The bustling cafeteria, the heart of the establishment, pulsates with life. Once colorful banners can be seen adorning the walls themselves despite their age, proclaiming the forgotten past of events and announcements in an age long forgotten by man.
Conversations and laughter echo through the room, mingling with the aroma of a diverse array of meals being eaten. Long wooden tables stretch across the vast space, accommodating the multitude of inhabitants in this building.
Patients, staff, and residents alike mingle and socialize, forming clusters of discussion amidst the busy atmosphere. Some read worn down newspapers or books, while others sit alone, engrossed in their own thoughts, their presence noticeable yet distant.
Stray chairs, often unused, dot the room like islands in a sea of humanity. Pots and pans clatter in the kitchen area, the chefs busy preparing the next round of free meals as the cafeteria never stops its operation, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to its customers.
Nurses and doctors hurry to deliver trays of food, while others continue to exchange words and secrets. A lively cacophony of voices and movements paints the picture of a place filled to the brim with life.
Although some of the patrons look tired and weary, they manage to muster smiles and cheerful greetings, creating an atmosphere of warmth and community.
From the corner of the eye, the sight of a young woman sitting alone with her hands covered entirely in spaghetti is a sight for sore eyes, especially when there is tomato sauce all over her mouth.
In addition to her messy display, piles of bowls, utensils, plates, and half-eaten meals stacked haphazardly on her table, signifying the furious pace of her eating, leave little doubt about the ferocity of her appetite. The abundance of food on the table also shows how much she felt amazed by the sight of this freshly cooked food.
Unity herself had never once in her life tasted something so delicious and fancy; truly, she is living 10 times better than her previous life. Her eyes glowed with sheer delight each time she twirled the pasta around her index finger before grabbing it entirely as she placed it in her mouth.
Having lived in the wilderness for so long, traveling from one place to another just to find scraps of food is a terrible thing to remember when most of them she ate were already rotting away or molding due to their prolonged exposure. Even while she continued to eat at this very moment, those memories still haunted her even now.
All the while, her stomach growls loudly every couple of seconds, as if reminding her that no matter how much she eats, she will always want more. While she continues to use her hands, eating the bowels of Spaghetti like some feral animal, Unity is unaware that a group of people around her are watching the way she is acting.
Some nudged their friends beside them, pointing at the strange spectacle with a mix of curiosity and amusement, while others looked on with mild disgust, clearly unaccustomed to seeing someone eat with such gusto.
A couple of children and teens pointed, laughed, and sneered at a guy dressed as a woman while she behaved some kind of wild animal, finding her antics both entertaining and embarrassing altogether. Amidst the whispers and giggles, a lone boy observed Unity from afar with an unreadable expression.
Chewing on his grilled cheese sandwich, Toby watched the supposed man dressed like a woman eating so wildly, her mouth smudged with tomato sauce and black hair that stuck out in every direction, spilling onto the table as if to blend in with the surrounding mess.
He couldn't tear his eyes away from her, fascinated by the raw, untamed energy emanating from this person. Something about this person urged him to confront the mysterious young woman, wanting to know what made her act this way, why she chose to dress the way she did, and what secrets lay hidden behind those unblinking, hungry eyes.
However, he hadn't forgotten about his post while waiting for the head doctor's arrival. But after having to wait for so long, especially when he felt so hungry after hearing his own stomach growl, Toby couldn't be patient any longer, so he came to the cafeteria to get some food before finally returning to his original spot.
Now, it seems there is another reason for him to be here, probably to make friends by starting a conversation with her. Despite her odd appearance and eating habits, including their age differences, Unity was just another human being, deserving of respect and understanding, just as how Hansel treated him.
Perhaps the boy simply found her intriguing, and his curiosity got the better of him, in part because there is a guy wanting to look like a girl in the first place. Either way, he knew he had to approach her eventually after seeing those kids around his age making fun of this woman.
Reminding him, perhaps the two of them share some common ground in regards to dealing with bullies who prey on their unique vulnerabilities altogether. Sad to say, kids can be quite cruel sometimes, especially when they see someone acting unlike others in front of their very eyes.
At first glance, he didn't have the strength to try talking with a complete stranger who was acting weird in plain view. But seeing those kids make fun of her upsets him greatly, and he can't help but do something about it rather than just stand idly while she gets ridiculed.
The young boy just couldn't take it anymore; seeing someone being treated like this from their backs because they aren't conforming to society's norms was unacceptable to him in all forms when he had the same pain as she did. With his fists clenching tightly from the growing injustice inside of him and the deep-rooted anger at seeing how these brats are currently talking behind her back.
He had enough of their bullshit, so with his newfound courage, he took one last bite of his sandwich before swallowing it down and slowly began walking towards her, passing by some of the laughing and mocking boys without a single second glance cast upon them. His resolve hardened further as he continued onward towards the woman.
When he reached near her table, he hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out the right words to start the conversation: "hi." An awkward greeting fell from his lips, the sound somehow echoing louder in the quiet spaces between the buzzing conversations surrounding them.
His gaze remained fixed on Unity, studying her intense focus on devouring the meal in front of her, seemingly unaware of his presence. "You eat really fast," the boy remarked casually, attempting to break the ice with a lighthearted comment about her voracious appetite.
Instead of returning the kind gesture, Unity completely ignored his words and continued to shovel huge mouthfuls of pasta into her mouth. Ignoring the boy's existence altogether, she focused solely on satisfying her hunger, savoring each strand of spaghetti that danced across her tongue.
The woman was oblivious to the attention she attracted, too engrossed in the simple pleasure of eating to notice the lone observer at her table. From how she is appearing, most would think she isn't keen on making friends.
But that wouldn't deter him from trying. "My name is Toby, by the way," a forced smile appeared upon his face. "It's nice to meet you, um, sir—I meant mam or ma'am." correcting himself quickly before he says anything inappropriate at this transgender individual, looking deeply embarrassed at his own mistake, "I apologize for the confusion."
A slight blush spread across the boy's cheeks as he stumbled over his words, clearly uncomfortable with the awkward situation he found himself in. Nevertheless, he pushed forward, determined not to let this chance slip away. "Hey, you don't have to eat alone if you don't want to. Would you like some chatting while you finish your meal?"
He was holding himself together barely when more quiet laughter and whispers from those teens and children alike were heard as they secretly watched the strange encounter unfold before their very eyes. Paying them no mind, Toby decides to forge ahead and focus on the person in front of him, trying his best to ignore the hostile glares and mocking snickers aimed in their direction.
"What brings you here?" As he got closer to her space, he walked three steps to her side of the table, leaving little distance between them. He wondered if she came from somewhere else or if she always lived in a place like this. Although his curiosity piqued, Toby decided to leave such heavy questions for later, instead opting to keep the conversation light and casual.
"Are you new here?"
In one sudden move, her entire head completely turned to face him, anger flashing brightly in her eyes as a string of pasta and sauce flew through the air, hitting directly on the boy's shirt and staining it deeply with red sauce.
Without a single warning, Unity hissed at the boy with her tomato-paste teeth, baring 20 times more dangerous than a wild animal. "Ssss!" Hissing at this possible threat who is invading her comfortable eating zone and turning her peaceful world upside down with his stupid questions, "Muahhh!"
His instincts kicked in, causing him to take a couple of steps backwards with his hands raised in the air. "Miss, I'm not going to take your food or anything like that!" Toby protested, trying to calm the obviously agitated woman down.
"All I wanted to do is talk with you while you eat, but it seems like I made a mistake in doing so," feeling utterly bewildered and confused by her hostile reaction, "don't hurt me, please?"
Studying his body language, Unity narrowed her eyes in suspicion, her grip tightening around the bowel of spaghetti in her hands as she contemplated the best course of action. Should she attack the intruder who dared to disturb her meal, or should she let him go with a warning?
Her instincts screamed at her to defend herself, but something about the boy's terrified expression stirred a flicker of compassion within her battered soul. After a tense moment between them, her face softened, and she released a quick nod before returning to her meal.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Toby for a moment thought he was going to be attacked by some crazy lunatic when Unity began to calmly eat her spaghetti again, like nothing ever happened. Watching her resume her eating, he continued to notice how messy she gets with the food, wondering if this was just how she eats normally.
"So... that means I can sit with you then?" He inquired softly, knowing that pushing the issue any further would only antagonize the woman, which he didn't want to happen, even though she acted very aggressively towards him.
Taking his attention away from dwelling on negative aspects, Toby decided to change subjects and be more friendly to this transgender lady, hoping she would open up more to him by talking to him instead of merely threatening him to death.
Wanting to make light conversation, he sat down beside her in a slow, deliberate pace, adding, "I understand if you prefer to eat alone. I figured I'd take the liberty of keeping you company for the rest of your meal," giving her a faint, friendly smile.
His attempt at making peace seemed to placate the messy individual somewhat, for she continued eating without complaint, though her gaze remained wary and guarded and her posture stiff and defensive. Unity still remained neutral for the briefest of seconds until suddenly she decided to break the silence between them.
Grabbing a half-eaten meat ball, the young woman handed it towards the boy, who, in response, hid a disgusted look behind a small chuckle, wondering whether he should take it or not from her.
"No thanks," he said, waving his hands together on his chest. He smiled apologetically, knowing well enough that Unity's food habits are far from hygienic and probably contaminated with lots of bacteria.
"You can go ahead and eat it," he suggested instead, nodding his head encouragingly, showing her how much he appreciates Unity's actions but deciding it was best for her to keep her germs to herself in order to avoid any potential health problems, despite how badly he craves some clean, fresh taste of the spaghetti she has been raving about all this time.
The woman's face frowned slightly, clearly puzzled by the boy's reaction. While she is yet to master the art the art of completely speaking, Unity understood the boy's attention through his actions. Shrugging her shoulders, she held the meatball in her palm before squashing it into pieces after closing her hand.
Opening it up, she quickly began putting it all over her mouth, much to Toby's and everyone else's disgust at how filthy the sight truly looked. Rolling his eyes, Toby took a deep breath, steeling himself against the rising nausea caused by the trans woman's revolting behavior of smearing her food around her mouth.
"Where did you learn how to eat like that?" He asked, attempting to divert his attention away from her current grotesque display.
Something tells him she is mentally impaired in some way, perhaps lacking in basic social skills or hygiene practices, or even suffering from some kind of trauma that affects her behavior. His curiosity piqued, and Toby decided to probe deeper, wanting to understand the root cause of her unusual mannerisms.
Though it pains him to admit it, her current behavior is hard to ignore, and the growing looks from people are beginning to unnerve him, causing him to fidget in his seat while maintaining eye contact with the strange woman.
He just hopes there is a caretaker returning to this person so he can leave without being targeted for associating himself with this odd woman. Toby doesn't want to be judged unfairly based on her behaviors.
At the end of the day, every human being deserves respect, regardless of how different they may appear to the world. Praying he and everyone else who is watching will learn to accept this mentally ill person the way she is, despite her eccentricities.
