“No Stefan tonight?” Dyana asked Jana as they served.
“He’s working out of town,” Jana said. It was the usual case with Stefan. He was always traveling for work, and she didn’t get to see him as much as she wanted.
“He seems to be gone a lot lately,” Dyana said, her eyebrow raised.
Jana shrugged. “He’s been busy.” In her glove, she could feel the little promise ring she wore, slipping around her finger. She needed to get something to make the band fit a little better so it didn’t rock around so much.
“When was the last time you talked to him?” Dyana asked.
“Saturday,” she replied before she could stop herself.
“You know it’s Thursday, right?” Dyana asked.
“I know.” She focused on the people in line and didn’t let the judgmental expression on Dyana’s face get to her.
At least, she didn’t want to.
Unfortunately, it did.
“Sides,” Dyana called out as she scraped her spoon around the almost-empty tray of corn.
“‘Please’ would be nice,” Jana said, winking at Dyana.
“Sides, please!”
“Busy night!” Betty came up behind Jana with a fresh tray of green beans. She swapped it out with the almost-empty pan of corn.
“I’ll take those beans,” one of the men in line said.
“Sure thing.” Dyana shifted to serving the green beans.
“They seem to keep coming.” Jana handed off another plate, being sure to smile at each patron.
Some of them smiled back. Others kept their heads down, but it didn’t matter. They all were hungry.
Jana wasn’t going to let them starve. She served food two or three times a week at St. Anthony’s, sometimes as a server in the family section that had round tables for family groups. Other times, she worked the main food line for individuals who sat in the main part with long cafeteria-like tables and chairs were set up and ready to go.
In the center sat an upright piano for churches who brought in choirs to sing during meals on holidays. They never put it away, in case someone wanted to play it.
Jana had started serving food there as part of her company's charitable efforts. Jana, however, found it to be soul-saving for herself. A gentle reminder to appreciate what she had, even if it wasn’t the best circumstances, and to show kindness whenever she could, no matter how she felt. If she had to fake it at the beginning of a shift because she felt sad or upset, by the end, it would be genuine.
A familiar face came down the line.
“Good evening, Brian,” Jana said as she handed the slender man his plate.
“Hi,” he said. “Jane?”
“Jana.” She handed him an extra piece of bread. “For later.”
He nodded and smiled. He didn’t say anything else as he walked away.
“Do you think he’ll play?” Dyana asked as she dished up more food.
Jana shrugged. “It’s lovely when he does, but I don’t want to make him feel like he has to.” The man was a well-known piano player in town, but unfortunately, drugs had crept into his life. Sometimes, if no one was using it, he would play the piano.
Today Jana figured he’d eat and leave.
Surprisingly, though, about fifteen minutes later, Brian walked up to the piano and took a seat.
