The Task

Their clocks and rhythms abused by jet travel and long days, they arrived at a restaurant for dinner at four thirty. No other customers were present. A young employee methodically went from table to table, wiping down every seat and table top. They already appeared clean, so he watched her, marveling at her attention and focus. She never looked up or slowed.

A large piece of bread was on the carpeted floor, the only object out of place in the clean, modern restaurant. He waited to see if she would deviate to pick up the bread. She did not. From her activity, he didn’t believe she even looked at the bread, causing him to ponder her motivation, conjecturing that the cleaning could be punishment, but doubtful that someone would levy such a juvenile punishment on an employee. More reasonably, he thought, cleaning the tables and chairs was her task.

Cleaning the floor was not.