What are you doing here Elisa
1105 Words
Elena moved quickly between the tables, balancing a heavy tray loaded with steaming plates of barbecue. The afternoon rush had picked up, and the small shop buzzed with chatter and the sizzle of meat on the grill. She had just set down an order when the back door swung open and four well-dressed schoolgirls walked in, laughing and chatting loudly. They spotted an empty table near the window and slid into the seats without waiting to be seated.
One of the girls, a bubbly brunette, dropped into her chair with a satisfied sigh.
“Valentina, I told you this is the best local place to eat barbecue,” she said. “Even though we usually eat in high-end restaurants, I fell in love with this place the very day my mom brought me here. The spices, the smoke nothing beats it.”
Valentina, the tallest and most elegant of the group, rolled her eyes as she sat down.
“You always make us drive three good hours down here just to eat barbecue,” she replied, crossing her arms. “I still don’t understand why we couldn’t have gone somewhere closer to home.”
Elena adjusted her apron and walked over to their table, tray tucked under her arm and a polite smile on her face.
“Good afternoon,” she said warmly. “Welcome to Gino’s Barbecue. Can I take your orders?”
The moment Elena reached the table, Valentina looked up. Her eyes widened in shock. She shot to her feet so fast her chair scraped loudly against the floor.
“Elisa?” she blurted. “What are you doing here?”
Elena blinked, taken aback.
“Excuse me?”
The other three girls stood up as well, staring at Elena with the same stunned expressions.
“Yeah, what are you doing here, Elisa?” one of them echoed. “Is the Morettis’ wealth not enough for you anymore?”
Elena tried to speak, but Valentina cut her off, voice rising.
“You’ve always been a disgrace to our family, and now you’re here serving barbecue? Does Dad and Mom know about this, sister?”
Elena stepped back, confused.
“I~~I think there’s a mistake. My name is Elena. I don’t know who”
Valentina kept talking over her, face flushed with anger.
Before Elena could finish, Gino stepped out from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel.
“What is going on out here?” he asked, voice firm but calm. “Is everything all right?”
Valentina spun toward him.
“Are you the one who hired my sister?” she demanded.
Elena stood frozen, completely shocked. She had no idea what to say.
Gino looked at Elena, then back at Valentina.
“What is she talking about?” he asked Elena quietly.
Elena shook her head quickly.
“I have no idea, sir. I’ve never even met this crazy girl before.”
Just then a few staff members came out from the kitchen, drawn by the raised voices. Lucia was right behind them, still holding a spatula.
Lucia took one look at the scene and stepped forward.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, looking straight at the girl who was yelling. “Elena, are you okay?”
Elena turned to her, voice shaky.
“She keeps saying I’m disgracing her family and calling me Elisa. I’m pretty much confused here.”
Lucia walked right up to Valentina, calm but protective.
“Miss, this is my sister Elena,” she said clearly. “She’s not Elisa.”
Valentina frowned, eyes narrowing.
“Are you kidding me? This is my sister Elisa.”
Valentina reached out to grab Elena’s arm. Lucia slapped her hand away sharply.
“Do not try it, miss,” Lucia snapped. “You came here to buy barbecue, right? Then buy what you came for and don’t ever disturb our peace here.”
Lucia turned to Gino, her tone softening at once.
“I’m so sorry, Boss, for the disturbance.”
Gino sighed and waved a hand.
“It’s fine. Just keep it calm, girls.”
Valentina’s face twisted with disbelief. She pulled out her phone.
“Fine. Since you keep denying it and you even brought in a creep to call you her sister, I’ll call Dad right now and tell him you’re here.”
She tapped the screen and held the phone to her ear. It rang only a few seconds before a deep voice answered on the other end.
“Dad,” Valentina said quickly, “did Elisa leave the house this morning?”
Giorgio’s voice came through clearly, calm and authoritative.
“No, dear. Elisa is right here at home. Why?”
Valentina’s face went pale with shock and disbelief. She stared at Elena for a long second, then ended the call without another word.
Lucia crossed her arms.
“Have you confirmed, miss?”
Valentina slowly nodded, still looking stunned.
“I’m so sorry,” she murmured. “I mistook someone for you. So sorry for the disturbance.”
Gino sighed heavily.
“All right, everyone back to work. Show’s over.”
As the staff returned to their stations, Valentina and her friends sat back down. Valentina kept staring at Elena like she had seen a ghost.
The other girls exchanged glances.
“She looks exactly like Elisa,” one of them whispered. “Is it really true there are two people with the same face in this life? Because the resemblance is too much.”
Valentina rubbed her temple.
“Can we just pack up the barbecue and leave?” she asked quietly.
The others nodded quickly.
One of the girls walked to the counter.
“Please package everything as takeout,” she said.
A few minutes later Elena brought out the neatly packed bags. She handed them over without a word.
Valentina looked at her for a few long seconds, eyes still wide with confusion, before turning away.
The four girls walked out, climbed into their expensive car, and zoomed off down the street, leaving a cloud of dust behind them.
Elena stood at the door, tray still in her hands, heart racing.
Lucia appeared beside her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“You okay?” she asked softly.
Elena nodded slowly, still staring at the empty road.
“Yeah… I think so. But who on earth was that?”
Lucia frowned, watching the car disappear.
“I don’t know. But something about her felt… wrong. Really wrong.”
Inside the shop, the normal chatter slowly returned, but Elena couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong
- Writer
