Cindy's Time (Ongoing)

CHAPTER 12

"GOOD AFTERNOON, class. This is Section A of the Western Cuisine class for Third Year students." Professor Ramirez, the popular mother figure of the HRM department, beamed at the whole class.

This was my first class for the second semester and I smiled inwardly as I remembered that unforgettable first day of class I had last term. The past few weeks had been more than what I had ever dreamed of possible; Lorenzo was indeed a prince charming in real life. If Lorenzo was not the most romantic boyfriend in the world, then kryptonite was not Superman's weakness.

Over the Christmas break, he went to great lengths to make me feel special and loved. One night before Christmas, after a long day of catering for a company's holiday party, I was surprised to see a huge teddy bear seating on my desk chair at my room. When I turned around, Enzo was there in our house, holding a Bluetooth speaker and crooning to the medley of All I Want For Christmas Is You.

"And a new videogame would not hurt either," he cheekily said and winked at me. "Happy two weeks, princess!"

Needless to say, I did get him a copy of one of his favorite video games – Fallout 4 (which luckily I found a buyer online selling it a slashed price of seventy percent off, else my meager savings would be gone in an instant) – plus a scrapbook of our days together. I may not be able to top his romantic gestures but a girl could try, right?

I was pulled out of my happy thoughts by someone calling out my name. "Cinderella Marie Dizon? Dizon, are you here?"

I raised my hand and waved it a little bit as the teacher scanned the room. "I see that some of us are still not over the holidays," she joked as she went on to the next student. I felt my cheeks redden but still smiled at the same time.

"Now class," Professor Ramirez said as she opened up her PPT presentation. "As some of you may know and still for others who do not, this subject also requires you to complete your one hundred hours worth of OJT work. We have a couple of partner hotels and restaurants that are willing to give you flexible hours, depending on your academic load."

Ooooh-kay. I did not know that.

I did the math in my head. If I stick to the eight hours on a weekend, I can complete the requirements without it affecting my job in Aunt Merida's catering business.

Yes, I can definitely do this.

"Kindly sign up here." The teacher showed a green folder. "And remember that failure to complete the one hundred hours will give you a failing mark on this class. You may go once you have signed up."

After I signed up (I landed a spot in H1, a four-star hotel just half an hour away from our house) my phone buzzed with an incoming call.

I beamed as I saw the name on my screen. "Hi there!" I know that Lorenzo's class just finished as well.

"Hey, princess. Let's have lunch?" Lorenzo asked. As the students poured out to the hallway, I can imagine him nodding to a lot of people as he walked, popular guy that he was.

"Yes, please. Want to go to the Backyard?" The Backyard was the outdoor food hall with student-run food stalls. One can get a full set meal for as low as eighty bucks. Real budget-friendly.

"Sure. I can meet you there at your building since it's on the way."

"Okay then. I'll wait for you near the vending machines."

I waved to a couple of friends while I waited for Lorenzo.

All of a sudden strong arms wrapped around my waist. "Princess!" Lorenzo smacked a loud kiss on my cheek.