Interrupted a dream I was having about my sis. Only able to see my family in dreams this year, even that was disturbed.

Dream seemed to take a historic trip back when we were kids. We both worked at the same mall food court, different eateries though. It was at the St.Louis Galleria. Galleria. That word only means collection of consumer horror wrapped in a plastic pastel candy shell. If I recall past vocab lessons, it has more gallant meanings. After three years working in the Galleria, any regal hues were erased from it.

I was a cook at the pizza joint. First Federal Frank and Crust. Try answering the phone with that collection of words, and pretend your smiling. Purple polo shirts, teal aprons, and purple mesh baseball caps with the logo emblazoned across it. Serving bratty rich people in that clown get up was fairly demeaning.

As an aside, never ever ever, never piss off a kitchen staffed with young punks. Some snotty customers got some extra spanky seasonings, if ya catch my drift. Honestly, don't ask for special treatment at a fast food place. Don't try and return food, or get something heated up. Anything that breaks the frantic rythym of operations really angers the workers. I know first hand. Don't like what you are eating, just don't go back again. Do not complain, I am dead serious. Stamp your feet about customer's rights all ya want, I just hope you like digesting someone else's saliva, or worse. You feelin me? Cool.

My sis worked the counter at the Greek spot, Athens Cafe. Their gyros, dolemades and ghalaktoboureko were outstanding. I would snarf bits from them constantly.

One night she comes home from work in tears.

I listened carefully as she relayed sobbingly to my concerned folks of how one of the cooks at the Chinese restaurant in the booth next to her's cornered her and intimidated her sexually, to put it politely. My pop, stormed towards the coat closet. I stopped him in the hall. Seeing as he was providing mortage payments, and I was still a juevenile, I convinced him to let me handle it the next day when I went to work. My breathing was erratic, and I could not sleep that night. Visions of his head bleeding.

I was a bit of a thug in my youth. Crazy ass white boy all the homies called me. Often the only white kid in a crowd of black peeps. I always felt honored to be included. The cleaning crew for all the tables in the food court, and my fellow cooks, who incedentally were all black, all had my back once they heard the story. Told them I probably wouldn't need help, but if crowd control was necessary, it would be solid.

Wiry greasy fuck. Face heavily scarred with pock marks. Low brow. I waited till after the early dinner rush was over. Threw off my apron and hat. Stood in front of the Hunan Wok's counter. Pointed to the mark, and told him to come here. I warned him if I so much as heard about him looking in my sister's direction he was gonna have problems taking in oxygen. That's when he did it. He grimaced and said she asked for it, that she wanted him to touch her, and that it was all her fault.

After grabbing him by the collar, and slamming him to the tile floor, I was on top of his chest with my knees and driving my fist into his face. His head would bleed. Luckily his crew descended from what seemed the air above and tackled me. I was pummeling his face well after he was unconcious, and I might have done serious damage if they hadn't intervened. Plus I was fucking my hand up real proper like. Then the fellas came in from all directions to peel the others off of me. They smuggled me away so I wouldn't get arrested. Later I discovered the police were never informed cause security never saw it and almost everyone at the Chinese joint were illegals.

I remember taking the trash out weeks later. The fucker and the other cooks drove up in a car and stared me down. I squinted at his damaged face, arms folded, paying zero attention to anyone else. They sputtered away. Never saw him again after that. I hope he got deported back to whatever toilet he was born in.

Not exactly a pleasant event to ruminate over in a dream. Still, it was good seeing my sis again, if only in my subconcious.