Cooking for my Ex-Boss

Chapter 23

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Chapter 23

"Best date ever!" She squealed in joy to Ava who was helping Audrey wash the romaine lettuce.

"First he gave me a single lavender rose since he said I already carried a bouquet my whole life. You know, my surname. How cheesy is that!" She said showing a cheeky smile.

"I googled it and do you know what lavender rose means? It's a sign of enchantment and it's a sign of expressing their romantic feelings and intentions. Damn, he's good, Dree. Either he's so good due to experiences or because he actually takes the time to prepare everything for you." She implied.

"Oh... how sweet! Anyway, then he brought me to this fancy Chinese restaurant because he thought I'd be bored of having western food from the catering. The place was amazing, we were seated in a private room with this awesome blue aquarium with neon fishes which was mesmerizing. I could look at those fishes for hours... Then we talked for hours about his work and my work. I didn't even know that guys are capable of talking and listening for hours like us. We didn't even realize that the place was closing until the waiter told us. He's actually funny, thoughtful and sweet..." She blabbered and was lost in her own thoughts at the end, staring blankly at the white wooden cabinet in her kitchen sighing an audible long breath.

"Hello? Dree! You really like him, do you? I've never seen you glow or hear you babbling on about a guy before. I'm so proud of you, finally taking the leapt of faith, Dree. Because if you waited any longer, you might miss the relationship train and I'm afraid you might need to downgrade your future expectations!" Her best friend smiled and gave her a loving hug.

"Really, Ava?" She replied in disgust.

"By the way, maybe you should start cooking Chinese food too, you know like Buddakan, Hakkasan. Maybe you should open up a restaurant and could call it Ava-kan someday and let me manage it. It could be a perfect place for me to scout my future husband." Her friend joked using hand gestures as she emphasized on the word 'Avakan'. They had known each other for years and Audrey still wonder how she survived listening to Ava's corny jokes all these years. Soon, her phone rang and saw that her mother was calling.

"Hey mom- What- Where? I'll be there." She hung up the phone and getting her bag and coat.

"What happened?" Ava asked, concerned looking at her friend who was looking frantic.

"Mamie is in the hospital now. They said that it's not looking good." She explained not realizing the tears that was falling profusely.

"I'll go with you. I'll drive." She simply responded hugging her friend. They went to the hospital and parked the car. Hurried towards the hospital reception to demand the room number. They head straight to where her grandmother was treated. Audrey slowly opened the intensive care unit door which reeked of the aseptic scent. She looked to see her depressed father sitting on the small couch staring at her grandmother sadly, with her mother standing beside her placing her hands on his shoulder. She hugged her parents in comfort followed by her friend who did the same comforting gestures. She turned around to see the frail woman lying on the bed with ventilator tubes placed on her delicate mouth, wires and cables injected and placed all around her feeble chest and arms. The monitor beeped sending eerie thoughts of fear, terrified that the line might went flat. She dismissed the unthinkable thought and went closer to sit beside her bed. Gently she held her grandmother's aged hands and started whispering words of comfort. She did not know whether the words were for her grandmother or for herself. She was unable to think but prayed for her recovery. They sat there in silence for some time when Ava offered to get them coffee.

"What happened, mom?" She finally decided to ask, feeling ready to understand what led to her grandmother's condition.

"She had lost her appetite, eating less and less, no matter how hard I tried to persuade her. Maybe she's in pain or something but she kept denying it but I can see that she was feeling uncomfortable. Then, this morning as I was cleaning the kitchen, your father told me that your grandmother had difficulty breathing after he called 911. We went straight here where they placed her on ventilators. The doctor said that the lungs are failing her, the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes and probably other places too but we need to wait for the biopsy. We can only wait and pray." Her mother explained unable to control her tears. She shed tears looking at her sleeping grandmother hoping that she would wake up soon and see her genuine smile, telling her to not worry too much, rubbing her cheeks demanding her to eat more, and holding her in comfort whenever she feel sad. She sobbed at the thought of her dear grandmother.