The big mall food court was a good place to be. I like how it always has so many people and different noises. It feels like a big party sometimes, with all the laughing and talking. I was sitting at a table near the big window, watching people walk by with their shopping bags. My friend, Maya, was going to meet me soon, but she was a little bit late. I had a big lemonade and was just enjoying the afternoon air that came in from the vent. It was not too cold, not too hot.
There was a high chair next to my table. It was empty, but I had moved it there so Maya’s little niece, who sometimes comes with her, could use it if she came today. I do this sometimes; I plan for all the things that could happen. It makes me feel ready for anything, which is a good feeling. I like to think about different futures and how I can help make them good.
Then, a young woman walked into the food court. She was maybe nineteen or twenty years old. She had long, light-brown hair that looked like she had just brushed it a lot. She was wearing clothes that were a little too small, but she walked like she was on a fashion show runway. She pushed a baby stroller, and a little baby was sleeping inside, making soft sounds. Her face looked like she thought she was the most special person in the world, and her eyes were big and bright. She looked around the busy food court, her gaze moving quickly over all the tables. I noticed her eyes were a very particular shade of green, almost like a specific type of jade stone I saw once. I often remember these small things about people, their eye color or a small mark on their hand. It is just how my mind works.
She stopped and looked at the high chair next to my table. She pushed her stroller right up to my table, very close. She did not ask anything first. She just started to pull the high chair away from my table. I was surprised. I smiled, trying to be friendly, because I like to be friendly to everyone.
I said, “Oh, I am sorry. I am saving that high chair for my friend. She might need it for her niece.”
The young woman stopped pulling. She looked at me, and her big green eyes blinked slowly. She did not smile. She did not say sorry. Instead, her mouth made a small frown, like she was confused by what I said, or maybe annoyed.
She said, “What? This high chair? My baby needs it now. It is empty. Your friend is not here.” Her voice was a little bit loud, louder than she needed for just me to hear.
I tried to explain again. “Yes, I know it is empty right now, but my friend is coming soon. Maybe in five minutes. There are other high chairs, I think, a little further down?” I pointed to another part of the food court, where I thought I saw one or two more chairs tucked away near a pillar. I wanted to help her find one, to make it easy for her.
She looked where I pointed for only one quick second. Then she looked back at me, and her frown got deeper. “No. That one is too far. This one is right here. It is empty now. My baby needs it.” She reached out and pulled the high chair harder, making it scrape on the floor. The sound was not very nice in the mostly quiet conversation of the food court.
The baby in the stroller stirred a little. It made a small whimper, like it was about to wake up. This made the young woman push her stroller a bit more roughly. “See? He is waking up. He needs to sit in a high chair. It is important for babies to sit up.”
I felt a little bit uncomfortable. I did not want the baby to be upset. I also did not want to make a big problem in the food court. I am not good with fights. I like peace. I tried again, very gently. “I understand. Babies are very important. But I did move this high chair for my friend. Maybe we can ask a worker if they have another one from the back?” I thought this was a good idea, a way for everyone to be happy.
She scoffed. It was a short, sharp sound. “A worker? Why would I do that? This one is right here. You are not using it. You are just sitting here drinking your lemonade.” She looked at my lemonade with a disapproving look, as if my drinking lemonade was also a problem. The baby started to cry louder now, a real wail that cut through the food court noise. People at nearby tables were starting to look over. I felt my cheeks get warm.
I did not know what to do. I did not want to just give in, because it felt a little bit like she was being unfair. But I also did not want the baby to cry, and I did not like everyone looking. I tried one more time. “Look, if you need it right now, maybe I can just move my table a little bit, and we can share the space until my friend comes? Then she can use it for her niece.” I offered a solution, a compromise, because I always like to find a way for people to get along.
She did not even listen to my whole sentence. Her face turned red. “No! I do not want to share with you! My baby needs his own space! This is ridiculous! Just let me have the high chair!” Her voice was very loud now. The baby was crying even louder, almost screaming. It was a very strong sound, like a siren. Many more people were looking now, some with annoyed faces, some with pity for the baby.
Suddenly, from a table nearby, someone dropped a whole tray. It hit the floor with a big crash. Drinks spilled everywhere, and there was a loud scream as someone else slipped on the liquid. A small commotion started, with people rushing to help, but the young woman did not even turn her head. Her eyes were still fixed on me, angry and demanding. It was like nothing else mattered but the high chair.
I felt a little bit of worry in my stomach. I did not like this. I did not want this noise and this angry feeling. I thought about calling for a manager. But before I could open my mouth to say anything else, a woman from a few tables away, who had been watching the whole thing, got up. She walked over to us, holding a towel for the spilled drinks, but she stopped near us first.
She said, “Excuse me, miss, there is another high chair right over there. I just saw it. It is empty.” She pointed to the one I had pointed to earlier. She spoke very calmly.
The young woman finally turned her head and looked at this new person. She seemed even angrier now. “Mind your own business! This lady is keeping this high chair from my baby! He needs it now!” She pushed her stroller again, almost hitting the other woman’s leg.
The baby’s crying was terrible. It made my head hurt a little. I knew that the baby was not happy, and that was the most important thing for me. I sighed, a little bit sad that my plan for Maya was not working out. I smiled at the young woman, a small, tired smile.
I said, “It is okay. You can have it. The baby needs it more right now. I hope your baby feels better.” I pushed the high chair gently towards her, making sure it would not make more noise.
She did not say thank you. Not even a small nod. Her face just changed from red and angry to a little bit smug. She quickly grabbed the high chair and pulled it to her own table, which was a little bit far from mine. She started to take the baby out of the stroller. The baby was still crying, but a little less loud now.
The other woman, who had tried to help, just shook her head and went to help with the spilled tray. She looked at me for a moment with a look that said she understood, but she did not say anything more. I sat there, watching the young woman with her baby. The baby slowly stopped crying as it was put into the high chair. The young woman did not look at me again. She just started to feed her baby, like nothing had happened. She looked very satisfied with herself, like she had won something big.
Maya came about ten minutes later. I told her what happened, but I tried to make it sound not so bad. We ended up finding another high chair for her niece, much later, further down near the washrooms. It was not as good, but it worked. I kept looking over at the young woman with the green eyes. I noticed she had a small, almost invisible scar near her left eyebrow, a very light line. I saw it clearly. I did not want to see her again. Not ever. I just knew that if I did, she would remember nothing of me, but I would remember everything of her.
