Mr. Fong's

Ok let's start a schedual here, every Saturday/Sunday (well except for next saturday because I'm shooting the showhouse) we'll do a little of Mr Fongs.




Of all the dim sum joints she had to walk into mine...




The restaurant had been empty for the past hour. That wasn't unusal especially in the spring when it seemed like the rain came every day. The rain meant that I could actually get some work done, well until people remembered we did carry out...then I would have to get wet.


I sat at my usual table in the corner and pulled my lap top out of my bag and started to check my email. I had worked a trade with the business net door to use their wireless network for occasional use... ocassionally I tell them I use it. I had just settled into my routine when the phone rang.


I made it to the phone by the second ring (oneday I will talk that old man into getting a cordless phone)


"O'Malley's Jewish Delicatessent and Chinese Laundry Gino speaking" I said into the reciever. I never understood why everyone had to answer the phone that way, well except for the girls who answered it as Angelina and of course Mr. Fong but then he never answered the phone in the first place.


"2 number 7s and 2 teas Ok that'll be a half hour pickup or an hour delivered. You want that delivered?...Ok" I read back the order and address before I hung up. I didn't really need to write anything down... it didn't matter what you ordered you got what Mr. Fong cooked that's how you can tell the regulars they just asked for dinner. Many times he had tried to explain that Dim Sum was for the heart and he could tell what the heart wanted... though usually it was his heart.


I walked back to the kitchen to hand over the slip, the old man was in one of his moods so he had retreated to the kitchen to concoct the next weeks menu. He was not happy to be disturbed by anyone and especially someone bringing work. I muttered something about them paying for his kitchen and was about to get an ear full of Chinese when the front door opened.


"Gotta get that I told Tetsumi I'd watch the front while she went on her break"


"Go! and don't bother me again" he yellend as the door swung shut.


Not being one to let it rest I yelled back "don't forget my order" and laughed


As I came thru the door I saw at the counter the one person I never wanted to see again and always dreamt of seeing again.


"Hi" she said "the people at your apartment building told me I could find you here"


Note to self Kill all my neighbors..."Yep here I am" I stammered How've you been? wait ... No...Why are you here?"


"I'm in town for a week on business and had heard you lived here now so I thought I'd look you up...maybe you could show me around town. We could talk"


"Yeah ...talk"


"I know this is all a suprise me showing up after all these years. Here" reaching into her pocket" this is the name and number of the hotel I'm staying at and the room number, call me when you get off work."


Putting down the piece of paper on the counter she turned and walked out.


I just stood there staring at the address of the hotel...it was just around the corner from my apartment. My apartment that she now knew was really mine and not just an old address.


All that was going through my head was why had she looked me up after all this time. I knew she wanted something. That had to be the answer. I didn't enter into her mind unless there was something I could do to make her life easier. How long do I have to pay for a five year relationship? I mean sure she was my first real girlfriend, I won't say she was my first true love, I did love her at least for awhile then it was like along with fear. I was afraid of what she'd do to me and my family. But then again I was also afraid of what my family would do to me if I stayed with her.


The bell ringing again snapped me out of my train of thought, looking up I feared she'd returned, but there was no one in the restaurant. I knew I had heard the bell but didn't see anyone. That meant one of two things: my medication was wearing off and all this was a hallucination or Tetsumi was back form her break and was right now sneaking up on me...


Untill next time...Ed