在手机上保存，获得更好体验
We take the last counter, two of us on dented stools,
The menu is sticky, and the server knows the rules.
He laughs at a little joke that I make a bit slow,
But the chart on his phone is already starting to show.
He says"try the spring rolls, I know a guy,"
And the name that he drops is the reason why.
She mentions a new partner from overseas,
I slide over the hot sauce to make him at ease.
We talk about weather, all sports, and the rent,
But my eyes are fixed on the forty percent.
He orders the cheapest tea leaves for the win,
And I see the small whiteboard behind his grin.
The surface is warm but I notice the way he blinks,
Every time he says"sure," he's connecting the links.
We smile, we chew, we talk about the bill,
But the price is still sitting on the till.
The plate is still clean,
The waiter clears the bowl of rice.
I feel the numbers click in my throat,
The reason I came is not the price.
The salt is all spilled,
He slips a number across the table,
And it matches mine, what a strange game,
The server arrives with the dessert cart,
We agree.
The plates are pulled away to the side,
He spreads all the remaining rice to make it wide.
He draws a proposal in the steamed rice,
The strategy hides in the small condiment twice.
I watch the way his finger tips the cup,
He's not talking the deal, he's making it up.
The napkin folded into a small white paper plane
Is not for the wind but a signal to explain.
He turns the phone down with a small careful shrug,
But the screen stays lit like a patient bug.
He knows I have a counteroffer in my coat,
So he slides me the last dumpling and that's the note.
The final number sits between the teapot and spoon,
The deal is the dumpling that we all must chew on soon.
We split the final piece with a small grin,
And the check says paid before we begin.
The plate is still clean,
The waiter clears the bowl of rice.
I don't need to say all that I mean,
The check becomes a stage for the scene.
The bill is half slid,
I pass back the pen with a simple nod,
The distance between us becomes thin,
The waitress clears the plate with a slow grin,
The deal's closed.
