A Mugger's worst nightmare

[kathminchin.livejournal.com]

Mr Chan introduced the new waitress to the kitchen staff, rattling off names and positions in Cantonese. Finally he got to the last chef, and switched abruptly to English.

“And this is Sarah. Sarah this is Maddy Wong, she’s going to be replacing Ann-Li”

Sarah turned round from where she was wielding a large cleaver with pin point accuracy on a set of pork ribs and smiled politely at the slim Oriental girl.

“Nice to meet you Maddy,” she said, her accent pure Birmingham. Maddy nodded and shook the offered hand, trying to hide her surprise. Sarah was the only Caucasian in the place that she’d seen who wasn’t a customer. In fact, Maddy couldn’t recall seeing any non-Oriental staff in China town’s restaurants and shops. Curiosity burned in her eyes, and she bit her lip thoughtfully.

Mr Chan grinned and clapped his hands together, switching once more to Cantonese and instructing the head waiter to show Maddy what to do next. Maddy left with him, her gaze lingering slightly on Sarah’s stocky form.

Sarah shook her head slightly at Mr Chan’s antics and raised her eyebrows at the head chef. Once more Mr Chan was using her as a litmus test of the new staff member. The switch to English implied that Sarah didn’t speak Cantonese, and would leave it at that. Time would tell if Maddy would pass. She turned back to her work station and chopped a rib in half with one stroke of the cleaver.

As in any restaurant there was the lunch preparation time. Maddy was busy laying tables and ensuring that she knew where to find the clean cutlery, but she occasionally caught glimpses of Sarah in the kitchen. To her surprise Sarah seemed to be the main person doing meat prep – a heavy job in any kitchen; and lug full stock pots with apparent ease. During the lunch hour rush she was kept running about by the head waiter and Mr Chan, but she still saw Sarah working as delicately as any of the other Chinese cooks as she assembled dim sum plates and stir fried vegetables in seconds. After lunch the waiting staff joined the kitchen staff, sharing a table of soup, rice and staple Chinese food. Sarah didn’t really join in the conversation much, and quickly excused herself saying that she needed to make a phone call.

Maddy cleared the table and took the plates to the kitchen porter, who was hosing down the final pans from the lunch hour rush. She turned and spotted Sarah back at the meat station, once more manhandling a pig carcass with aplomb.

The porter followed Maddy’s gaze and grinned.

“Go on, ask. Why do we have a white-girl in the kitchen?”

Maddy looked startled and made a hasty denial. The porter looked unconvinced, and Maddy hastily muttered;

“It just seems impolite. Everyone speaking a language she doesn’t understand.” The porter laughed and shouted over to Sarah in Cantonese;

“Hey Sarah. Maddy wishes to know why you work in a place where you don’t speak the language?”

“Don’t!” Maddy protested, “It’s not fair to ask her in Cantonese.” Sarah however turned and looked amusedly at the porter.

“I don’t know Tony, why would I work in a place I don’t speak the language?” Sarah’s reply was in fluent Canton, and Maddy gaped.

“You can speak Cantonese?” she babbled, flustered by the sudden realisation.

“Wouldn’t have got the job otherwise. The advert was in Chinese.” Sarah said, wandering over to the corner. “Hey Tony, you finished cleaning the big stock pot?” The porter nodded and handed it over, struggling slightly to lift the huge steel drum with both hands. Sarah took it and swung it easily from one hand as she went back to the pile of bones she’d assembled. She didn’t seem to notice Maddy’s discomfort and went back to work whistling quietly.

After the evening shift had finished and the kitchens were cleaned down, Maddy tried to contact her father who had promised to come and pick her up. Unfortunately he was still taking a passenger to the airport, so she decided to walk home instead of waiting, ignoring her father’s instructions to get a taxi. Shivering slightly in the chilly night air, she walked quickly through the deserted streets around the back of China town, trying to ignore the slight frisson of fear that the shadows gave her. She walked past one dark alleyway, wrinkling her nose at the scent of garbage that wafted out, and failed to notice the shadows in the alleyway move.

She managed to get out a startled gasp out before her attacker had a hand across her mouth. He pulled her, struggling ineffectively down the alleyway, and she realised that there was the chill of a steel blade at her throat. A hand started to raise her coat, and suddenly there was a polite cough from the entrance of the alleyway.

Maddy’s frightened stare met Sarah’s steady gaze. Maddy was suddenly aware of just how heavy set Sarah was, and recalled how she’d hefted half a carcass without help.

“Let go of her.” Sarah’s voice was low and steady. The man laughed.

“No no no, you see I got a knife, and if you don’t just turn around and go away I’m going to cut her up and then, then I’ll cut you as well.”

Sarah sighed slightly and walked forward, her boots crunching across the rubbish that was strewn across the floor.

“No, you see. If you let her go, then I let you go. If you don’t, then I will hurt you.”

Maddy felt the tip of the knife pierce her skin, just enough to make a bead of blood trickle down. She whimpered, and stared at Sarah, wide eyed with fear.

“I’ll hurt her! I’m not joking!”

“Now you see, that’s your last mistake. Last chance boy.”

The man brandished the knife at Sarah, and suddenly Maddy found herself being propelled against the wall. The man dropped into a half crouch, his face twisted in anger.

“Fucking bloody whores. I’m going to take the pair of you!” Sarah smiled slightly.

“Go on then.” Her voice was soft, but Maddy heard the ring of steel in it.

The man took a breath, and suddenly barrelled at Sarah, his attack wild and furious. Maddy screamed inwardly, and then watched in disbelief as Sarah side stepped the charge and grabbed the hand with the knife in it. There was a sudden crunching sound that made Maddy feel sick and then the man was on the ground, clutching at his arm and howling in pain.

Sarah looked down at him and grinned. She then walked past him, seemingly dismissing the injured man as being unimportant.

“Did warn you. Idiot.” She walked over to Maddy, and Maddy could have sworn that in the lamp light she saw a sudden flash of teeth that were far too large and far too pointed to be human in Sarah’s mouth; a glimmer of light glowing in her eyes and the realisation of the swell of muscles under her chef’s whites. She held out her hand to Maddy and smiled softly.

“You ok?” Maddy nodded, her hand going to her throat. Sarah looked at it and touched the wound gently. “It’s not deep. Should be fine, but I can take you to hospital if you like.” Maddy shook her head and started to shiver. “Right, let’s get you home.”

Sarah walked Maddy home, and reassured her worried mother, accepting an offer of tea politely. Maddy’s father came home and thanked Sarah profusely; his scowl at Maddy promising a lecture about being more careful in future was to come. Sarah eventually managed to take her leave, somehow managing to be invited to tea next week. Maddy watched her walk down the path, a plain, unassuming girl with dull brown hair and an easy if heavy stride.

Maddy’s father came into Maddy’s bedroom, knocking on the door. Maddy steeled herself for a lecture, but it appeared that her father had decided that the lesson had been learned.

“You were lucky she spotted you” he said quietly. “I’d heard rumours about her, but didn’t really believe them.”

“Rumours?”

“Mr Chan told me about her when he hired her. He was most impressed.”

“Yes, she said. The advert was in Chinese, and she speaks Cantonese so she got the job.” Her father laughed.

“Well it helped. But the actual reason was, when she saw the advert and went into the restaurant she walked in just before two armed men tried to rob the restaurant.” Maddy stared at her father open mouthed. “Mr Chan says than she got shot in the shoulder and still managed to disarm them.”

Maddy looked out of the window once more as Sarah rounded the corner and disappeared from view.

“Wow.”

The following night, Maddy found Sarah waiting for her as she went to get her coat. She grinned at Maddy and showed a mobile.

“Your dad sent me a text. He’s stuck in traffic. Want an escort?” Maddy sighed and rolled her eyes slightly.

“I can get a taxi, he should know that.”

“Yeah, well. I said I’d ask. Besides, your mum makes really nice cake, and I brought some to give her in return.” Sarah hefted a small plastic box. Maddy smiled and shrugged.

“You do know that this means you’ll get given more cake.”

Sarah grinned, once more giving a fleeting but unnerving impression of shark-like teeth.

“I can cope with more cake.”