Island of the Unemployed

MILA'S REPLACEMENT

It was getting to be evening. Misses Blackwell heard about a dish earlier that day created by a chef at one of the most exclusive restaurants. She just had to have it. She arranged for the recipe to be sent to Bobbi. It was his job to make sure it was prepared correctly.

"Okay, what is this? What are you doing?" Don approached Bobbi from behind. He was Mila's replacement, promoted from the kitchen of a lesser investor.

"I am cookin' da noodles, mon." Bobbi looked up from the pot and stared into space with a grimace.

"But you're doing it wrong," Don said, "You want the water to barely boil. The noodles cook better when they're under a lower heat." He came highly recommended by his former workmates. it quickly became clear they just wanted to get rid of him!

Bobbi looked at the boiling pot, and back at Don. "Dat makes no sense, mon."

"Yes, it does, let me show you."

"No, no, no. Go set da table. Dat's your job! I'll do da cooking." Bobbi took a large spoon and stirred the pasta.

"I'm just trying to help!"

"Dat is how you help! Go now!" Bobbi replied. Bobbi looked over to Jayla who stirred some sauce slowly. "I swear I'm goin' to kill dat guy."

Where the hell is Mila? she thought. She wanted to talk to Bobbi about it, but that wasn't possible. Not with the company monitoring every word she spoke. People just disappear, and we're supposed to pretend everything is okay. My best friend is gone, and I can't even talk about it!

"You doin' okay?"

"Yeah," Jayla replied. "I'm fine."

"You sure?"

She put her fingers to her mouth, and motioned as if she was locking it shut with a key. That was the sign indicating there was something she couldn't say.

She could feel her blood pressure rise with all the pent-up frustration! What was she supposed to do with it? She had half a mind to take the pan of sauce and throw it against the wall. Then she remembered something Mila's father passed on to her. 'If you get to the point where you just can't take it anymore, go to sector thirteen of level one.' That made no sense. There were only ten sectors at each level. Why would he say something like that?

"You want to watch a movie, mon? We have da day off tomorrow." Bobbi said.

Jayla smiled. That's so sweet. He knows I'm missing Mila. I'm sure he does too. "Sure."