Day 45: Cafeteria Chronicles
The cafeteria during lunch hour is a battleground. It’s a lawless land where students will do whatever it takes to secure food and a seat, and today, I was thrown right into the chaos.
Faisal and I arrived at peak lunch hour, and the line for the nasi lemak station stretched halfway across the room. The smell of sambal and fried anchovies wafted through the air, mocking us as we inched forward at a snail’s pace. To make matters worse, the queue seemed to have its own set of unspoken rules—rules I apparently didn’t know.
While I was waiting, an overly enthusiastic senior cut right in front of me with a casual “Bro, just grabbing for my friend.” I wanted to argue, but Faisal nudged me. “Pick your battles, man. We’re here for food, not war.” Still, I glared daggers at the back of the senior’s head.
When we finally reached the front, I grabbed my tray and loaded it with a mountain of rice, sambal, boiled egg, and peanuts. As I handed over my student card to pay, the cashier gave me a look that screamed, Seriously? Apparently, I’d gone over the standard portion size, which meant I had to pay extra. Faisal, of course, found this hilarious. “Eddie’s trying to feed a family of four,” he joked, earning a chuckle from the cashier.
With food in hand, the next challenge was finding a seat. The cafeteria was packed, every table overflowing with students. After a few failed attempts, we spotted a table in the corner with one empty seat. The catch? It was next to Amanda.
“Go for it, bro,” Faisal said, shoving me toward the table. I hesitated for a moment, then walked over, tray in hand.
“Hey, mind if I sit here?” I asked, trying to sound casual.
Amanda looked up from her plate and smiled. “Sure, go ahead.”
I sat down, suddenly hyper-aware of every movement I made. Faisal plopped down next to me, completely unfazed, and immediately started cracking jokes about how he’d “fought valiantly” to get his food. Amanda laughed, and I couldn’t help but feel a tiny pang of jealousy.
The conversation shifted to our upcoming assignments, and I tried to join in, but Faisal had already taken over. He was telling a ridiculous story about how he once convinced a professor that his laptop had been struck by lightning, which was why he couldn’t submit his essay on time. Amanda was in stitches, and I just sat there, poking at my rice.
As we were finishing up, a loud crash echoed through the cafeteria. Someone had dropped an entire tray of food right in the middle of the room. The whole cafeteria went silent for a moment, then erupted into cheers and applause. The poor guy looked mortified, but he gave a sheepish wave and hurried to clean up the mess.
“Glad that wasn’t me,” I muttered, and Amanda chuckled.
When lunch was over, Amanda stood up, tray in hand. “See you in class,” she said, giving me a quick smile before walking away. Faisal nudged me with his elbow. “You’re welcome for that seat, by the way.”
Lesson of the day: The cafeteria is a battlefield, but a smile from Amanda makes it all worth it. Also, maybe don’t overload your plate next time.