Chapter 16
“If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.”
~~~
Somehow, Dad managed to persuade me to forge ahead with the initial plan. I threw in the idea of going into hiding but it was out of the question. He couldn’t abandon the job he’d dedicated all his life to. The same case applied to Ashlie and Mom, I couldn’t take that away from them. Besides, how long would we run for?
“Someone is asking for you,” Jennifer informed me.
Dropping the knife in my hand, I asked, “Who is it?”
She shifted from one foot to the other and with a grin on her face, she said, “Why don’t you go and find out for yourself.”
“Come on, Jennifer. Just tell me.” I rinsed my hands and dried them with a towel.
She tapped her finger on her scrunched nose, darting her eyes around the room. “Mmh! Nah, I’m not telling you.”
“You’re so . . . Argh!” I grabbed a tray from the rack and made my way out of the kitchen. When my eyes landed on him, a frown automatically plastered on my face as I took off in the direction I came from.
“Why are you so moody?” Timothy queried when I stormed back in. Dealing with problematic customers and handling grievances against our hotelier services was his cup of tea.
“You wouldn’t help if you knew.” My tone was sharp, drawing the line he frequently bridged while making advances at me.
He blushed. “Alright, I will excuse you ladies. I have to check on a customer.”
I dropped the tray on the table and took a deep breath. “Go and tell him I’m not around,” I ordered Jennifer.
“Huh? But I already told him you were in here. What did he even do to you?” Her brows creased as she came to stand beside me.
“I just don’t like him. You better find something to tell him cause I am not going out there.” Taking my seat, I resumed peeling the potatoes I was busy with before she disturbed my peace.
“Alright, I’ll go and tell him you left early.”
“That’s good, thank you.” I turned to her, a wide smile on my lips.
“I’m not laughing with you, knowing fully well he already saw you. I’m about to look like a fool,” she scolded, her blue eyes darkening with rage.
“If you do this for me, I will treat you out tomorrow,” I offered. She loved treats.
“Fine, I’ll be right back.” She sashayed out of the room, her joyous mood restored.
Singing at the top of my voice, I peeled the last potato and plopped it on the rest before emptying the peels in the dustbin. The bucket in my hand slipped when a familiar voice spoke, making a thud sound after hitting the floor.
“You don’t want to see your good friend huh?” He leaned on the counter, picked an apple from the bunch of fruits beside him, and took a bite.
“What are you doing here? This place is for staff only. It’s written boldly by the door, can’t you read?” I folded my hands and accorded him a cold stare. He kept overstepping my bounds and I didn’t like it one bit.
If not for the fact that I mainly worked in the secondary kitchen, he would have gotten it from our ever grumpy supervisor. It served as a storage for extra utensils and a working area for some waiters. The main kitchen was always busy, filled with chefs and waiters buzzing in and out with orders.
“You refused to see me, giving me no other option but to come here.” He gulped the last piece of the apple before picking a passion fruit.
“Stop touching things.” I strode to him and smacked his hand, making the fruit fall back in the bunch. He peered at me closely, towering over me with his height. I took a step back and clawed at my skull. “What do you want, Lionel?”
He grinned. “You remembered my name, I like that.” Jennifer burst in before I could hurl a sarcastic reply. “Don’t mind me, I’m just getting Edward something and I’ll be gone in a few.” Sprinting to the drawers, she began opening and closing them. Lionel and I were left in silence, gawking at each other openly.
“Got it,” she exclaimed, turning my attention back to her. A pair of forceps were in one hand and packets of sausages balanced on the other. “Don’t worry about anyone coming in, I’ll play guard by the door,” she said and sauntered off.
“I assume you have nothing important to tell me. You should leave,” I murmured the last part, rhythmically tapping my foot on the tiled floor.
“Look, Shannon, I just want us to be friends. I like your personality. I never expected that seeing as it’s been a while since I got comfortable around someone. It may sound silly but it’s the truth.” His grey eyes softened, staying glued on mine.
Erasing the harsh words I’d formulated for him, I let his words sink in and thought of something nicer to say. “I’m sorry about your . . . situation.” Taking a few steps back, I scanned for something to do. The dishes in the sink called to me and I heeded. “I’m not single,” I added.
He sighed. “I know, you already told me.”
Halting my movements, I said, “Oh, I must have forgotten.”
Using his fingers, he combed through his hair, opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before asking, “Can we be friends? Please.”
“What type of friends?” I couldn’t help but wonder, I’d never had a male friend before.
“You know, we could have coffee, talk about random stuff, go to the movies,” he suggested.
“My boyfriend is very possessive. I don’t think any of that will be possible.”
“I’m sure I can handle that.” His reply was filled with certainty.
“We can’t do coffee, movies, and the likes but I can be your waiter friend. I could cheer you up when you pop in and be the only one to serve your meals,” I offered. It was the best I could do. I didn’t want to endanger his life.
“That’s a great start, thank you,” he beamed.
“My pleasure.” I shook his outstretched hand. “What can I get you?”
“Same order as last time, thanks.” He began strutting away but paused to say, “You won’t regret this, I promise.” I bobbed my head up and down, giving him a genuine smile.
