I was only fifteen when I ordered my first plate of food in a restaurant. Until then I never know how it feels like eating outside my home where eating together was a tradition. Only my father eats separately for it was a mark of honor for fathers to be served separately. You may want to know what led me to a restaurant at the age of fifteen. Let me explain.
I had travelled to Aba to spend the long vacation with my elder sister and her family. It was as a matter of fact my first visit to the city of Aba. Everything I saw on that first visit was not only strange but also splendid; the dual-carriage ways, the long traffic, the big factory houses, the big markets and many other fascinating attractions. Coming to Aba that year was like a dream come true. As I behold the city with eyes of a village boy, I began having the desire to explore my new environment so that when I return to the village, I will have many stories to tell and many experiences to relate.
After playing around with my new friends for about one week, my elder sister and her husband in their wisdom decided that I join James in hawking old news papers. James and his parents were neighbors and I supposed he was in his twenties. Beside exchanging pleasantries when circumstances called for that, I will say that I have not become very acquainted with him. When my sister put the proposal for my new found business to James, he welcomed it with an air of one eager to become a mentor. Though I didn't fancy hawking things around but I welcomed the proposal upon realizing that going around and selling old papers will open a large door through which I will truly explore my new environment
My business mentor was eager to take me to all different parts of the city of Aba. To buy our goods, we go from house to house searching for those who may have old papers to sell. Not being the era of internet, many depended on both electronic and print media for news and other information. So it was no surprise that we see huge piles of old papers in many houses. Though to some, those piles of old papers were part of their Library, nevertheless we always buy enough to take to our customers. I admired the courage with which James knocks on gates and doors with little or no thoughts of the owners reaction. Having been long in the business made it easy for some of the house owners to easily welcome us and take us to where they pack the papers.
We sold together. Sometimes he would hold my hand while crossing busy roads and I found everything about the old papers business fascinating and adventurous.
When we have finished selling, we counted our profit and James commanded me to follow him. I did and we found ourselves in a restaurant. The restaurant was large enough to accommodate up to twenty persons at a time. There were many who were there to have their launch. I observed that majority of those who were there that afternoon were men so, I concluded that women love to eat quietly at home.
I admired some of the men as they roll and swallow different sizes of ball of garri and cassava fufu. One of the man who sat very close to me smacked his mouth and gulped down the food like a hungry dog. There was another young man who may be of the same age with James who was eating rice and washing it down occasionally with a bottle of coca cola. He ate in a way that made it looked like he was eating a dish that was extremely expensive and he looked at me occasionally as if to find out how much I was admiring him. The other man with pot belly who was finishing a plate of cassava fufu with vegetable soup when we entered ordered a cool bottle of beer and drank it meditatively. I was so carried away by the happenings in the restaurant that I almost forgot to order my own plate of food.
James had called for a plate of garri with vegetable soup and fried fish and I ordered same. The soup was good but not better than my mother's and I loved it. I must confess that James' ball of garri was awful for a young man of his age. Soon he finished his portion and called for extra plate and the young waitress who has not stopped smiling at him responded quickly and complimented it with more smiles.
I soon ate to my satisfaction and there seem to be no room in my belly for more food to go in and I was worried that I still have enough food remaining in my plate. I glanced at James who was completely lost in his world of garri and vegetable soup. Beads of sweats sat all over his forehead. I glanced at the restaurant proprietress and the smiling girl who served the food and they too where lost in their own world. I could not leave though I had stopped eating. I was afraid that the woman will quarrel with me for being unable to finish the food. Not wanting to provoke the woman, I called James who scarcely lifted his face and wiped the sweats with the back of his left palm. He took a look at me as I pointed to my plate.
'What is it?' He asked.
'I have eaten enough'. I responded.
'No problem. Wash your hands'. He added.
'The woman?' I said.
'The woman did what? Wash your hands and wait for me'. He commanded.
'I haven't finished my food and', pointing to the woman, I went on. 'She will be annoyed with me for not finishing my food',
James burst into heavy laughter. He laughed and laughed until be started to cough. The woman who came to his assistance with a cup of water joined him to laugh as she was told about my concern and fear. Soon, the whole restaurant burst into heavy laughter. Since I had committed no crime, I too join in the laughing galore and this added more joy to the wonderful opportunity of eating in a restaurant that day.
James explained to me that I was not under any obligation to finish the food I bought with my money. He emptied the content of my plates into his. Later in the evening, he narrated my experience to all in the compound and it made everyone laugh.
Each time I told this story, it always cause my listeners to laugh. I hope it has cause you to laugh as wel. I will always remember my first day in a restaurant with a smiling face.