“Good evening. Can I get you started with drinks?”
Ella smiled faintly. “I’ll have the pho ga, please.”
Colin scoffed before I could respond.
“It’s ‘foe gah,’ Ella. Jesus. Why do you always have to show off?”
Ella’s cheeks flushed.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“She thinks she’s clever,” Colin said, turning to his parents. “Always putting on a performance.”
His mother let out a pitying chuckle. “Oh, honey.
You don’t have to try so hard to impress us.”
I felt something inside me snap. I leaned slightly forward and spoke calmly — in Mandarin. “请你不要这样对你的女朋友说话 [Please don’t speak to your girlfriend so rudely].”
Colin blinked at me, confused.
“What the hell did you just say?”
Before I could answer, Ella looked up — her eyes no longer filled with tears, but fire. “谢谢你 [Thank you],” she said softly. “这对我意义重大 [This means a lot to me].”
Colin stared between us.
“Are you two ganging up on me? What is she even saying?!”
“I just asked you to treat her with respect,” I replied, switching to English. “And she thanked me.”
Colin turned red.
“You’re making this up. This is harassment!”
“Colin,” his father said, his tone sharp with warning. “No!
She’s trying to embarrass me,” Colin snapped. “Ella, are you seriously siding with her?”
Ella sat straighter, her voice firm. “Yes.
And she’s not embarrassing you — you’re doing that all on your own.”
Colin’s face twisted. “What, you think you’re better than everyone now because you know some phrases?”
“No,” she said. “I think I’m someone who deserves to be spoken to with respect.
And I think it’s time I stop letting you decide how small I should be.”
His mother frowned. “Sweetie, you don’t have to be so dramatic. Speaking different languages at dinner is… a bit much, don’t you think?”
Ella turned to her.
“Would you say the same to someone playing classical piano at a dinner party? Or someone reciting a poem?”
“That’s different—”
“Why?” Ella’s tone never wavered. “Because it makes you uncomfortable?
Or because you don’t understand it?”
The entire restaurant had gone quiet. Diners paused mid-bite, eyes flicking toward their table. “I’m tired,” Ella said, rising to her feet.
“Tired of shrinking so someone else can feel taller. Tired of apologizing for being curious, educated, and interested in the world.”
Colin gaped at her. “Where are you going?”
“Home,” she said.
“Alone.”
She turned to me and smiled — genuinely, for the first time in weeks. “Merci beaucoup. 谢谢你.
Gracias.”
Then she walked out — straight-backed and free. Colin and his parents followed shortly after, clearly stunned and speechless. The next Friday, I was restocking the napkin trays when I saw a familiar figure near the entrance.
Ella. She looked radiant. Not just in appearance — though she did glow with confidence — but in energy.
As if she’d been holding her breath for months and had finally exhaled. “Table for one?” I asked with a grin. “Yes,” she replied.
“And… maybe a chat if you’re not too busy?”
After I took her order, I slid into the seat across from her for a few minutes. “You seem… lighter,” I said. Ella laughed softly.
“I feel lighter. I broke up with Colin the day after everything blew up. It was hard, but it felt right.”
“I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you.
He said I was making a huge mistake. That no one would ‘tolerate my show-off behavior.’ Can you imagine? Tolerate?”
I raised an eyebrow.
“What did you say to that?”
“I told him, ‘I don’t want someone who tolerates me. I want someone who sees me and celebrates me.’ And then I hung up.”
“Good for you!” I beamed. “And now?”
“I’m finally doing what I’ve always dreamed of — I applied for a position at a nonprofit working with refugee communities.
They need multilingual translators. It’s perfect for me.”
“That’s amazing. You’re amazing.”
Ella’s eyes shone.
“I forgot how much joy I got from language. How it made me feel alive. Colin convinced me it was something to hide.
You reminded me that it’s something to share.”
I reached across the table and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “The world needs more people who speak with heart — in any language.”
She smiled. “And fewer people who correct ‘gnocchi’ with ‘guh-nocky,’ right?”
We both laughed.
As the kitchen bell rang and I stood to return to my shift, Ella called after me, switching effortlessly between three languages:
“Thank you. Merci. ”
Sometimes, all it takes is a few words — in any language — to remind someone of who they are.
