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TRUE FICTION — #3 A SHORT NOVELLA BY UVEBRUCE

Death in the Restaurant Ruined the Evening

Restaurant life in South Africa was not just about food, it was about the people too.

Uvebruce

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Photo by Michael Chambers on Unsplash

The fight erupted in the staff room at the back of the restaurant and spilled out into the rain-slicked alley. It was late. The restaurant had been cleaned down and it was Saturday night, usually, the staff was excited because we closed on Sundays. A day away from this meat grinder was usually what all of us were thinking right about now.

The grunts, screams, and groans of real pain emanating from the staff changing room were not those of people rough-housing, I immediately knew from experience, that these were the sounds of a proper fight. The night was not done yet.

The hairs on my neck started tingling. Staff fights in restaurants are not common, but they seldom end well. Too many items just laying around can inflict pain. I quickly rose from my desk and exited the office to put a stop to this as quickly as possible.

As I arrived in the passage, so did my two fighters, rocking and swaying, locked in combat, each trying to gain an edge. Both were already bleeding. This was not good. The other staff parted as if Moses had arrived and the fighters crashed…

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