Linahanhome.files.wordpress.com



Narrative Writing Assignment: Fulfillment for Willow Quest/Fantasy The afternoon mail arrived with her ticket to heaven on earth. Willow will be on a twenty-four-hour flight by herself and will arrive on an island paradise on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Upolu is the second largest island of the Samoan Islands and will soon be Willow’s home. Here, the locals have very little but gladly accept people like Willow who want to bring new cuisine to the people of the island. When Willow arrived on the island, she had no idea that the culinary expertise she came to share with these people would fall second to the impact she would leave within them. The small island was a place where hope seemed to be lost. They lived a life of short-term orientation and they had little to believe in. This is where Willow saw her chance to not only influence their cuisine, but also their hearts.Willow is from a small southern town called Vega, with locals who don’t often leave aside from the twenty-minute drive to the nearest grocery store. However, Willow is different, she has big dreams that surpass the county line. After growing up and working in her parent’s local café, she relocated to New York to work her way up the culinary food chain. Once Willow worked several jobs in the restaurant circuit, she decided she wanted to do something even more meaningful. While working the closing shift at Missy’s one evening in, Willow discussed her aspirations of travel with her coworker Chris. “I thought getting out of dodge would make me feel fulfilled, but there has to be more” Willow explained to Chris as they took inventory. Chris was a slender man who could be easily spotted from miles away with white-blond hair that resembled snow, something Willow had only seen since moving to the big city. As Chris listened to Willow, his eyes grew bright with excitement. Chris explained that he had traveled to Upolu one summer on a mission trip and saw a great opportunity to open a restaurant on the small island. “I know it’s a stretch, but I think it is exactly what you’re looking for,” Chris exclaimed peeking his head around a shelf full of produce. That night Willow rushed home to her quaint apartment, splurging for a cab rather than the more time-consuming subway. She darted up the eight flights of stairs and burst into her apartment, there she sat all night researching Upolu. Willow had been perpetually saving up for any opportunity that came her way and made the hasty decision to book a one-way flight to the island for the first of the following month. When Willow arrived on the island, she was relieved that the climate, although tropical, resembled that of her hometown, hot and humid. She made her way to the small hotel she had book and quickly rummaged through her things to find denim shorts, a tee, and comfortable walking shoes. She threw her long curly hair into a high, loose bun with short brown curls framing her face, the way she always wore it in the high humidity back home. Willow then spent her first day touring Upolu and dipping into local restaurants to get a feel for the culture. She also used this time to spread the news to locals about her restaurant that would be opening soon. After a week on the island, Willow set up shop in an old, rundown building next to a fish market. She felt her heart begin to race as her first customers walked in. What will they think of a petite, Caucasian woman serving fried chicken and mashed potatoes on this island? But as clients came and went,?she was delighted to find her meals resonating with the natives even though they had never had such southern comfort food. After a few bustling weeks on the scene, Willow began to build relationships with her regular customers. There was one local man in particular that came in every day for lunch and always struck up great conversation with Willow. Kai was an exceptionally handsome man, quick-moving and tall with a dark head of hair and kind eyes. He was unemployed like many of the citizens on the island but often recounted his volunteer work with Willow. Willow was always captivated by his stories. Kai told Willow of the Upolu slums, where the underprivileged and underworked people of the island resided. He described the poor living conditions and the lack of health among the residents. Kai explained that he visits the slums weekly bringing what left over food he could collect from his neighbors to donate to the people. Each day that Kai shared his stories, he could see the wheels turning in Willow’s mind. One afternoon Willow awaited his arrival with a plan in mind. As Kai sat down at his usual table, about to order his predictable lunch of chicken and dumplings with a hefty side of macaroni and cheese, Willow approached him. He could see the excitement in Willow’s eyes and knew that he had finally gotten through to her. “We are going to the slums to cook a full, home-cooked meal for the people,” Willow burst out with excitement. Kai grinned, took a sip of his sweet tea, looked up and said, “I was hoping you would say that.” The following weekend, Willow and Kai met at the restaurant to prepare the food. The team made enough food to feed a village which is exactly what they intended to do. They loaded aluminum trey’s full of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, okra, cornbread, and macaroni into the back seat of Willow’s little, red Toyota Carola. The duo drove a scenic fifteen-minute route to the Upolu slums and were cursorily met by the residents. Kai was a familiar face to these people; therefore they had a sense of comfort in his presence. Willow and Kai began to unload the food from the car, the smell filled the small slum village and people emerged out of their makeshift shelters. A long line began to form as Willow and Kai piled up plates of food for the locals. The people sat and ate to their heart’s content. Willow talked to a group of men that were searching for jobs. “I am in need of help at my restaurant actually,” she added in the midst of the conversation. The men gleamed with excitement at this statement and the group went on to discuss the details of the work and scheduled a time to come in and train. As the weeks, months and years went on, Willow felt the fulfillment she had been longing for. She now had ten men, including Kai, that she provided jobs for and they regularly went to the Upolu slums to serve meals. Willow sat in her restaurant late one summer night and reflected on her time on the island and decided to place a phone call. She scrolled through her contacts and stopped on Chris’s number. Chris quickly picked up the phone and shouted “Willow! It’s been so long, how have you been?” To which Willow replied with tears streaming down her face, “Chris… I have reached my full potential here on the island and I owe everything to you. All of my aspirations have come to fruition. Thank you.” ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download