Take Two

10. Hailey

Ten thousand views in a single night? I can't believe this!

I was gaping at the number of views the video I posted last night on YouTube got. I just found our morning dance so hilarious that I decided to share it, but I never thought it would get this popular—over ten thousand views and still counting.

The bell on the restaurant door rung, indicating a customer's entry.

"Is this the place where the chef sings?"

***

The place was unusually brimming with people that day, and there was another huge crowd waiting outside. Even I felt exhausted in the evening even though I didn't particularly do a lot. Although I did make a few more videos of Noah preparing the food and singing songs every hour at customers' requests. I uploaded them all and decided to rename my channel to 'The smart chef that sings'.

It was a Friday afternoon, and the restaurant was busy again brimming with new customers every day, partly because of the videos I had started uploading. So when Noah requested I pick up Carwyn from her school, I agreed.

***

"I am telling you I have a new mom!"

I was waiting outside Carwyn's school when I heard that sweet squabbling voice of hers.

"You don't have a mom Carwyn, your dad's single."

I turned around and saw Carwyn walking out along with two other friends. Her eyes lightened up when she saw me and pointing to me, she told her friends, "There! There is my new mom!" She hopped towards me all the way and then wrapped her tiny hands around my waist in an attempt to hug me.

This was a little uncomfortable. I didn't know how to respond to that. Honestly, I had never thought about kids until now. But then again, wasn't that the reason I chose Noah? Because I wanted that family of his?

"Oh, is that you, Mrs Clifford?" An older looking woman wearing round spectacles asked as she approached me. "We never saw you before."

Noah and I hadn't signed the papers yet because of Christian's stupid competition. But it doesn't really matter, does it? If I refer to myself as Mrs Clifford or Mrs Abraham Lincoln, I am dying anyway. Might as well live the way I want.

"Yeah, yes, I am Carwyn's new mom."

***

The taxi dropped us a block away from the restaurant, and we decided to walk the rest of the way. Carwyn was telling me about her plans for the upcoming summer vacations. We both decided to read the last instalment of Harry Potter together and then watch the movies and compare.

I noticed June standing outside the entrance of the restaurant. She looked like she was a little angry and lost in some thoughts. She had a crumpled sheet of paper in her hand, which she rolled into a ball, tossed it aside and then walked through the door.

"Carwyn, do you mind going ahead of me?"

She leapt her way inside the restaurant, and I crouched down to pick up the piece of paper she threw away. It was a school note addressed to June's guardian, which said that she had been missing a lot of her classes and her grades were terrible, and her homeroom teacher wanted to meet.

This isn't something she should be throwing away.

I folded the paper and put it in my handbag and entered the restaurant. Just like the last few days, the place was brimming with people but what was surprising was to see Christian waiting on some tables. Clad in an apron, he was rushing around from table to table collecting orders. Our eyes met, and I couldn't stop myself from bursting out into laughter.