A Girl I Didn't Know

  The girl walks up to the counter. You recognize her face, but you don't remember who she is. She orders chicken fingers and fries and she hands you a 5-dollar bill. You give her the 73 cents in change and she starts walking towards the door with her food. But you stop her just as she opens the door to leave. You remember who she is and shout her name loud enough for everyone to hear. Everyone looks at you except for her because she is outside and has closed the door. You see her looking at you, laughing her head off with her friends.

  She has dropped her food on the ground but doesn't seem to care. She is bending over and holding her stomach and you can see her face: she is laughing harder than you have ever seen her laugh before. You grin and walk in front of the counter and then you see one of her friends pointing at you. You walk out of the restaurant, probably losing your job there, and hug her tight. She hugs you and you both start crying tears of joy.

  My daughter, you think. Today is the best day of your life.