Eighteen: A Very Special Year

Once the trauma of the whole black feather incident was behind him, William joyously awoke one morning to discover that he was eighteen years old. He had already completed all of his exams, one year early, in the hope that he would be permitted to leave as soon as he was done; and done he was. He had scored full marks in both Chinese and Japanese, and his English grades were top scores; not to mention the fact that his other subjects all recieved the highest grade possible. His school years had been a success; not only that, but he had now come into his inheritance!



Unfortunately, thanks to his father's wilful ways with money and the last few months of illness, there wasn't really that much of an inheritance - everything of value had to be sold to pay off the debts that had accumulated, not to mention lawyer's fees, and after that all that was left was the house. Although it was a rather large, picturesque house, and the site of at least one good childhood memory, William soon discovered that it was impossible to live in such a grand house and pay all the bills without a job, car, or furniture of any great value. Thus it was he decided to sell the house, and move closer to Taiwan (for no greater reason than that he fancied a change of scenery).


So, young William, now a man for the first time, laid his plans: he would take a gap year, find a job (hopefully in a restaurant, since he liked the idea of serving), save up a lot, and then after that go to the local university. It was quite a good university, and the only one in China that could offer him his chosen subject - but more on that later.



Now that the financial matters were under way, William, having found the perfect house for himself, set out to find a job. He went around all the restaurants, cafes and general serveries of his new hometown, dropping off CVs like there was no tomorrow. Or rather a very long string of tomorrows, all of which needed paying for.



This done, he went home and patiently waited for several days, watching anime over the internet and rereading the entire Death Note saga. Eventually, just when he had decided to try again, the phone rang. Knowing that this could only be either a telemarketing call or an interview offer, he jumped to his feet and had the phone to his ear before the third ring.



"Hello? Mr... William Xu?" The voice at the other end of the phone asked, clearly reading his name from a sheet.



"Yes, that's me."



"Ah, hello. I'm calling from a local restaurant that you applied to for a full-time job, 乌鸦 (Wuya Foods). We would like to let you know that your application has been accepted, and if you could come in for an interview this next friday we would really like to speak to you."

"Ah! Thank you!" William replied, overcome with happiness. Now, for the very first time in his life, someone was giving him a chance.


When he got to the interview that friday, he was pleased to hear from the manager that they were a very strong business, and needed to take on extra staff to cope with the amount of customers they now recieved in the evenings. He showed himself to be willing and eager, and intelligent; but for William this was not enough. He had never been a popular boy and now was no exception. It seemed he was cursed; without being able to say why, the manager had an instinctive distrust of William and everything he said. All his references (old teachers, for the most part) seemed good, and his grades certainly spoke for themselves; but all the same, to the manager, employing William seemed somehow a bit of a risk...



"So, William," He said, to conclude the interview, "Is there anything else you'd like to bring to our attention? Something that qualifies you more than anyone else?"


"Yes, actually." William said smartly, having prepared himself for this question. I believe that, with the town being in such a central location, you have a great need for a translator."

"A translator?" The manager asked, unable to believe his ears.

"Yes." William responded solemnly. "You see, I am fluent in Chinese, Japanese, AND English. Now, if there are any customers from a different country, chances are I will be able to communicate with them better than any of your other staff."

"Hmm," Said the manager, "I think we should test your fluency before we take this any further."


"Alright." Said William. "Let's do it."


Several hours later, having spoken with people of many nationalites in and around the most popular tourist hotel, William was faced by a smiling manager, who had enjoyed these out-of-office japes.


"Good man!" Said the manager. "You're hired!"

From that moment, William was officially a man with employment.

On his first shift at the restaurant, he was serving, getting used to the routine, when someone at the back of the room caught his eye. Although the person was sat with his back to him, the dark hair and coat and the slight red glow of a cigarette caught William's attention. He approached the table, noticing that it was in his covers, and took out his notebook so that he could write down the order.

"Are you ready to order, Sir?"

"Yes." Mike Kevinson said. "I'll have a white wine to begin."

"Mike?!" William gasped. "What are you doing in Taiwan?"

"Working." Mike replied, off-handedly. "Just like you."

As he walked away, William could not help but think how strange it was that Mike Kevinson should show up in his first shift, at his new workplace, in his new hometown. But he quickly dismissed it, as Mike appeared to want nothing more than a glass of wine before he was on his way.