The End of the Littlest One [Completed]

19. A man is waiting

The inn's kitchen had never been busier. Besides the regular staff, Sheppard, Olivia and the resident chef Rosa, Sheppard had hired one extra helping hand for the night: Joseph. He worked at a restaurant in a town not ten minutes from the inn and didn't mind coming over to help. Against double his regular salary, of course.

On top of that, it was very warm and damp in the kitchen. Countless pots and pans stood on the different stoves. A window was cracked open but didn't do much. All the smells combined into one chicken-bread-beer-sugar-mess. It was divine and disgusting at the same time.

People were running around with all sorts of things in their hands. Olivia and Joseph had been bringing out plates to the dining room nonstop. So much so, that they began feeling their feet starting to protest.

'Table twelve, Liv,' Sheppard said.

He handed Olivia a steamy, full plate when he walked past her. She took it and quickly left the kitchen. Sheppard was already back at the right stove.

'Watch the sauce on the left stove,' she shouted while leaving.

Sheppard nodded, and went over to the stove. The sauce was almost boiling over. He quickly turned down the heat, making the sauce level go down. After Olivia left the kitchen, she entered the much cooler hallway. She reached the dining room.

There it was warm as well. Not because of stoves, but because of people. There were so many people. There were the standard visitors as well as the dinner party. Three tables had been pushed together for them, creating one long table.

The fireplace in the middle of the main wall also contributed to the heat. Its light spread a warm, light orange hue into the room. Together with the red carpet on the ground, the room had a nice, warm ambiance.

A nice ambience meant people felt comfortable. And when people felt comfortable, they talked. Every single one of them. Calling the room noisy would have been an understatement. Very noisy would still be an understatement. Deafening would come close, but not quite.

When walking towards table twelve, Olivia passed table two. She paused her walk briefly.

'Your order will be out in a second,' she told Jamie.

'Alright,' he said. 'Take your time.'

She smiled back at him, ignoring a weird stomach feeling.

It's probably just the heat getting to me she told herself.

When she reached table 12, she held up the plate.

'Who ordered the chicken pot pie?' Olivia asked.

Even though she had raised her voice, not many people seemed to notice her. However, a woman sitting down close to her did. She repeated the question Olivia had asked with a much louder volume. Before Olivia could thank her, she had gone back to her conversation.

A man on the other side of the table raised his hand, and Olivia walked towards him. She put the plate down in front of him after he moved his cutlery out of the way.

'Enjoy your meal,' Olivia said.

'Thank you. Can we get some more water?' the man asked.

'Of course. I'll be right back.'

The man nodded in response. Olivia left the table and went back to the kitchen.

Just as she entered, Sheppard handed her another plate.

'Table two,' he said, and he turned back around when he heard someone call his name for help.

Olivia returned to the dining room and headed for table two. Jamie sat at that table and saw her coming. He took his arms of the table and made space for the steaming plate of pasta. Olivia put it in front of him.

'It smells delicious,' he said.

'I know,' Olivia said. 'I don't have time to stay, though. So, enjoy your meal, and call me when you need anything.'

'Will do.'

Olivia left for the kitchen again. When she didn't get yet another plate pushed into her hands, she took the opportunity to fill a bottle with water for table twelve. She took an empty one out of a cupboard and walked to the sink. When she opened the tap, crystal clear water came out. She held the bottle under it, spilling some of it over her hands.

The cool water felt nice on her skin. All evening, she had been running around with various plates, bottles, and trays. She went back and forth from a steamy kitchen to a loud, warm dining room. She started to feel tired and gross, and her clothing starting to stick to her didn't help.

When the bottle was filled, Olivia turned off the tap and went back to the dining room with it. She encountered Joseph on her way. He saw her as well.

'Liv, someone's at the front desk. He probably wants a room or something,' he said.

'Alright, I'll go over there in a second.'

Joseph and Oliva both continued their tasks after their brief exchange. Initially, Olivia thought it was weird why Joseph couldn't have helped the man himself, but she soon reminded herself he didn't actually work here.

When Olivia entered the dining room, an, unfortunately, familiar warmth greeted her. She went over to table twelve. The man who requested the water made eye contact with her and stood up from his chair. When Olivia came close enough, she handed him the bottle with a smile.

'There you go,' she said.

The man smiled at her and sat back down. Olivia turned around and went to back to the hall. This time, she didn't go back to the kitchen, though. She took a left turn instead and walked over to the front desk. A man was indeed waiting.

He was young and had light stubble on his jaw. His hands were in the pockets of his coat, and a bag hung over his shoulder. He was looking at the paintings on the walls. He didn't look familiar, so he must have been from out of town.

'Hello,' Olivia greeted.