A Clean, Well Lighted Place

This story was short and sweet. I think it reminds us of what we take for granted. Most of us are surrounded by people that care for us and we forget that there are people that don't have that. Sometimes people just need another soul to converse with or just be in the presence of. That is what the cafe is. It is a place that is void of all the dirty corruption of the other late-night establishments. It is safe, clean and a place that one can feel comfortable and just feel wanted. The one waiter has grasped this concept and is appreciative that he is able to be that "soul" for others, but the other waiter can only worry about himself. He cannot see that sometimes it is good to give to others, especially when you come from a state of having plenty. This is demonstrated when the first waiter says that the old man in the cafe is "lonely." The second waiter says "he's lonely. I'm not lonely....." This is a total disregard for the old man and clearly shows that all he can think about is himself. The first waiter says " we are of two different kinds" He defines that it is not neccessarily what each other has and doesn't have, it is the fact that "Each night [the first waiter] is reluctant to close up because there may be someone who needs the cafe." I think we all could stand to be like the first waiter, at least for some of our time here. You never know when a smile or a simple salutation will give someone else the spirit to keep moving forward. We could all stand to relieve the focus off ourselves and be a little more selfless. This story was the first story we have read that did not deal with violence directly. Although it can be displayed as sad, it shows a classic example of how a simple action and multiply into whole multitude of kindness.