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The Lunch Lady
The Lunch Lady
The sound of the alarm clock pierced her ears, and to her surprise, it was still working. She took
a deep breath and got out of bed to do it all over again.
As soon as she got to school, she was off straight to the kitchen to get to work. The scent of
frozen food and mac-and-cheese overtook her.
With a second left in stillness, she rushed to get to work, she pulled her hair into a hairnet and
slipped on a new pair of gloves. She turned around only to find a neon pink sticky note with a
few words scribbled across it in rushed handwriting.
She knew she had to get to work if she was going to make food for six-hundred kids in three
hours. She started with the mack and cheese. The stove was ready for the food and she tossed
in the raw pasta. As soon as it hit the pan the stove began to crackle and fizz, as she mixed it all
in. She always thought it was like a monster getting irritated in the bowl as the pasta was added
and the slow mixing put it back to sleep.
Steam rose to the air as the pot began to bubble, the scene felt so calming yet intense for a
school cafeteria. Soon the steam and bubbles died down, and the pasta was ready for the
cheese. She drained the water and poured the pasta into a pot. The cheese was ready and
resembled a glue-like texture. The warm mixture was poured into the pot and mixed until it was
a pot of mac and cheese.
The scent filled her nose. She knew it was bland, but she also knew that the principal would not
like to see multiple kids throw up because they couldn't handle spices.
She began a second batch with an hour left and finished just on time. Finally, she made her way
to the fridge at the corner of the cafeteria and took out a bag of mini-carrots along with a bag of
salad. She put the vegetables into the separate trays, with some tongs for students to serve
themselves, and added about twenty apples into the last tray. She closed the cupboard in which
she placed the apples, and the sound of the lunchtime bell ringing echoed across the school.
급식아줌마/The Lunch Lady
수요일 – 맥앤치즈, 샐러드, 당근과 사과
다 만들었다.
It didn’t take long for the lunch line to grow, stretching all the way outside the cafeteria. So, she
started serving, plopping a spoonful of mac and cheese into each tray. She knew every single
student by observation.
She wanted the best for every student, no matter who they were.
Lunch went smoothly, and she had enough food for everyone. She turned around with a sigh of
relief to face the kitchen.
Her work was done, now all she had to do was clean the kitchen.
She decided not to put away the mac and cheese yet because some of her students came in
later. She began to clean, and the only sound she could hear was the noise of the water faucet
running, and dishes clinking against each other.
Soon the lunch period ended with the sound of the five-minute bell warning students to get to
their next class, and she was right.
Six students had come in,
5 for lunch,
and 1 to ask for a plastic spoon because her mother forgot to pack one in her lunch.
Her day was over, but she stayed anyway, just in case, she thought about the next day’s lunch,
chicken nuggets, more salad, and chocolate milk. She checked to make sure she had enough of
everything and then waited a few hours.
She took her hairnet off, and then the gloves. It was always the most unwinding feeling to take
her gloves off and expose her hands to some fresh air. It was like taking her entire day off her
hands.
Soon the ring of the bell interrupted the silence in the kitchen, and she went home, only to reset
herself to do it all over the next day.
봉사를 시작할 때였습니다.
그녀는 그녀의 학생들 중 일부가 나중에 들어왔기 때문에 아직 맥앤치즈를 버리지 않기로
결정했습니다. 그녀는 청소를 시작했고 그녀가 들을 수 있는 유일한 소리는 수도꼭지 돌아가는
소리와 접시들이 서로 부딪치는 소리뿐이었다.
그녀의 하루는 끝났지만 어쨌든 그녀는 다음날 점심, 치킨 너겟, 더 많은 샐러드 및 초콜릿
우유가 생각날 경우를 대비하여 머물 었습니다. 그녀는 모든 것이 충분한지 확인하고 몇 시간을
기다렸습니다.
She got out of bed and got to school, early this time, and took in a deep breath, the same old
smell filled her nose until she let it all out, leaving a smile on her face. She put on her gloves
and net, ready to take on the day. Then she saw a bright neon orange sticky note on the
counter.
-Lucy
She didn’t let this get her down. She immediately made her way to the freezer and took out a
bag of frozen chicken nuggets and got to work. She found herself finishing with an hour left and
began to get the salad and apples ready. Afterward, she placed the chocolate milk cartons, in a
neat line, and was ready to serve.
After waiting for about five minutes the bell rang and the line began to form. She began giving
out the chicken nuggets and milk to each student. She found that thanksgiving break plans were
the most popular subject amongst students.
The line soon ended, and she decided to start cleaning. She didn’t have as many dishes to do.
So, she spent most of the rest of the day waiting and planning for the next.
Something had gotten her down that day, but she didn’t know what.
She took off her gloves and net. A sigh. Waited for the bell and left. It was time to do this again,
one last time, and she wouldn’t see her students for nine days.
목요일 – 치킨 너겟, 샐러드, 초콜릿 우유, 사과
She woke up and got out the door. She made it to school just on time. She took in a breath and
made her way to the counter. She put on her net and gloves and turned around. A bright green
sticky note stared back at her.
Sandra decided to take an early vacation. I left the pizza here for you.
-Lucy
Near the note were many stacks of pizza boxes, ready to be served already. All she had to do
was line up the chocolate milk cartons and she was done.
The line was extra long because it was pizza day. She began serving the pizza, plopping a slice
onto each plate.
At the very end of the line was a girl named Grace. After she got her slice of pizza, she smiled
and said, “Thank you”. The smile was finally returned.
There it was,
the two words she had been looking for all along.
금요일 – 피자와 초콜릿 우유
그녀는 일어나 문밖으로 나왔다. 그녀는 제 시간에 학교에 도착했습니다. 그녀는 숨을 고르고
카운터로 갔다. 그녀는 그물과 장갑을 끼고 몸을 돌렸다. 밝은 녹색 스티커 메모가 그녀를
응시했습니다.
-루시
거기 있었다,
그녀가 줄곧 바라던 두 단어.