What She Was

What She Was

The first time Jason Mann saw the person who would eventually become his significant other, he was lunching in a newly opened Japanese restaurant with one of his colleagues. At the time, she was just one of the waitresses.

He first spotted her across the restaurant and immediate thought she looked amazing—slender, with sharp facial features, and a waterfall of straight black hair.

After approaching their table, she asked, “What can I get the both of you to drink?” Her smile dazzled him so much, he found himself, for the moment, unable to answer.

His colleague had to prod him. “She asked what you wanted to drink?”

Shifting his gaze, he replied, “I’ll take a bottled beer.”

“Same,” said the other.

Placing the menus on the table, she turned to leave. Jason continued to watch her until she disappeared into the kitchen.

“Nice butt on that one,” said his colleague. Jason nodded in agreement but didn’t take his eyes off the entrance to the kitchen until his lunch guest asked, “So, what do you want to eat?”

Picking up his menu, he scanned it for a moment then said, “I think I’ll have a small vegetable fried rice and a bowl of egg-drop soup.”

“Same for me.”

All during his meal, Mann couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off the waitress. The image of her dazzling smile, but especially her intense stare, stayed with him through the rest of the day. In his mind’s eye, he kept seeing those dazzling white teeth and her almond-shaped green eyes, which seemed to pulsate with an otherworldly energy.

The next day he went back to the restaurant alone. His co-worker had to meet with a client. The moment she arrived at his table, his heart began to beat so intensely, he thought the whole restaurant could hear it.  

“What can I get you?” she asked. Again, her smile had him feeling heat all over.

“I’ll have what I had yesterday.”

“What was that?”

“Small vegetable fried rice, a bowl of egg-drop soup, and a bottled beer.”

“Fine. I’ll be right back.” Again, Mann followed her with his eyes until she disappeared into the kitchen.

Over the next month, he went back several times to have lunch, sometimes alone, sometimes with others. With each visit, he hoped she’d be his waitress.

Then one day, he got up the nerve to ask her if she wanted to go with him to a movie? He was amazed when she said yes, especially when she insisted they see the latest alien invasion flick.

Curious, he asked, “Why would you want to see a movie about rampaging aliens?”

“Because” she replied, “every time I see one of the movie’s posters, I get a little homesick.”