A Deal is a Deal

Chapter Thirty Five - Miss me?

Chapter 35

“Double time everyone!” Sigaw ni Steve sa loob ng kitchen. He was the head chef at her restaurant. Buti nalang at may aura of authority ito kaya naman binilisan kaagad ng ibang chef’s ang mga pagluluto nila.

That night was the debut of Mrs. Chusuey’s daughter. It was pretty busy at the kitchen and at the function hall. Isang oras na lang ay magsisimula na ang debut pero hindi pa natatapos ang lahat ng putahe na napili ni Mrs. Chusuey.

“Steve, where are the desserts?” Tanong niya dito. Mrs. Chusuey chose Tiramisu, Death by Chocolate Trifle, Pavlova and Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse as the main desserts. Nag order na kasi ito sa iba ng cake.

Nilingon siya nito. “Gab, what are you doing here? You should get ready! The debut is about to start in less than an hour.” Sabi nito sa kanya na para bang hindi narinig ang tanong niya.

“I asked, ‘Where are the desserts?’” Tanong ulit niya. The kitchen was so busy that everyone was working in their fast mode. They were really a phenomenon to watch pero alam niyang sagabal lang siya doon dahil wala naman siyang gaanong maitutulong.

“Quincy is currently working on the Pavlova. Tapos na ang mousse, trifle at Tiramisu. You don’t have to worry; we’ve got everything under control here. You go and change.” Napabuntong-hininga siya. Kahit kailan ay may pagka-bossy talaga ‘tong si Steve.

Actually he was her classmate before in high school. Kahit noon pa man ay mahilig na talaga itong magluto at ito parati ang pambato ng school nila pag may cooking competitions against other schools. When they graduated high school ay rinig niyang sa France ito nag-aral ng Culinary Arts.

At first nga ay mukhang nagdadalawa pa itong pumayag sa inaalok niyang trabaho, which was to be her chef. Pero nang sinabi niyang ito ang magiging head chef ay pumayag kaagad ito. He liked being in the authority. Well, unlucky him, she was his boss.

“Are you seriously giving me orders, Steve?” Natatawang tanong niya dito.

Ngumiti ito. “Yes, Gab. You look haggard and restless. You should go, get ready and look at your best.” Pagkatapos noon ay mahina siyang itinulak palabas ng kitchen. Wow ha? Walang patawad din ang isang ‘yon. Did she really look haggard and restless?

Dumiretso kaagad siya sa kanyang office tabi ng kitchen. Pagpasok niya ay kaagad niyang ini-lock ang pinto. She hated to admit it but she was dog-tired! For the past few weeks ay wala siyang ginawa kundi mag trabaho. Even on her rest days ay nag tatrabaho pa rin siya na ikinalito ng staff niya.

She went inside to her mini-restroom and stared at her reflection at the mirror. Steve was right; she looked like a freaking zombie! Hindi naman siya nangangayat or what pero may dalawang malaking eyebags sa ilalim ng mata niya. Her skin wasn’t the usual glow and her hair was pretty messy.

Nanghilamos siya at nagtoothbrush. She knew exactly why she was like this. She was frustrated about her marriage with Greg. They were actually okay. But that was it! They were just okay. Ni hindi nga nila na celebrate yung 5th monthsary nila dahil nagkaroon ito ng emergency meeting sa opisina.