Tied to My Fate

10. Chef's Kiss

Time is a funny thing. It has a life of its own, its own heart. Years can pass in an uncontrollable frenzy, seasons can slow to a crawl, and seconds can stop completely. But when you no longer have a heart, time loses all its meaning.

Meaningless or not, the beats come and go, a rhythm that can't be stopped and will forcefully resuscitate the stubborn.

My blood still pumps through my veins, years later. A decade after his stopped and five years after his mother's. Reliving memories of grief and the happy memories of watching anime with him and cooking with Mom alongside me are what usually keep me sleeping through my alarm.

I'm running late, on the second biggest day of my life no less. God, can this get any worse? I wrap my apron around my waist as I slide off of my scooter. This is it. Big day. I follow the signs that lead me to the other workers shuffling from the large white vans.

"Alora, where have you been? You were supposed to meet us at the restaurant!"

"I know, is Pedro mad?"

Stephanie, my closest friend and roommate, sighs and hands me one of the steel warming trays.

"You know he has a soft spot for you. Besides, he already has you in mind for that sous position, member? You can do no wrong in his eyes."

I laugh awkwardly. "Let's hope that streak continues. I've been working ten years for this chance."

"I bet. I saw the salary, it's pretty sweet."

"Not that. This," I say motioning to the building.

Stephanie scoffs.

"Some corporate event to distract everyone from the fact that they haven't gotten a raise in five years?"

I shrug my shoulders. She wouldn't understand if I told her. No one would. But I do. I worked my butt off to get to the Silicon Valley, and here I am. Catering an event for the newest recruits to one of the largest tech companies in the world. The same sort of place he dreamed of.

I never would have made it if it weren't for him. Though I'm in a position different than we had planned, I'm here, and a success in my own way. Before I step inside, I take a selfie in front of the building. Just enough to see the company name behind me.

Like most of California, this place screams excess and expense. The inside of the building looks designed to hold an expo, not a corporate meeting of the newest recruits. Banners are all over the place, and across the floor are tables being stacked with free swag. That's another thing these tech companies love, inundating their workers with free advertising.

I begin ushering the other workers to put out the plates and dishes that were prepped the night before. Getting ready for an event this scale started two days ago, and now should be the easy part. Keep the trays warm and keep the line moving once it starts. This is my event today. I'm in charge, for the first time ever.

I'm not going to mess this up. I may have been late, but I'm focused now. Nothing in the whole world could distract me today. I carefully place the dish names and allergen labels in front of the warming trays.

There.

Music begins echoing through the hall.

It's time. All the staff is lined up in front of their stations. I ask them to turn to face me. Now for the motivation.

"Alright everyone, we know our food is delicious, let's show them our service is more so!"

That didn't make much sense, but my team claps anyway so I'll take it.

The doors to the hall swing open and the crowd divides. Most go to the free stuff on the other side of the auditorium. I can't blame them. The food will be here whenever they're ready. Piping hot and enough for seconds. It's one of our creeds at the restaurant.