Osaka was quiet as a snowfilled night... its tranquillity unbroken. Lindsay, Kameron, and I were seated by the hushed Oriental waitress.
I sat by myself on one side of the table, facing Lindsay and Kameron. Behind them there was a young couple, their arms twined around each other. They were just finishing their meal, unwrapping the chocolate-covered mints that the restaurant hands out in lieu of fortune cookies.
I heard the waitress approach timidly, and I looked up, thinking she had come to take our order. But she was standing at the young couple's table. The young woman was rising, and the waitress timidly asked her when her baby was due. Only then did I notice the swell of the girl's stomach against her shabby green sweater.
"In a month," she answered, smiling. I had never seen such a straightforward smile on anyone's face. Then she asked the question that I had never really considered, not in all my visits to the restaurant.
"What's your name?"
"Nancy," the waitress answered shyly. Then she hesitated. Unsure if it was appropriate, she asked, "And what is yours?"
"I'm Stephanie. And this is John," the girl answered, gesturing to her husband. He looked like a down-on-his-luck artist, with unruly hair and a striped scarf.
"And the baby?" Nancy asked, gaining bravado.
"We were thinking Stella. Or Francesca."
(Lindsay and I gave under-our-breath squeals. I liked Francesca. She was partial to Stella.)
Stephanie excused herself and tottered toward the back door, toward the bathrooms. Nancy smiled encouragingly at John.
"You are worried?"
John seemed very young to me, all of the sudden. I felt a bit of a prickle start behind my eyelids.
"Yes," he confessed. "I don't want Steph to work anymore, but I can't find any work anywhere. She puts in long days at the hospital, and I still can't find a job. But we're hoping... something will come up. You know?"
Nancy nodded kindly and removed their plates, bustling into the kitchen. A few moments later, Stephanie returned. She and her husband joined hands, and Stephanie struggled through the strap of her purse, letting it fall crosswise on her chest. They waved to Nancy, calling good night to her.
I was quiet for the rest of my meal. The young, kind couple had struck me in a painful way... their humanity and loveliness was astounding. I had never thought to ask Nancy's name. She had simply been a waitress at a place I frequented. And it was clear that John and Stephanie loved one another wholly, no matter what their circumstances. I hoped and prayed briefly that John would find a job, that Stephanie could stay at home and rest with Stella-Francesca when she came. I wanted to chase them down, to hug them both, and walk away without having to explain. I had fallen in love with them, and they never knew. But they had left me a little bit of something.
When I paid for my meal, I tried it out on my tongue.
"Good night, Nancy," I said, and stepped out onto the street.