Waitress’ Diary 4 – What do you wanna buy?

-->

Chris, a very good friend, unexpectedly came to visit me one night at the bar. Boss told me that someone is asking for me, and then I went to the bar and surprisingly saw Chris, ran across the bar and got a warm hug.

Haven’t met C for a drink at a bar like what we used to do for quite long time, ever since he has became a full time dad. The bar that night is actually quite cold, C and his friend are the only customers. Well, night is still young, but already late enough for daddies to have a beer (or maybe it’s just simply the British style to hold some golden bubbling liquid in hand for such an early timing).

Lucky enough for me that boss gives a kind eye expression as permission for me to escape from serving dishes and smiling at customers then I could sit down with C for a nice conversation.

C’s friend, please forgive me that I forgot his name, let’s say Mr. Warm (because he gives me a very gentle and nice impression) asks C about his life lately since C just got a temp break from work for almost 1 year and has become a full-time dad at home.

That makes me, and of course other people as well, wonder, why?

Why C would like to send his request to his nice job for a break, especially during such a recession time that everyone is worried about NOT working. And not working also means the necessary to witness the number of money in bank account decreasing little by little along with the time goes by and eventually one day reaches the limit, which could become a scene for scary movie.

For this serious question, C simply replied “some people buy cars, some people buy house, I bought time.”

The time with his family, and the newly born cute faces.

Everything could be attached with a price tag, so we, as human, work so hard for many things, cars, houses, shoes, bags, fame, security, pleasure, status and so on. However, we might forget the moment with our beloved ones, friends, lovers, family or just ourselves.

I couldn’t help wonder, what do I wanna buy then? Is a waitressing job a waste of time?

Making little money, and usually need to deal with the questions like “when would you going to have a real job?” I sometimes shamefully find myself weak in defending my own situation, working as a waitress at 30’s somehow indicates I have no plan for my life. And friends start being worried about me that I should get back to advertising and marketing fields, which mean “real jobs”, sitting in the office, staying up late for incredibly ridiculous tasks, dealing with obviously illogical orders from superior levels, working on weekends that I can’t arrange time with my family and friends, and last but not least, trying to convincing the consumers to buy some products which I don’t think they need. So I switched from a job to another, that makes my resume look pretty lame, and so does my bank account. I had often wondered what the hell I am doing at this moment, sometimes I even woke up from nightmares of being such a drifter in life that I so far haven’t achieved anything successful or meaningful, well, if being good and experienced in interviews could be considered as a kind of achievement, then maybe I would feel better.

Then C’s words enlighten me. That we have choices, and of course, choices always come with PRICE. I bought many things, “time with my family”, “thoughts for my blog”, “coffee dates with my friends”, “chances for knowing new people”, “opportunities for trying a different and unknown path”, well, and “ability to make a drinkable coffee” and “hand beers to customers with a unbeatable sweet smile”.

Couple days afterwards; C visited me again with his family. It was a sunny Sunday afternoon, undoubtedly lovely warm day after couple rainy and cold days in a row. Tots running here and there, Nina, my most favourite chocolate face girl playing on the yard. Sun shines her golden-chestnut hair, I hand her a cup of hot drink and say “Smell”, she puts her little nose close to the cup then says only one word “Chocolate” and smiles shyly at the air. I bought this nice afternoon with C and his family, and time playing with Nina on the grass. I greedily hope I can buy all the time with them before they go back to the fish-and-chips land, I especially wanna buy Nina’s memory, and all the moments when she says my name with a smiling face.

For all those things which have a certain price tag, it could be measured. Although for things which people usually take for granted, might be priceless.