All She Can Take

Epilogue

Sid peeked through the opening of the double doors to see Nissan speaking to a row of attentive people looking like soldiers in their matching dark green chef's coats. Sid looked down at her bright white coat and contemplated taking it off. She didn't want to stand out. Didn't want to draw attention to herself or to her status in this place. But walking in wearing the jeans and t-shirt she had under it felt wrong too. She earned the right for her status to be distinguished.

But that still didn't make her feel any better so she started to slip it off her shoulders. Then she slipped it back on.

"Ugh!" she whispered, aggravated with herself. You're lucky to be alive and you're over here tripping about a damn coat? Sid shrugged the coat back up on her shoulders and buttoned it closed before smoothing her hair, which she spent thirty-two minutes wrestling into a slicked-back ponytail, and took a deep breath before pushing through the doors. She edged forward passing the pristine counters and cooktops and tried to fall in silently at the back of the bunch. Nissan stopped mid-speech. His typically furrowed brow loosened into a smile.

"Ah! Looks like we have a very special guest." Nissan said gesturing in her direction. Everyone turned to look at her and her face ran hot.

"Who me?" Sidney played coy. "No, you're the one with umm, how many Michelin stars now?"

"Just the one so far but I think another is in our future."

"Oh, just one, huh? So humble." They both shared a laugh before Nissan crossed over and embraced her. It had been more than a year since they last saw one another and enough transpired since then to make it feel like a lifetime. She held on a little tighter and allowed the hug to linger longer as she did with most people nowadays. Something in her had permanently shifted and she couldn't help but feel thankful that she was there. Alive and breathing and in a professional kitchen again no less. She released Nissan and looked at him.

"Thank you for this. I really appreciate you taking the time."

"The pleasure is all mine. I wish I had something like this when I was coming up in the business." He nodded at the students who were listening intently and trying not to look as nervous as she was sure they felt. They were the second cohort of her world-class culinary vocational training program. Their inaugural group of, what will be, NYC's finest chef's graduated from Land & Greene Community Culinary Center last month and were already working at some of the best establishments the city had to offer. She'd managed to pry Nissan away from his restaurant in Massachusetts to volunteer his time to teach a week-long intensive on cuisine. He happily agreed but not before trying to convince her to come work with him again. She turned him down and since he arrived and really got a good look at what she was doing here he understood and vowed not to try and pry her away again.

"I'm really proud of it. We have to be the change we want to see right?" She said and Nissan agreed. Sidney turned to the class.

"Hello everyone, we haven't had the chance to meet yet but don't worry we will spend plenty of time together in the coming months. For now, study at this man's feet. Soak up every technique, and trick he teaches because it will be among the most valuable things you will ever learn. I know it was for me." The students nodded eagerly. She turned the floor back over to Nissan and watched as his eyes went from light and bright to hooded and serious as he told the student to go to their stations. Sid laughed to herself before backing out of the large kitchen and traveling down to a smaller one at the end of the hallway.

She was amazed at how unrecognizable the space was. Her mind had to stretch to remember what the place looked like as the chicken joint. The one she spent so much time in throughout her life. She could barely remember the pattern on the floors even though somewhere back here was the last place she'd seen Ahsan alive. His picture hung in her office on the other side of the center now.