Maya tied the white apron around her waist and checked her reflection in the glass.
She worked six days a week at the grand restaurant near the city park.
The dining room was filled with soft sunlight streaming through the tall arched windows.
Marble floors gleamed beneath the bright overhead lights while classical music played softly.
A large American flag hung proudly on the main wall behind the host stand.
Maya adjusted her white collared shirt and black vest before taking her serving tray.
She needed every bit of tip money she could earn this afternoon.
Her rent was due at the end of the week, and her savings were almost gone.
She carried a plate of delicate fruit tart toward table four near the window.
An elderly woman in a shimmering golden gown sat at the white table.
Beside her sat a younger woman wearing heavy silver jewelry and an expensive silk blouse.
,Maya approached the table with a polite smile on her tired face.
Maya: Here is your dessert, ma’am.
Elderly Lady: Thank you, dear. It looks absolutely lovely.
Maya set the plate down carefully on the pristine white tablecloth.
As she pulled her hand back, her sleeve slipped up slightly on her right wrist.
The sunlight caught a distinct crescent-shaped birthmark near her palm.
The elderly lady suddenly gasped and reached out with a trembling hand.
She gripped Maya’s wrist firmly before the young waitress could step away.
Elderly Lady: Wait… where did you get that birthmark on your arm?
Maya froze in place, feeling the warmth and shaking energy in the older woman’s grip.
Maya: It is just a birthmark, ma’am.
Maya: I was born with it on my wrist.
The younger woman at the table scoffed loudly and set her glass down with a heavy thud.
Victoria: Grandmother, let go of the server. You are making a scene over nothing.
Elderly Lady: Be quiet for a moment, Victoria!
The old woman’s voice trembled with a mixture of hope and sudden terror.
She opened her golden clutch bag with hurried, clumsy fingers.
She pulled out a small vintage photograph with faded brown edges.
Her eyes darted back and forth between the old picture and Maya’s arm.
Maya felt her heart beat faster against her ribs as the silence stretched out.
Elderly Lady: Show me that necklace under your collar… please, I beg you!
Maya’s fingers went automatically to the thin silver chain hidden beneath her shirt collar.
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