My First Taste

The restaurant turned out to be an abandoned food truck. The wheels were gone, and most of the paint was faded. But I could still see the creepy whale chef stirring the fish head stew above the window that doubled as a counter. Dad tried to stay positive, but I could tell he was as confused as I was.

“Are we in the right place, Dad?” I guess that explains the lack of menus, but why would the site still be up? Dad checked his phone and nodded.

“I’ve used Boogle Maps and Translate. This place received a five-star review yesterday!” I winced, covering my ears as his tone grew sharp.

“Maybe it’s someone’s idea of a joke? Let’s get going, Dad. I saw a convenience store a few turns back. Mom is probably worried by now.” Dad shook his head, kicking the door off the food truck and running inside before I could move. “Dad! What are you doing?!”

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m making a joke. No one cares about this truck. It doesn’t have any equipment. It’s practically a skeleton of its former self. Stay there, Meg. This won’t take long.”

“You're going to get us in trouble!” But Dad had stopped listening. Dad was normally the glue that kept our family together. He was always looking for ways to make us laugh and was the first to ask how my day was, even if I never left the house. But there were times when he snapped. I covered my ears, trying to drown out the sounds of him kicking things and swearing.

He’ll joke about his foot later and laugh. I have to laugh too. I have to… A voice cracked the air, cutting through Dad’s rampage and filling my ears despite my hands pressing against them. “Can I help you?”

I turned, feeling my face redden as I found myself staring at the palest boy I’d ever seen. He wore a light blue shirt with no sleeves, black shorts, and a red apron with a cleaver in the front pocket. His hair came down to his shoulders in thick white waves, and his eyes were so dark I felt like I was staring at a well.

It was impossible for him not to hear my Dad, yet he never took his eyes off me as he repeated. “Can I help you?”

I shook my head, hoping we hadn’t committed a crime, as Dad let out a vicious yell. The boy shrugged, tucking his hands in his pockets, and stepped closer to me. “Did you come here for the food? We’re not open yet. Wait here, and I’ll bring you something.”

He was stepping into the truck by the time I processed what he said. This food truck isn’t abandoned? Dad is going to be in so much trouble! I turned, not knowing how to begin to explain what my dad was doing, but the words dried up as the boy looked at me. He placed his index finger over his lips and smiled.

“Wait right there. I’ll quiet that stomach of yours.” And then he was gone. Not gone as in I couldn’t see him anymore, but gone, as in he wasn’t there. I could see Dad panting on the other side of the glass, but he showed no signs of seeing the boy. I wanted to call out to him, but he stepped out of the truck wearing a familiar smile while limping toward me.

“Sorry about that, Meg. I didn’t mean to leave you out here alone. I was hoping for something better than supermarket sushi. But it’s better than nothing, right?” I blinked, feeling his arm wrap around my shoulders as he gently tugged me toward the street. In hindsight, I should have stayed quiet.

Dad was back to being his happy self, and I knew better than to set him off so soon. But the question left me before I could stop it. “What about the boy?”

Dad frowned before smiling slightly. “What’s that? Did you meet someone, Meg? That’s no good. We’ve just moved in, and I’m already embarrassing you. Did you get his name?”

“No, but didn’t you see him? He got into the truck right before you came out.” Dad shook his head, and I couldn’t resist looking back, but there was no sign of anyone. We were alone.

“I didn’t see any boy, Meg. Let’s get you something to eat. You’re hallucinating things.” I wanted to argue, but Dad’s hand squeezed my shoulder as we left the food truck behind. I didn’t look back a second time. It wouldn’t have mattered if I did because the worst was already approaching.

The rest of the day was quiet. I bought groceries with Dad, and Mom remained glued to her computer throughout dinner. Dad filled the air with a general description of our adventures, not including what happened at the food truck. He claimed he got the translation wrong and that the ad meant a different city.

But I didn’t listen. The boy’s eyes and voice filled my head, and I had to make an excuse to go to bed. I didn’t want to risk running into the boy again. He’d told me to wait, and I didn’t. What if he gets mad and comes looking for me? I shook my head and looked out the window. The moon was full, bathing the water in a white that reminded me of the boy’s hair.

You’re being ridiculous. You didn’t even say anything to him, but you’re thinking about him this much? Put your head back on, Meg. You have more important things to worry about than some boy hanging around an abandoned food truck! I only had a month of summer vacation left unless we moved again.

I couldn’t afford to waste it getting attached to someone I might never see again. I stayed on my bed, listening to the soft hum of my parents' voices. I wonder if they’ll pull another all-nighter. They barely got any sleep before we moved here. My whale statue stared at the moon. I slowly ran my finger along the curve of its back and sighed.

You did the right thing, Meg. It’s better that you left when you did. There’s no way Dad would have calmed down if someone else had shown up. And it would have been humiliating if the police had been called. You need to be grateful that your family travels a lot. Your life is an adventure.

My life was a lonely void about to turn into a nightmare. I don’t know when I fell asleep. The house was quiet, and a part of me wondered if my parents had bothered to make their bed. Or if they were sleeping on a naked mattress. I’ve lost track of how often they’ve put off unpacking, but I wasn’t going to check on them.

My bed was surprisingly comfortable, and the breeze felt great… The breeze?! I turned to the window and saw it was open a crack. My whale statue was where I left it, and the space between the window and the sill wasn’t large enough to allow a person inside. I sat up, scanning my surroundings before slamming the window closed.

“Don’t make a big deal out of it. Mom must have opened it while you and Dad were out.”

“She sounds like a great mom.” I screamed, spinning around to see the boy standing in front of my closet with his arms folded over his chest. He sighed, cleaning his fingernails as he calmly asked. “Please, stop screaming, Meg. Your parents aren’t going to come save you. And I don’t have all night.”

I eventually stopped trying to pierce his eardrums and tried to get my heartbeat under control. The boy watched, amused as he spoke. “Thank you. It’s nice to meet a human who can follow basic instructions… Although you did leave before I could feed you. That was very rude, Meg, especially with your father acting like a child… That must be so hard for you.”

“What is, and how did you…”

He raised an eyebrow. “Find you? Learn your name?”

I nodded, and he smiled. “Your father called you Meg, and I followed you home. I can’t believe you refused my cooking and ate that cheap trash instead. I even made you my best dish to welcome you and yours to your new home…”

He shook his head sorrowfully as my brain tried to keep up. “I don’t understand… You followed us here from your food truck?”

“That’s what I said. Are you still asleep?”

“I hope so because this is the strangest conversation I’ve ever had.” This wasn’t an exaggeration, but his next words sent chills down my spine.

“I’m afraid it’s about to get worse for you, Meg. See, what you and your father did was taboo, and I’m here to make you pay for it.”