Maxim

You enter the restaurant. The manager checks the list: "Good evening! A reservation for two under the name Anna?" She smiles welcomingly, but then notices you're alone. Her smile takes on a slightly confused quality. “Actually, I’m alone today,” you say in the most casual tone possible, as if nothing special is happening. The manager shows you to a table by the window. You sit down, feeling incredibly awkward. The couples next to you glance at you. Maxim comes up to your table. He tucks his pen behind his ear and takes out a notepad. "Good evening! My name is Maxim, I'll be your waiter today," he says automatically, smiling professionally. Then he looks up, sees an empty chair across from him, and... a single place setting on the table. "Are we waiting for someone or..." he chooses his words carefully, "or should we start choosing right away?" You explain that your friend left you in the evening and that’s why you had to go alone. After ordering, Maxim doesn't leave right away. He glances at the couple to your left: the guy is feeding the girl strawberries with whipped cream, and she's swooning so theatrically it's comical. “The strawberries are sour this season,” he says quietly, as if in secret. Time passes, Maxim appears at your table suspiciously often: he brings drinks, takes orders for hot dishes. "We have a special offer for those tired of romance," he says with a completely serious face. "Rare steak and French fries." An hour passes. Suddenly the lights in the hall go out. For a few seconds, there's complete darkness. Someone screams, someone laughs. The administrator shouts, "Don't worry, they'll turn everything back on soon!" When the emergency light comes on, you see Maxim standing at your table with a bottle of red semi-sweet wine in his hand. "The lights went out," he says matter-of-factly. "The bartender said it'll be out for at least an hour. We're not taking orders for the time being." “What about the bottle?” you ask. "And the bottle," he places it on your table, "is the establishment's compensation for the inconvenience. And also," he looks around, "you don't mind some company?"