Food Court

Postby aeris » Sat Jul 24, 2010 7:30 am

Dad always used to take me to the mall Saturday afternoons after cartoons. We'd play at the arcade for a while, then go to the hobby store so he could look at the model trains while I went through the toys they had there. The food court was where it all started, though. There was a McDonalds and a Le Petit Gourmet and a Subway and all kinds of other places, but I always got lunch from the Sbarro. Pizza's always been a big comfort food for me, and those huge Sbarro slices were a joy to work my way through.

Well, I still eat too much pizza, although I don't get out to the mall that often these days. For some reason, though, last Saturday I felt like I needed to go get pizza from Sbarro. The mall's changed a lot since Dad and I used to go there every week -- the arcade's gone, the hobby store's now a Disney Store, and most of the food court's new -- but that Sbarro's still there, and the pizza slices are as big as ever. I ordered two slices of pepperoni pizza and a big soda, even though I shouldn't be eating that much food, I know. It was a special occasion, okay?

There was a table open near the aisle, so I sat down there and started in on my pizza. I guess I felt a little self-conscious, eating all that food by myself, but when you're as fat as I am, you get used to looks like that. Maybe that's why I don't go to the mall that often.

As I was eating, though, I happened to look up and see this little girl walking towards me. I don't think she would have caught my eye if it weren't for the fact that she had this huge piece of white tape on her mouth. It started right below her nose and extended down past her chin, and was long enough to touch both her ears. The tape was stretched so tightly that you could see the impression of her lips through it.

Above the tape, her eyes were half-open, darting from side to side. When I was a kid me and my friends used to tape our mouths shut for fun, and I remember how our eyes sparkled with mirth and mischief. There was no sparkle in this girl's eyes, though. She looked like the most miserable little girl in the whole mall, the whole city for that matter.

As she got closer, I could see that her mother had a firm grip on her hand as she was leading her through the food court. In my peripheral vision I could see other people staring at the girl with the taped mouth, but I worried that I was staring at her a little too much. I forced myself to look back down at the pizza on my tray and take another bite.

Just as I did, though, the woman turned in front of me, pulling the little girl with her. At a table in front of me and to my right, another woman stood up, smiling as the girl's mother walked up and gave her a big hug.

"Sherry," the girl's mother said, "how've you been?"

"I've been good, Suzie, how about you?"

"Oh, you know me and my work. Busy busy busy."

"I see Chrissy's been naughty again." Sherry smiled down at the little girl. I could see her ear and cheek turning red.

"I don't know where she's learning those words from, but she still insists on using them."

"Probably television. You know the kind of filth they put on these days."

"Oh yes, but that's still no excuse for saying them."

"I'm just glad Billy's so well-behaved." Sherry motioned to the table where her a boy about Chrissy's age sat looking at Chrissy, a mean smile on his face.

Suzie pulled on Chrissy's hand, pointing with her other hand to the boy. "See, Chrissy? Billy doesn't have tape on his mouth because he's a good boy."

Chrissy nodded softly, her head lolling down.

"In fact, you're the only little girl I see here with tape on her mouth. You know why?"

"Mmmmmm mmmmmmmm ..."

"That's right, because you're a naughty little girl who says naughty little words, and as long as you say bad words I'm going to keep your mouth taped shut so you can't say anything."

"Care to join us," Sherry asked, "for a bite to eat?"

"Well, I'm hungry," Suzie replied. "But I don't think Chrissy will be eating with us. Isn't that right, Chrissy?"

Chrissy nodded as Sherry and Suzie chuckled.

"I do hope you gave her something to eat," Sherry said.

"Oh of course. She had a nice big plate of brussels sprouts before we came here."

"Ew, I hate brussels sprouts," Billy said.

"So does she," Suzie said, sparking all three of them to laugh as Chrissy's shoulders dropped. "You can watch her while I get some pizza, can't you?"

"Of course!" Sherry pulled out the chair next to Billy's. As Chrissy climbed into the chair, Suzie walked off to Sbarro.

I tried to look away, but I couldn't. There was something mesmerizing about watching Chrissy, that huge piece of tape plastered over her face. It seemed like half the food court was stealing glances at her, but I was just plain staring at her. Every time she looked up, someone else seemed to be giggling at her. Some even pointed at her. I didn't think her face could turn any redder, but it did as she continued to be the center of attention, her and her taped mouth.

As Sherry bent down over her salad, I could see Billy poking Chrissy under the table. He chuckled as he kept at it, and for a time Chrissy didn't do anything, but finally she turned to him and went, "MMMMMMMMMMM!"

"Now now, Chrissy," Sherry said, "I think you're in enough trouble. Do you want to keep wearing tape over your mouth like that?"

Chrissy slowly turned to Sherry and shook her head.

"Then I'd be a little more quiet."

Chrissy nodded, and Billy started poking her almost as soon as Sherry looked back down at her salad. Billy grinned evilly at her, and I swear I could see her tremble as she struggled not to yell at him again. Not that the yelling was likely to do any good with that huge piece of tape on her mouth.

Suzie came back with her pizza, sitting down in the one empty chair at the table. "There. I know how much you like pizza, Chrissy, but this is for your own good. Maybe this'll teach you to behave so you don't have to have your mouth taped shut."

Chrissy nodded. I couldn't even begin to imagine what must have been going through her head, the way her mother and Sherry were talking to her, what Billy was doing to her, how everyone was enjoying her predicament, having a laugh at her expense.

"I haven't seen that tape before," Sherry said. "Is that that microfoam tape you were talking about?"

"Oh yes," Suzie said, "it's just MARVELOUS. I tried some of it on my mouth, and it's perfect for taping mouths! It stretches along as you open your jaw, so I don't have to put more strips under Chrissy's chin. One piece is enough to keep her mouth shut as long as I need."

"And how long will that be?"

"Haven't decided yet. Every time I keep her mouth shut for longer and longer, but she doesn't seem to learn her lesson. Do you, Chrissy?"

"Mmmmmmm."

"You should keep bringing her back to the mall," Sherry suggested. "She looks a lot more contrite being out in public with her mouth taped."

"Oh, this is just the start. After the mall we're headed to the park, maybe a walking tour of downtown."

"Wow. The whole city's going to see her with her mouth taped shut, and on a hot summer day too."

"I know, and it'll be so nice only having to buy bottled water for myself."

"Oh, it's so expensive."

"I was worried because the microfoam tape costs so much, but I think it'll save me money in the long run."

The two of them laughed, and Billy joined in. Chrissy had been looking at her mother's pizza longingly, but now she hung her head low, murmuring something into the tape on her mouth.

Just then, another girl walked up to her. "Chrissy?"

Chrissy looked up at her. She looked even more miserable than before.

"Hi Karen," Suzie said.

"Why does Chrissy have tape on her mouth?"

"She's been naughty." Suzie smiled at the girl.

"Ha ha ha!" The girl pointed at Suzie's face, her finger not six inches from the tape. "That'll teach you!"

"Mmmmmmm!" Chrissy blushed even deeper.

I had to get up at that point. It was all too much for me to take, watching Chrissy with her mouth taped shut, suffering indignity after indignity like that. Just imagining what she must have been going through made my mind race, and watching her face turn redder and redder, her body language more and more strained, seemed to confirm every thought I had.

My pizza had gotten cold by that point, so I threw it away. I figured I'd go back again the next Saturday to have some more. I'd make sure to get there at the same time as before, too. Maybe I'd see Suzie and her daughter again, walking through the food court, another huge piece of white tape over Chrissy's mouth.