Beyond plates and pleasures- A short story

Now playing: Beautiful Day by Trinix, Rushawn and Jermaine Edwards.

Amidst the sounds of cutlery dancing on plates, I found myself sitting down to eat with a bunch of folks. We were a merry bunch, our laughter filling the air like balloons. The food spread before us was a rainbow of flavors, each dish telling a different tale. As I dug into the deliciousness, I noticed something odd. Among the plates being filled and emptied, one stayed untouched.

Questions sprouted in my mind like curious little buds.

Why wasn’t that plate getting any action? Did they not like the food? Were they feeling unwell? My plan was to ask, to quench my curiosity. But then, just like that, things took a turn. I spotted someone making their way over, carrying a plate with so much care written invisibly over them. They approached the untouched plate’s owner – a friend, it seemed – and offered them a bite.

A lightbulb blinked on in my mind, bringing with it memories of a song. “Some have food but cannot eat,” it went. Those words painted a picture in my head – a picture of people who had meals in front of them, but some invisible barrier stopped them from taking a single bite. It was as if the song had jumped out of my memory and come to life right there in front of me.

In that instant, the deeper meaning of those words settled in my heart. It wasn’t just about the physical act of eating. It was about the hunger that couldn’t be satisfied by mere food. It was about the emptiness that couldn’t be filled by a plate piled high. It was about the struggles that aren’t always visible, the battles fought on the inside.

As the scene played out before me – the act of kindness, the unspoken struggles, the reminder of that song – I realized that sometimes, the simplest actions speak volumes.

That untouched plate held a story, one that wasn’t about the food at all. And as I continued to eat, I chewed on the idea that there’s more to a meal than what meets the eye, just like there’s more to a person than what’s on the surface.

Some have food but can not eat
Some can eat but have no food
We have food and we can eat
Glory be to thee, Oh Lord

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Teetoluwa❤️‍🩹