Gratiude

15 years ago at least,
maybe 17 or 18.
I recalled her names
but they were a combination that could be either
surname first, or second
or
Christain second, or first.
I didn’t want to mistake the order,
so used neither.
Probably it didn’t matter,
she was surprised I even remembered –
remembered a 3 week placement almost 20 years before.

She approached me in the shopping mall.
In her mid or late 30’s now
had worked the world – Melbourne, London, Brussels, New York –
chef in some top line restaurants.
She said she remembered me
because, “ during my training you were the only place
I got to do real cooking
and didn’t have to work as an unpaid kitchen hand
or dishwasher.”