There are two coins on the counter
and a smear of donut icing
The short lady
with a limp
has taken my order
and she sprays Cantonese at the doe-eyed girl
beside her
sending her scurrying behind the cappuccino machine
The hiss
a thousand steam snakes
arcing up and jabbing at the eyes.
The Bain-Marie holds
crouched jagged lines of curry pies
and sausage rolls
I rest my arms on the warm top
with the miss spelled warning sign
held with yellowed sticky tape
The short lady
smiles and asks after my day
I pat down my pockets
rattle the keys in my jeans
and sadly explain
I cannot find it
No matter
she says
and her smile reaches out
and hugs me gently
3 comments:
'sprays cantonese' I love that! lol
' a thousand steam snakes' is very nice too.
I think it's 'bain-marie'? as in 'water bath', French extraction, lol.
I love these little snapshots of your day, your life. They're very clear. I get very clear pictures of them.
Bain Marie
Oh wow, I have been saying it wrong for about 30 years lol
I will alter
lol. I only know because I work in a restaurant and have had to clean the bloody things out after every shift for about twenty years.
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