The Girl Who Took My Plate...

The sun had set as evening drew to a close, welcoming a rather cloudy and breezy night. As usual, he was out alone, searching for a place to dine to ‘tame’ the hunger that has run amok in his stomach. There were 2 options that he could choose. First, a well-lit Italian restaurant that radiated a blissful ambience though its windows, employed well-dressed waiters ready to take orders from paying customers and provided quality service for a fine dining experience that was difficult to resist. Second, just tucked across the narrow lane, opposite the grandeur restaurant was a common food court that was not air-conditioned, lacked the modern kitchen electronics and employed common folks of the heartland. As he was about to enter the restaurant, after being greeted by a friendly door lady, he took a glimpse across the street and something or rather someone caught his attention. It was an unusual sight and he wanted to pursue his curiosity by deciding to dine in a less fanciful place, something that he has not done for quite a while.

He approached a stall and ordered his food, a plain Hokkien prawn noodle, sat down, waited while looking around trying to locate the person who caught his attention earlier. Dressed in finely stripped lines of alternating blue and white linen with a matching white bottom half, she appeared after a while. Her glossy, black hair was well-kept and neatly tied. She was clearing up a table that has been left by customers. Her thin arms reached out to the centre of the table and she grabbed pairs of chopsticks holding them with one hand. She then stacked up all cleared plates after dishing away all the leftover food. Not long after, she returned to her stall, placed the plates and cutlery into a bin and returned to her station where she held a marker, writing down orders by new customers. She carefully noted down their orders to make sure that she did not make any mistake. He saw her from afar and smiled to himself as he realized that she was no taller than a normal primary 3 school student. It was a kid, ever so young and innocent, as her father watched her while tending the stall.

She then was asked to deliver a plate to a nearby customer as instructed by her father. With her two small hands, she carried the plate of prawn noodle, walked carefully but gracefully towards the waiting customer and delivered his meal. After which, she skipped her way back to the stall, eagerly waiting for her next task. He found himself ever more curious and continued to watch her as she went from table to table, from customer to customer. There was once he saw her collecting money from a customer, counting every dollar and returned her the change. She would then carve a faint smile and skipped back to her stall. It appeared to him that the lady had given her a small tip for her service. Instead of accepting them, she returned her money, collecting only how much the food cost. Perhaps, it was a genuine gesture to accept what she actually earned rather than taking the extra dollar that could help filled her pocket.

Next, he saw her being called by a couple sitting behind him; they asked her for additional plate and some soy sauce. She returned to her stall and brought along the necessary items, meeting their demands. The couple then chatted with her for a while. He figured that this couple somehow felt pity for the little girl and just wanted to find out more about her. They probably asked her how old she was, which school she was in and how often she worked here in this tiny food court. She replied with short answers with a few nodding and soon she was back helping her father after excusing herself.

He wondered if the girl has been working here since the school holidays started. After all, with more free time in her hand, she could have decided to help out at the stall unlike during school days where students usually were made to complete their homework in order to prepare them for the following day. He thought, unlike other kids her age, she chose to work to help her father instead of staying at home watching television or playing with Barbie dolls. Perhaps, she saw more value in doing what she could do rather than wasting time at home. In his eyes, few kids could and willing to do what she did. She bore no complaints nor defiance, she carried herself with responsibility to do her tasks well without being forced to, she did them all out of her own free will. Now, it was that moment he realized that his curiosity had paid off.

He then noticed her serving a family of seven. She served the two boys in that family who were younger or somewhat about her age, helping to place a plate of prawn noodle and giving out chopsticks. It was awkward enough to see adults being served by some 7-8 year old kid and now, seeing that same kid serving those of her age and younger only made things more bemusing to look at. From that moment, she won him his respect. No longer did he see her as any helpless little girl, he saw her as an extraordinary human being for her age. Any other kid her age would have refused to work in a non air-conditioned place, sweating it out to work and would rather play at home or complained that it was too tiring or embarrassing for them to work publicly. Compared to some spoilt rich kid whose lives revolves by the dollar, driven by the internet or other entertainment devices, this little girl surely has defined her role, no matter how trivial it might appear; she knew that value of every dollar that she earned by helping her father. She showed neither signs of fatigue nor shame because she knew that what she was doing was to help her father to the best of her ability. Such kid is hard to find or even imagine and to him, seeing her in reality was a blessing, a heartwarming experience. It was not pity or the sight of poverty that melted his hardened heart; it was to understand what she was doing that drove him to feel all warm inside.

Before long, she approached him asking in Mandarin with a soft, courteous manner, “May I take your plate?” He gladly let her took his plate away and smiled at her. He noticed her gentle façade, almost believing that she was an angel in disguise with her demure expression. As she walked back towards her stall, he continued placing his eyes on her until it was time to leave. He walked away and watched her slowly fade from the distance. He did not know if he could see her again the next time he visited that food court but he remained positive that he would. This very cycle that has been ongoing in his daily lives might have left unnoticed had he chosen to dine in that restaurant. He would not have seen this little girl who has taught him that it is never too young to work and learn that every dollar earned is derived from every drop of sweat. But most of all, it was not to see this girl as ‘some’ kid he met the other day, but to see this special little girl as a human being who embraces the ordinary life to the fullest.

This post is based on a true account by the author and dedicated to the girl who took his plate of prawn noodle. This post is inspired by “Angel in Disguise” by Corrinne May.