Innocent!

the other day, i was in the city, walking through all the old spanish buildings which i always enjoyed doing, i saw this building with a powerful poster. its amazing how a simple face can create a strong impact, eden spa had produced a very creative campaign. from passerbys, they are sending a message that if we come in and use their spa and avail of all their services we will come out rejuvenated, with a renewed fresh and relaxed feelings. i hate first times, the first time i make out with someone i think i was already nineteen. i went through all my teenage years without even having a single experience of what it is and how it feels. it actually seems weird. it was my first time, and that person is much older than me. after that, i came out full of guilt. because i know someday i will look back and will hate myself for doing it with that person at that time in that circumstances at that situation and worst of all in that location. like wind, that person vanishes into thin air. i have never seen my first time again. rico is all sweated up. its his first time to. he keeps on fumbling through the dirty towels, he broke three plates earlier, brought the food to different tables, got a wrong wine to the wrong person. and worst of all, he bumped into a customer together with the curried shrimp he's carrying. he knows he will lose his job. but he need this very badly because he has a pregnant girl friend back in his apartment who won't go home to her parents because of the deed that they both did. rico asked me if i think he will be fired. i looked at him, and told him, not to worry so much. the night is still young, the restaurant is packed, lots of customers out there, if he made mistakes earlier he still has lots of opportunities to make up for that. and besides i told him, when i was just starting out, i made serious mistakes too. you did not break the glass in front of the customer or spill burning tea on somebody else's neck, but i did. i came home so depressed that night, luckily i did not lose my job, and i also realized that waitering is one of the hardest job in the world, because its not only bringing the food from the kitchen but its a complex job, there's so much things going on, so many things to remember and at the same time, you have to strive towards perfection, together with all the stress around you from customers, fellow waiters, boss and the kitchen people, its so hard. but you have to balance everything and be on top of it if not, you will go home with a two dollar tip. i pat his back. he smiled at me again. his smile reminds me of myself from yester years, that's the same smile that leads me to my first time, that i now regretted doing. few days ago, i picked up a mail. its a postcard from my old friend rico, he said he has two kids now and another one on the way, and to my surprise, he told me that he just opened his own restaurant and sheepishly admitted that he still makes the same mistake, wrong food on wrong table, shrimps on customers shirt.