Coming

Hector wanted crispy chicken, and Helena wanted a burger. After a long two-hour journey that had to end with a meal, they were both very hungry.

"Growl... growl..." Hector's stomach rumbled audibly, making him smile sheepishly at his uncooperative stomach. "Oh, my stomach is so hungry..." he complained, hoping his mother would understand.

Realizing her children were starving, Maia quickly joined the queue at the cashier, which was very crowded that day. The line was long, and Maia found herself at the sixth position—not too long, but enough to keep her waiting.

"Hang on a little longer, sweethearts," Maia reassured her children while watching the queue.

"You two go find a seat," she instructed, pointing to the menu.

"Alright, Mom," Hector and Helena responded with smiles.

Helena and Hector walked outside, preferring a table outdoors. They both enjoyed the natural atmosphere—more space, clean air, and less crowd. They waited for Maia to order the food, sitting and enjoying the environment.

Meanwhile, Maia was still fifth in line. She felt the wait was long and was starting to get bored. As she stood there, her eyes began to wander. Her gaze landed on a table inside the restaurant.

"Am I seeing things?" she murmured to herself.

Maia was shocked to see a man she thought she recognized. His appearance seemed very familiar.

She furrowed her brows, trying to confirm if she knew the man sitting at one of the restaurant's tables.

Maia's eyes suddenly widened, her gaze fixed on one particular table in the restaurant. It was as if she had seen a ghost, and the man's presence was now the center of her attention.

Her mouth trembled as if she wanted to say something.

"Se... Sebastian... is that really him?" she stammered, trying to stay calm despite her disbelief.

After staring intently for a few minutes, she confirmed that the man she saw was Sebastian, Maia's husband. He was sitting at one of the tables inside the restaurant, talking and eating with someone.

But who was Sebastian sitting with? Maia was curious about the person dining with her husband.

Sebastian seemed to be laughing heartily and looking so happy, which was quite different from his usual demeanor at home with his family. He was dressed neatly, his clothes were nice, and his hair was tied back neatly, with no single strand out of place. His face, usually messy and worn, now appeared handsome and unusually neat.

Maia's eyes wandered again, seemingly confused as she looked around. The person sitting with her husband was not visible to Maia because their spot was behind a wall, blocking her view. From her position, she could only see Sebastian. Maia didn't want to leave her spot in the queue, prioritizing her children's needs first, as they were hungry and waiting for the food.

Though visibly confused, Maia tried to stay calm, knowing she was not in Sebastian's line of sight. She patiently waited; her turn in the queue was now just one person away.

Finally, it was Maia's turn. She began speaking with the cashier.

"Thank you for waiting, ma'am. What would you like to order?" the cashier asked politely.

"Yes, I'd like to order two crispy chickens, three large fries, two beef burgers, and two hotdogs."

"And three orange juices for drinks."

Maia still looked confused, her eyes wandering again to see who was with her husband at the table.

"Is there anything else, ma'am?" the cashier asked.

"Oh, that's all... and please add some ketchup," Maia replied, waiting for the cashier to tally up her order.

"Alright, ma'am, the total is thirty-five dollars."

Maia reached into her bag for her wallet, took out the money, and handed thirty-five dollars to the cashier.

"Thank you, ma'am. That's thirty-five dollars exactly," the cashier said, counting the money.

While waiting for her order, Maia was still anxious and curious, glancing back at Sebastian. Occasionally, she stepped to her left, trying to peek at her husband, but she still couldn't see who was with him.

Maia's thoughts were becoming unsettled, and she started having negative thoughts about her husband.

Returning to her original position, Maia found her order ready.

"Here's your order, ma'am. Is everything complete?" the cashier asked.

"Yes, thank you, it's all there," Maia replied, taking the tray with her food.

With the tray in hand, Maia quickly walked towards her children's table. Her steps were hurried.

Then.

She stopped in front of the door, struggling to open it as both hands were occupied with the tray of food and drinks they had ordered.

Looking around in confusion, Maia hoped someone nearby might help her with the door. However, no one was close by.

Suddenly...

"Tap, tap, tap..." came quick footsteps.

A man approached her briskly. He was the restaurant's security guard.

The guard hurried over, pulling the door open for Maia. Luckily, someone kind had come to her aid.

"Thank you so much for your help!" she said.

Smiling, Maia expressed her gratitude to the guard.

Carrying the tray of food, she rushed over to her hungry children, who were waiting outside.

"Yay, Mom's here!" shouted Hector.

"Sorry I took so long, sweethearts. The line was really long!" Maia explained.

"It's okay, Mom," her children responded.

Hector and Helena washed their hands at a sink beside their table. Maia also washed her hands before eating.

Luckily, the sink was conveniently located near their seating area.