Since no one but Mag knew Sally was leaving, the restaurant was just like it had been.
Mag wasn’t good at saying goodbye, either, so he hadn’t told anyone.
It was all he could do not to drug the head of the Brewster Family when he saw him sitting there again, even though he was Sally’s father.
When he saw Gjerj leave with a braised chicken and rice, Mag put down the ladle and quickly caught up with him.
“Hey, Mag,” Gjerj said, standing at the door.
“Um, you see, I need to attend the parent-teacher meeting in the afternoon, but I have no clue what I am supposed to do, ’cause it’s my first time. I was wondering if you could give me some pointers.”
“Sure,” Gjerj said. “We don’t need to do much, actually. The meeting is a chance created by the school to bond with our kids and make good memories with them. You can bring some snacks if you want.”
“I see. Thank you.” He sounded relieved. “Say hi to your wife and kids for me.”
“All right.”
“Are you really going to attend the parent-teacher meeting in the afternoon, Father?” Amy asked expectantly as soon as she came back home from school.
“Sure. It’s your first parent-teacher meeting, of course I’ll be there,” Mag replied, smiling.
“Great!” Amy jumped up happily. “But where is mother? Have you found one for me?”
Firis pricked her ears up and listened intently.
“Yes. Aisha will come with us.”
“Big Sister Aisha! Thank you, Father!” Then she went to rub Ugly Duckling.
I thought he’d ask me to accompany him… Why do I feel so left out? Firis felt her cheeks flush red.
He said he wanted me to look after Amy when he hired me… Maybe he had said that to everyone else in this restaurant, Firis thought, chopping veggies.
“Firis,” Mag called out, “you don’t need to practice your grilling skills today. I’ll teach you how to slice ducks.”
A shadow of disquiet flickered over her face. She preferred to work in the kitchen where nobody could see her.
“It’s a time-consuming job, and I don’t have time to do that now that we have more customers,” Mag continued.
“But…”
“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. I’m sure you can do it,” Mag said with an encouraging smile.
Firis’s face felt hot under Mag’s gaze. She hesitated a moment before nodding. “I… I’ll try.”
“Good. Lunch is ready. Let’s eat.” He walked out of the kitchen, holding a platter of grilled fish.
“Wow, so many dishes! And beer! We rarely have lunch this early. What’s so special about today?” Yabemiya asked Mag.
“That’s every dish on the menu save for stinky tofu!” Babla’s mouth started watering. It was the first time she had seen such a big meal in Mamy Restaurant.
“That’s every dish I like,” Amy exclaimed, trying to keep Ugly Duckling from craning to get close to the table.
It was too much food for them to eat at once.
Sally felt a warm feeling in her heart.
“I think it’s fate that brought us together,” Mag said. “Don’t forget the memories we’ve shared if one day you have to leave. You’re always welcome here. Cheers.” He raised his glass.
“Cheers!”
They touched their glasses together and drank.
Amy raised her ice cream and licked the top.
Sally was happy, and her smile brought a big smile to Mag’s own lips.
Maybe she wouldn’t like her life in the Wind Forest, but it was her choice.
At least the elves would be better off with her in charge.
After the lunch service was over, Mag went to the market with Firis and bought 10 ducks as large as Red-top Tricolor Ducks. He had the vendor dress them.
“You need to slice the meat of a duck into 108 pieces. No more, no less,” Mag said. He then took a duck out of the oven and showed her how to carve it.
“The next duck will be well cooked in 20 minutes. Use the rest of the ducks to practice,” Mag said, putting down the knife. “Now, I’m going to go to the parent-teacher meeting.”