Magnolia Chicken

1. Jobs

    "Oh for the love of god! Please tell me you got the job." Yelled Serena from the kitchen. Her mind had raced with many mixed emotions when the front door opened. She knew her son had just returned from from another job interview. When she walked out of the kitchen, wooden spoon in hand, her joyful expression like the one found on children when given candy, to that of sympathy and disappointment once she saw Steve's face.

    Her son didn't look any better. This was the sixth job interview he had gone to in the past week. As Steve's grim eyes lazily found their way to his mother's disappointed face, his sour mood worsened.

    "They said that they would be better off hiring a sewer rat. A sewer rat! That's what they compared my cooking skills too! I mean, I know I'm not a top tier chef, but that was harsh." Steve threw himself onto the couch and let out a loud groan. “Maybe they’re right though. Maybe my skills just aren't good enough for the culinary world. Maybe I should take their advice and quit before I embarrass myself further.”

    "No way in hell! I won't let any son of mine give up his dream that he's been working on for 6 years! I know that somewhere, someplace is waiting for you and your amazing cooking skills! So don't you dare give up your dream! Understand me?" Serena said, pointing a wooden spoon at him as she scolded him.

    Steve rolled his eyes and let out another groan in response to his mother's actions. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore his mother's words. Suddenly he felt a slap on the cheek. His eyes shot open, revealing his mother pinching his cheek and saying something.

    "Steve? Steve? Steven are you even listening?" Serena said lightly slapping his cheek again, trying to regain his attention. Steve let out a groan in response. "C'mon Steve, you can't be upset forever. Besides it's their loss for throwing away your talent. Unlike then, I can see talent and I know that yours would be much appreciated in the kitchen.” Serena said booping his nose with the wooden spoon.

    "Why bother. I'm sure the sewer rats would be a better help. I can't find a job because my cooking skills are so bad. I don't want to ruin whatever you're making in there that you've worked so hard on." Steve put his hand over his eyes.

    "Enough with your pity party." Serena said hitting Steve in the arm with the spoon. "I didn't want to tell you this yet but I found a job that's looking for someone just like you. It's in another town, though, so if you got it then you would have to move there. I have all the information on it. But if you're giving up on your dream then there's no point in keeping it, so I'll just throw it away." Serena said smirking.

    "Why are you telling me this. It's just another stupid job in another stupid town that will reject my skills. Why should I care?" Steve said rudely.

    "Did I mention that the job was in Flavor Town?" As the words trickled out of Serena's mouth, Steve shot up and looked at his mother with eager eyes.

    "Seriously?!" He said with a smile.

    "Yes, but you just said that it was a stupid job in a stupid town. So I guess there's no reason for me to keep the information." Serena said as she started walking back to the kitchen.

    "Wait!" Steve said, jumping up from the couch and throwing his hand out in front of it with his palm open. He quickly got up from his feet and made his way to the kitchen. He saw his mom hold a folder over the trash can. "Please don't throw away the folder!"

    "Then don't throw away your dream!" Serena said crossing her arms, grasping onto the folder in one of her hands.

    "Alright! I won't give up on my dream! Just please don't throw away the folder!" Steve said gulping.

    Serena smiled at her son. She had him right where she wanted him. "I won't throw away the folder. Here, you can have it." She said holding the folder out for her son to take. Steve snatched the folder from his mother and skimmed through the contents. A newspaper article with the job ad, a flyer for the job, a requirement form, a fill out form for the job, and other job-related things.

    "Now help me make dinner. You can drool over the folder later."

    "Sure thing mom!" Steve said excitedly.

    "Wait-" Joey was cut off by the door slamming shut in his face. This was the third employee that he had lost this week. He lugged himself over to his desk and slumped down into his worn leather chair. The black chair had been through hell and back with Joey, going to every job with him, living with him in his many houses. Now it sat in a large office, sticking out like a sore thumb from all of its newer, cleaner companions.

    Joey let out a loud groan as he rubbed his temples. Ever since his girlfriend left him, his life had been going in a downhill spiral. His customers and employees were fleeing his restaurant. His wallet was going dry. And his business was going to be foreclosed soon. He tried to put up job offerings, but with three months of silence, he was ready to give up.

    Joey lazily moved his head towards the door where a knocking sound was present. "Come in," Joey said as he sat up in his chair, trying to make himself look like the head chef of a restaurant.

    A tall red headed woman cautiously entered, quite aware of Joey's current emotional state. Ivy was her name. The assistant chef, and good friend of Joey. "Listen, Joey, I'm sure Kyle is going to come back. He's jus-."

    "Don't bother. I know he's gone. He saw the restaurant going downhill and wanted to get out before it crashed and burned. He's the third one out, and it's only going to get worse." Joey said letting his head fall onto the desk.

    "Cmon Joey, don't be like that. Look at this situation with a smile. Now you have three positions open for new faces that won't run when things get hard." Ivy said trying to cheer up her friend.

    "I would love to do that but not everyone can be as optimistic as you. Now is this all you came here to do? Because I have other things to attend to, like trying to fix my failing business." Joey said irritated. He slammed his head on the table and groaned in frustration.

    "No actually, I got a phone call about an hour ago-."

    "So? Please leave if this is what you're going to tell me."

    "Well if you would let me finish before you go off on me then you would know that the phone call I got was for a job interview." Joey slowly lifted his head back up, raising a brow at Ivy's statement.

    "Take a seat and tell me more." Joey said pointing to the chair across from him.

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Hi okay so it's actually been like at least a whole year since I've actually posted anything but yeet oh whale. I got mega bored in class and have been in a writer's block so I thought the best way to get out of it was continue writing a story for a crack ship I came up with 2 years ago. Uh enjoy it I guess. Just don't like doxx me if you hate this story.