Then It Is Love

CHAPTER SIX

It was like any other day. Not so busy. Lily Sam was just done with serving a customer, who was a regular. Anyway, Bamboo Grove town was just one of those small towns. So small it wasn't so much different from a village, except it had features of a miniature poor city.

They own this restaurant that stood at a populated alley of this town, even though they come from the nearest small village close to this town. Honestly, it doesn't take more than 1 hour trekking from this town to her village. Purple Blossom County in Everest Province wasn't that big in itself anyway.

She was so bored despite the clatterings of utensils and chattering of loud customers seated in groups of twos or more, and was reading a romantic comic book, written by a famous Author Scholar in the Capital. Her dad was kind enough to buy one from a passing common merchant that graced their little famous restaurant. 

The restaurant had two cooks and three waiters, not counting the chief chef, her father, and she who had no particular position, but was somewhat a helper and assistant, mostly on good days it got so busy or on boring days she felt like serving people, just like today.

Well, she was getting captivated by the book that told the story of a knightly soldier saving a distressed noble lady of noble background. She giggled at one of his honest comments and the shyness of the charmed lady. 

Lily Sam never fell in love. And never knew what it felt like, even though she had a strong desire and curiosity for one that concerns her too. Although being a poor girl of humble background of peasants, her father once aspired to be a scholar, though he never made it, thus took over farming the rented farmlands their family of tenants had. But it all changed when he lost everyone. Even his first wife. Except Lily who was six then. He remarried a peasant family daughter and had two younger twin children of a boy and girl, both five currently.  He saved more, and not more than  five years ago, he bought this shop. 

As for herself, he made sure she went to school, even though it was to read, as he was a man that worshipped scholars. Lily went to school for a few years and dropped to help at home. Luckily, she was allowed, not so long ago, to join the restaurant.

A paid servant serving as a waitress, who was her age, came to her at the kitchen counter she leaned to, while seated to read.

She looked at the pictures and was captivated, then she sighed with utmost reverence. 

"If only I could read those words. It must be interesting?"

"Very well!", an excited Lily chimed. 

"Is that a soldier? He looks so powerful!", the girl exclaimed on seeing the paintings of a male character.

"Of course he does. He is the hero that saved the noble lady in this book! He looks so handsome, doesn't he?"

"Very. Could he be in the capital"

"No silly." Laughed an amused Lily. Looking so proud, she said, "He's a fictional character. He doesn't exist anywhere, though I wished he did. You might not know, but…"

A voice came interrupting from the back.

"Go help girls, so many customers are placing orders." It was the oldest waitress. A woman in her early thirties. She was actually widowed with children to raise alone. 

"Ah! It didn't seem like we would be having many customers today" Lily was shocked, then excited and in a good mood. 

She rose to drag along a surprised Mannie. The girl that chatted earlier with her.

The counter they had stayed at, wasn't the Service Area Counter facing the kitchen front door, but Staff Resting Counter, with lined seats, and at the more private and interior corner, much closer to the kitchen side door, which was close and opposite to her dad's personal and only office in the restaurant.