Be me, alone on Christmas
Hungry, go out for food
Go to local Chinese restaurant
because they are the only ones open
Walk in and sit down, restaurant is
entirely empty but I hear a noise in the
back

Owner walks up and greets me in
broken English
“Hello, see you on holiday, thank you
for joining us”
Owner’s entire extended family
comes out from kitchen area
Start moving tables around and
bringing out dishes of food
They set out an entire feast
Genuinely enjoy the food and
company even though they all speak
in Chinese and I can’t understand
them

After eating, I help the family put
the restaurant back to normal
I ask the owner how much I owe him
for the meal

“You owe us nothing, thank you for
joining us, Merry Christmas”
Leave and go home with a smile
on my face, still not quite sure what
happened

Thank you, random Chinese
restaurant, you guys made me have an
actual nice Christmas for the first time
in many years!