Couldn't Say It

Editor's Note: This is my first time writing second-person narration.

There are three people seated in a five-star restaurant downtown. An aged man and his adult children. The father is Oscar. His kids are Hannah and Matthew. Hannah and Matthew arrived first. You, the host, seated them at a table near the window. It's a lovely spot, actually. Gaze outside, and hearing the familiar bustling of people makes you smile. 

Back to the young adults. They thank you for the seat. You ask them if they are ready to order. Matthew says that he and his sister are waiting for someone. You nod and turn to another customer. Gosh, she's a Karen. While you calmly explain that the restaurant doesn't serve custom meals anymore, you hear snippets of Hannah and Matthew's words. They seem excited over something. 

Matthew: "...You wish...I know right!...Then I said..."

Hannah laughs and responds: "You got them good...Some people!"

You assume it's about work. Hey, you've said similar things to your co-workers. Maybe you saved it for the bar instead of laughing over it in a restaurant. They obviously didn't.

You manage to calm the situation down and go to the reception area. A man, seemingly in his late-seventies, enters the restaurant.

He looks disheveled. His eyes are bloodshot red. It looks like he's been crying hard. You welcome him with your usual greeting. He explains that he is here to meet his kids after fifteen years. You guide him to where Hannah and Matthew are sitting. They smile at the man and ask him to sit down. You ask them if they are ready to order. They look at the man, who nods. Hannah orders a caesar salad. Matthew asks for some noodles. You glance at Oscar and ask him for his order. He says he'll need a moment to decide. You shrug and attend another customer.

You have a tense gut feeling about this group of three. While serving food, you keep your eyes on them. Matthew speaks first. He seems excited. He talks about his new promotion as senior manager of his company. 

"Lucky duckie, I'm stuck with this crappy job to pass college!" you think.

Matthew asks Oscar how work is for him. Oscar starts to speak. He stutters, and his voice is hoarse. The man barely begins his sentence when Matthew interrupts again, talking about how nice everyone is now that he got an honorable position.

Oscar smiles weakly, and says, "That's great! About me...I actually, um-"

Hannah cuts him off and starts chatting about her new house. She seems to also have a successful career as her descriptions match that of a penthouse. You focus on Oscar. You can feel that he really wants to get something off his chest. At the same time, he feels conflicted. He's happy for his children and doesn't want to rain on their parade. He finally excuses himself to the bathroom. You decide to keep an eye out, but do your job. Around 20 minutes later, someone taps you on the shoulder. It's Oscar. He gives you a folded piece of paper and asks you to pass it over to Hannah and Matthew. Then he heads out the door.

You know you shouldn't peek into other people's possessions, but you can't help yourself. You get your co-worker, Mandy, to serve your tables for you while you read the note. She demands you pay for her beer in exchange. You agree and go to the storeroom.

You read the letter. His handwriting is shaky, but you can read it. It says:

Dear Hannah and Matthew,

I'm thrilled to hear about your house and your job. Really, it's a delight to know how well your life is going. I'm giving you this letter to answer your questions. You see, I was diagnosed with lung cancer a few months ago. It caused a severe downslide in my health. I went from being barely productive to not being able to summon up enough energy for work. I missed two many days, so they fired me. Without a job, I was unable to afford rent. I've been evicted. The reason I didn't call either of you is that I could barely charge my phone. After hearing about everything you said, I couldn't bring myself to tell you this awful news. In any case, I wish both of you the best, my dear children.

From your Loving Father,

                                                  Oscar 

You fold the note back up and stare at the floor. You are shocked and heartbroken. You feel stunned. You suddenly remember your job and get back to work. While you are serving someone their coffee, someone calls you.

"Yes, how may I help you?"

"Hi, umm...my father said he had to use the bathroom half an hour ago, and he still hasn't returned. Do you know where he is?" Matthew asks.

"Oh, yeah, he left ten minutes ago, " you tell him. 

He looks puzzled and asks you why.

You respond, "I'm not sure, " Then you recall the note, "Oh yeah, he asked me to give you this."

Matthew takes the note from your hand and goes back to his table. Hannah scoots next to him as he unravels the paper. They spend a minute reading. By the end of the message, Matthew's jaw drops, and Hannah is in tears. 

You pity the siblings, but don't know how to comfort them without explaining that you read it first. Instead, you ask if everything is okay. Hannah says that they're fine, and asks for the bill. You hand it over, and they pay. Your shift is over by then. You hand over the $57 Mandy asked for and head to your car. You turn on the heater and wait for the engine to start. 

As you wait, your mind flurries from exam papers to tuition, to the deep letter Oscar wrote. Tears trickle from your eyes, but you remind yourself that this isn't the first time you've seen this happen at your brief time at Sandy's Restaurant. 

The engine finishes loading. The car's ready to roll. You grab the steering wheel and drive back to the dorms.