Dr. Henry McCoy sat at a small, circular table in the corner of the restaurant, facing outwards to observe the lavish furnishings and large groups of mildly intoxicated people. The lights were a dim gold, enhancing the red, orange and gold tablecloths and seat cushions. The rich interior was almost suffocating, especially when accompanied by the heavy smell of sweet incense and the exotic, drum-based music. But it was also strangely intriguing. He'd only ever eaten at diners and cafes before, so this was definitely a different experience.
He moved his eyes down the menu, searching for something he would recognise. It all sounded like a vague mixture between Turkish and Indian foods. He stared at the list of meat dishes, trying to decipher which would be the least spicy, when his thoughts were interrupted by the music becoming louder, and the lights dimming slightly. A spotlight was turned on, and a pot-bellied man dressed in an outfit matching the outrageous décor came into it. He spoke loudly, projecting his voice out to the entire restaurant. "Good evening, my friends! Today, we have special treat for you. My wife has been teachings the girls a new dance!", he paused whilst the patrons whooped and cheered, "Yes, yes! I hope you enjoy!" He led the patrons in a huge round of applause, before he stood aside, to be replaced by 'the girls'. They were wearing brassieres covered with sequins and tassels, and long, flowing skirts, with slits that revealed up to mid-thigh when they moved. He swallowed nervously. This must have been the entertainment his student Mr. Summers had told him about.
The girls began to sway and gyrate their hips to the beat of the drums, circling around table as they did. It was unreal how much they could move, like their hips were independent from their torsos. Which were also moving in a similarly distracting way, their breasts heaving in time with their stomachs, which danced along with their hips in time to the beat. There were about twelve of them, all dark skinned and curvaceous, except for one, who was slender and tall, with bright red hair, and fair, freckled skin. She, unlike the others, was dressed in blue/green tones, with silver instead of gold adorning her ears and wrists. But despite her differences, she could dance just as good as the rest of the girls. She moved like an entranced snake, swaying and writhing along to the music. Hank was spellbound by her, and couldn't watch any of the other dancers. She just seemed so much more carefree than the others, like she was having a ball, and didn't care who knew. As the music got quieter, she didn't move back to the kitchen like the others, but instead picked up a clipboard and pinned a name tag to her hip. She then sauntered over to hank's table, still moving her hips along to the beat. She stopped in front of his table and smiled.
She spoke in a feminine Texan accent, like a Southern angel. "Hi, my names Shaunna, and I'll be your waitress tonight. Have you decided what you wanna have?"
Hank shook his head and embarrassed, looked down at his menu. "You're a really amazing dancer", he blurted out.
"Oh, thankyou. Yeah, sometimes I get a bad rep, 'cos I'm not Persian or whatever, but the boss thinks I'm alright."
"Better than alright. You - you were like . . . it was like the music captured your soul or something." he said, still blushing, yet trying to keep eye contact now.
She beamed at him. "That's wonderfully poetic of you, uh - what's your name?"
"Henry McCoy. Dr. McCoy - But uh, you - can call me Hank."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Hank. Now - can you understand the menu? I'm assuming it's your first time here?" she said with a chuckle.
He shook his head, relieved that she understood his confusion. "Not one bit. What's good?"
Shaunna grabbed the nearest chair, and dragged it over to sit right next to Hank. She leant over his shoulder to look at the menu. "Well, I personally love the breads. Any of 'em. But, uh, meal-wise, the khoresht-e fesenjān is pretty good. It's unusual, 'cos it's like a duck stew, with walnuts and a kind of sweet sauce, but it's traditional, and tasty."
Hank nodded and smiled "Well, I'll have that, then. If you think it's good, it probably is."
Shaunna smiled at him again. "That comes with rice, but you might wanna have a nan bread too. Maybe the nan-e kopoli? It's thick, so you can mop the stew up with it?"
"Sounds great. Um, and can I just have a Coke with that?"
"Sure thing, Hank." Shaunna said, standing up, and scribbling the order on her clipboard. "So, for the lovely doctor, we have the fesenjān, nan-e kopoli, and a Coke."
Hank nodded, blushing again at being called lovely.
"I'll be back with that soon", she said before turning to leave, walking away with a circling hip motion, jingling as she went.
I'll have to thank Mr. Summers, Hank thought to himself as he leant back in the seat, and looked over the dessert menu absentmindedly. Shaunna. Beautiful name. He frowned, trying to decipher this menu now. There were icecreams, sorbets, cookies, and sweets, all with the same enchanting Persian names. They sounded so exotic. Just as he was pondering over how one would pronounce bastani-e za'farāni, he heard the familiar jingle of hip coins approach his table. He looked up to see Shaunna holding a small bottle of Coke and a glass.
"Here you are, Hank." she smiled again at him, then looked right at him, her head cocked to the side, and bit her lip.
He smiled back then laughed uncomfortably at her staring. "Are you ok, Shaunna?"
"Oh, I'm fine. I'm just wondering - who would stand up such a lovely man? A doctor, at that?"
He blushed again at being called lovely then shook his head. "No, no, I wasn't stood up. I'm not - in a relationship. I just thought it would be nice to go out. This doesn't seem like the kind of place that's too easy to eat at alone."
"No, not really. Because of the Persian nature of things. Everything is big, and loud, with big, loud discussions, and big, loud food!" she laughed. "That's why I fit in so well. 's not so different from Texas, really."
He chuckled. "It's very different from what I'm used to."
"Lemme guess - only child, strict parents, went to college young?"
He nodded. "How did you know?"
"Waitress. We get to be able to read people quite well. But you're all of that, but obviously not prudish. Which is good. So many people walk out when we come out in glittery bras. They think they've stepped into a nightclub!"
He laughed. "Well, it was a bit shocking at first. But also beautiful, in an interesting way."
Shaunna nodded, then gasped at the faint sound of a bell ringing. "That's your food! I'll be right back!" She swiftly walked away, her hips still rotating in those distracting circles.
He sighed to himself. He'd never met anyone he had such an instant rapport with. She must be something really special, he mused to himself. He grinned at her when she came out of the kitchen, holding two plates filled with food. She paced over to his table, and laid them out in front of him, working from over his shoulder, a well-trained waitress. It also made him blush again, her chest being so near to him.
"There you are! I hope you like it." she said, standing back a little.
"It looks really good!", he said excitedly. Shaunna smiled, and went to leave, but Hank called out to her.
"Won't you stay?" he asked, "It just that, well, I'm your only table, and it's winding down now". He gestured to the slowly emptying restaurant.
She paused, and sighed a little. "I - I can't. I mean, I want to, don't get me wrong, but I have to help tidy up the kitchen."
He sighed, and looked down at his plate. "Oh, that's fine. No, go do that. I wouldn't want to get you fired." He made a shy, sad chuckle.
Shaunna's eyes fell, and she bit her lip again. "Oh, hell. They can get by without me." He waved her hand at the kitchen door, then sat down next to Hank again. "If I get in trouble for this, on your head be it."
He grinned. "Well, I'll give you a big tip, and thank the manager personally for having such a great time. How about that?"
"That sounds good." She smiled that same adorable smile, which lit up her whole face, then turned to him. "Well? Hows the food?"
He laughed, then took a mouthful of the stew. He made a small noise of pleasure, and widened his eyes. "Oh my god, that's amazing! Do you want some?"
"Oh - if that's ok with you. I haven't had dinner yet."
"Well, here." He handed her the fork which was laid out at the other side of the table. "Have half." She tried to protest, but he forced the fork into her hand, and gestured to his plate. She sighed, and took a mouthful of it in.
"Bread?" he asked, and she nodded, holding her hand in front of her mouth. He ripped it in half, and moved the plate so it sat in front of her. They ate in comfortable silence, only broken by the occasional exclamation of how nice the food was from Hank. Shaunna finished first, and sat back to watch Hank finish his, a small smile playing on her lips again. He finished, then looked over at her and grinned.
"What?" he asked, amused.
"Nothing, it's just, well, I don't think I've ever met a person I liked so quickly", she admitted.
He beamed at her, and replied, "Me neither. I - um - I hope we can do this again. You know, when you're not working, and with me buying you your own plate of food."
She laughed. "Doctor McCoy, are you asking me out on a date?"
"Yes. If that's ok with you, Shaunna the bellydancing waitress."
"It's perfectly ok, Hank. Here, have my number." She grabbed the pen of her clipboard, and scrawled her phone number onto his hand. She smiled, then rose from her seat. "They'll kick you out soon - it's nearly closing time."
He folded his napkin, then stood and followed her to the door."
She rung up his meal at the till, and he pressed a $50 note into the tip jar whilst she went to find the manager for him to thank. He shook the portly man's hand, gushing about what a wonderful time he'd had, before going to leave. Shaunna called after him.
"Hey! No goodbye?" she poutd dramatically, then grinned as he paced back to her.
He took her hand, and kissed it lightly. "It's been an honour, Shaunna. I'll see you again, but for now, goodnight." He then turned to exit, and the door rang out as he walked out the door.
Shaunna stood, beaming at the door. He's something really special, she mused to herself.