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All the Customers I Remember from My Family Restaurant

Annie Zhang

 

  1. Age 5. Bold Bald Man.

Thinking back, I can’t believe how bold the customer was. He was also my favorite one by far. Each time he came, he would pick me up and spin me around, so my legs were flailing in the air, and I was having the time of my life. I was always bummed when he got his food and had to leave, knowing it would be a while before he returned. One day, he came, and, as usual, I approached him with a big grin. But he told me I had gotten too big to carry. He picked up my little sister instead.

 

  1. Age 6. Friendly Couple.

My interactions with this couple consisted of many smiles and not much talking. Every time this couple came into the restaurant, they would ask my parents if they could see me. Upon request, I would walk into the dining area and sit down with them while they attempted to chat with me. My English wasn’t the best at that time, so I mostly smiled and nodded. They found that amusing enough to continue to do the same thing every time they came. The last time I saw them was right before we sold the restaurant, and one day when my dad went back to the area and ran into them, they told him how much they missed our family.

 

  1. Age 7. Nice Book Lady.

I also think a lot about this experience and how much this customer invested in me. I only remember seeing her two times. The first time, she was extraordinarily warm and kind toward my sister and me. The second time, she came bearing gifts for us: a pink dog purse for my sister and a book for me. It was a pop-up Alice in Wonderland book. She told me to read it with her. While I was reading, she helped me sound out words I didn’t know. My English still wasn’t developed at the time, so what that lady did meant so much.

 

  1. Age 8. Magic Trick Man.

I don’t remember Magic Trick Man’s face, but I remember the trick like it was yesterday. This was the first time I truly felt stumped, and I enjoyed being the only audience member. He had a long piece of dark blue, sheer fabric. He made one hand into a fist and stuck the fabric into the hole of the closed fist with his free thumb. Once he opened his hand, the fabric was gone. I couldn’t process it, so I asked him to repeat the trick many more times. When he got his food, he showed me a fake thumb he shoved the fabric into and put over his real thumb. I was so baffled that I still think about it a lot today.

 

  1. Age 9. My Coloring Classmate.

A girl from my school came in with her dad once every few months. We would try to speak to each other, but we didn’t have much in common. One day, I was coloring, and she decided to join me. That was the best exchange we ever had.

 

 

Annie Zhang is an Honors College student majoring in Information Technology and Informatics, class of 2024. She lives in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Thanks to the Creative Writing class she took, Annie was able to reminisce and write about her childhood memories.

Annie wrote “All the Customers I Remember from My Family Restaurant” for an Introduction to Creative Writing class taught by Paul Blaney. Blaney selected the piece for inclusion in WHR.