a bento love

It was a typical Monday evening. The dark colour of the night outside contrasted the bright colours of the lights in a bustling restaurant.

A pair of small dark brown eyes eyed the door of the restaurant. It was packed with families and couples who came to have a good, hearty meal. The little girl shifted uncomfortably on her small brown stool beside the counter as she scanned the faces of every customer with worry.

"Father?" She asked, shifting her eyes to the black haired man in the kitchen behind her.

The man in the kitchen wiped the sweat off his head with a hand at her call, and smiled at his 9 year old daughter.

"Yes, Martha?" He asked before getting back to cooking. The nametag stating "Head Chef" neatly placed above his heart glistened slightly with the light in the restaurant. Martha's father was the head chef of the restaurant. Martha's mother was often busy with her job overseas, so her father liked to bring Martha along with him to the restaurant to that she could be taken care of much easily.

"Is Aunt Julie okay? She hasn't eaten here in a long time." Martha replied, frowning.

"That's right, I haven't seen her in a while. She used to come here to have her dinner everyday, I do wonder if she's doing fine lately." Martha's father replied, a hint of concern in his words.

Martha bit her bottom lip and scrunched her eyes in concentration, trying to think of ways she could help Aunt Julie.

Aunt Julie was Martha's favourite regular in her father's restaurant. She lived in the apartment block right beside the restaurant and could come in quite often. At times, when there were little people in the restaurant, she would go up to Aunt Julie's table and have a short conversation with her. Martha still remembered the time she was invited inside her apartment for a short tea session. She was an amazing aunt to be around as she had many interesting stories to tell about her past, and had an amazing personality.

However, the restaurant got more popular these few weeks, and more people came pouring in to eat the food at the restaurant. Martha hardly saw the face of her favourite aunt, and had to opt to sitting around the counter to help if needed. She was determined to visit Aunt Julie again.

Suddenly, Martha had an idea. She got down her stool and made her way into the kitchen through the back door, grabbing a small container from a cabinet. She then returned to the counter with a slight skip in her steps.

Her father, who just finished his shift in the kitchen, just so happened to walk towards the counter. He looked at the container in surprise. After a few seconds, he seemed to understand what his daughter was doing and shot her a knowing grin. He rushed back into the kitchen. Not long after, he exited the kitchen again. His hand held small containers of rice, salmon, and vegetables.

Martha raised an eyebrow.

"Father, are you sure we can use the ingredients from the restaurant's kitchen?" She asked, feeling a bit unsure.

"Not if it's for a customer." He replied, giving her a cheeky wink.

Martha chuckled at her dad as she opened the containers with rice. With her spoon, she managed to gather a good amount of rice in one half of the small container. She then placed the cooked salmon on the other half of the compartment, together with a bunch of broccoli for a healthy touch. Martha closed the small container with a smile before placing the container in a carrier. She then rushed to get a note and a pen from the counter.

Her father chuckled at her kindness, and managed to slip a small container of miso soup into the carrier without her noticing. He knew that Aunt Julie would definitely miss the restaurant's miso soup, as it was a great finish to a meal.

Martha quickly rushed back with a post-it note and sticked it to the front of the carrier. She turned to her father, mouth open to ask a question when he interrupted her.

"Don't be back too late." He said, patting his daughter's head fondly.

Martha closed her mouth and gave her father a grin before going out of the restaurant. She followed the familiar path towards Aunt Julie's apartment and knocked on her door excitedly.

There was some muffled shuffling behind the door before it opened. The door revealed Aunt Julie, who looked shocked as she noticed Martha.

"Martha!" She exclaimed in surprise, bringing the younger into a big hug.

"How have you been? I'm sorry for not coming to your restaurant lately, my back was strained not too long ago and i was advised to rest at home." Aunt Julie explained to Martha, a sad smile on her face.

"The restaurant's been really popular lately! But I missed talking with you in the restaurant, so I decided to visit with a bento that I made with the help of my father." Martha said, raising the carrier with the containers towards her proudly.

Aunt Julie received the carrier, the corners of her eyes burning with tears at the little girl's actions. She couldn't believe how much kindness the little girl held within her heart.

"Thank you so much, Martha. But you should head back to the restaurant, it's getting late. I wouldn't want your father to worry." She spoke, as she gestured towards the door with a warm smile.

Martha hesitated for a bit, before nodding her head.

"Alright, I'll head back. Eat the food while it's still warm. I hope that your back heals up soon!" Martha said, before she closed the door softly.

Aunt Julie patted the carrier in her arms as the faint footsteps outside slowly faded into the distance.

She noticed a post-it note on the carrier and picked it up curiously. On the paper, there was a neatly written note.

"A bento love for you"