleared that somehow ended up on my mum's shoulders. As the eldest child, my mum needed my assistance in every possible way, and I wouldn't want Lena living the same way I do

No fun

No new stuff

Just bills and bills and bills, and the list goes on and on

"I'm sorry, my damsel", my mum said with a dry voice

"I'm sorry I had to put this burden on your shoulders", she continued as tears rolled down her cheeks

"You know I hate seeing those tears", I said, holding back my tears

"I'm not complaining, and it's not your fault you married the wrong man", I added, sniffing

Before my father died. He was an addict, a drunkard and a gambler. Those were only the things people whispered about at home; there had been worse things:

He had borrowed money, promising each time that it would be the last. My mum believed him; she always did

I never understood how she could keep forgiving him. She was so marriage-centered that it got to a point where he started taking out loans in her name

"Who does that?" I kept asking myself

Little did she know he kept on taking out more loans, and it continued like that until his death

"Maya!" My mum snapped

"I'm listening ", I said, smiling

"You deserved the best, Mum," I said as I pulled her in for a hug

"We're in this together ", I chipped in

"When are you going back to campus?" she asked

"Tomorrow, Mum", I answered

Eventually, she left my room

A few minutes later

Lena walked in

"Big sis", she called, grinning from ear to ear

"I know I'm in trouble; spill the tea", I teased, chuckling

"There's this new bag I would love to get", she requested

"I hope it isn't expensive ", I inquired, laughing

I've never let my sister see reality. Luckily, my mum heeded my advice and sent her to a boarding school. I didn't want her to live with the same trauma I'm living now

But after my dad died, she had to be pulled out of boarding school

It was against her wishes, but the bills didn't give a damn about her wishes

I took it upon myself to support my mum, buy her gifts, send allowance and do all that so she doesn't have to worry

"I will send you the money next week ", I added

"Thank you so much; you are the best sister one could ask for," she said excitedly, jumping on me for a hug

She and I shared countless heart-to-heart moments. I was her best friend, her gossip partner, and she couldn't wait for me to come home so she could gist me about her boyfriend, her classmates, her teachers and eventually everything that's going on in her life

The next day

I woke up early, made breakfast, packed my bags and left for the bus station, and on the way, I kept asking myself

"How long am I going to put up with this act in front of my sister?"

"What if it chokes me?"

"I hope my mum's health isn't deteriorating? "

Oh! Good heavens!!