5

Roosevelt Kitchen (RK)

The next morning was very bright. The employees of Roosevelt ktchen resumed work after the brief weekend. The kitchen was divided into different sections where different chefs were assigned different works. 

Josie Maran and her co-chefs and friends were in section B of the kitchen, where ingredients of important courses gotten by chefs in section A were sorted out accordingly before taken to section C of the kitchen where it is fully cooked and prepared. From section C, it is then transferred to section D, the main place where customers and guests were attended to. 

Section B was the most lively section in Roosevelt Kitchen; Frederick Hart, a very cheerful guy who associates well with the other chefs, although he doesn't seem to be closely attached to anyone, Heidi Andrew, a pretty young lady who also relates well, Rose Ryan, a talkative and a very troublesome lady, Isabelle Clark, Josie's closest friend and Noah Bryan, a quiet and gentle guy who hardly talks but relates well with the others, although the ladies in the kitchen liked everything about him from his physical features to his distinct character.

After they finished preparing the ingredients for the morning course, they passed it to section C before taking a break. 

“Seems like we're going to have a lot of guests today.” Heidi commented as she washed her hands.

“I thought my hand was going to fall off from slicing so hard.” Rose added as she stretched her hands up and down.

“If you start complaining just at the beginning of a new week, I wonder how the rest of the days would be like.” Frederick pointed out, clearing the chopping board in front of him.

“Hey, Frederick Hart!” Rose exclaimed. “Are you talking to me?”

“Who else?”

Rose picked up the knife she had dropped earlier and pointed it at him. “Are you telling me right now that you enjoy slicing?”

“Isn't it better than cutting? Or you want to switch with me?”

“You guys should stop it already.” Josie cautioned as she grabbed a towel to wipe her wet hands. “It's too early to start arguing. We still have a lot of things to do. We'll start the afternoon course soon.”

Just then, Mason Jazz, the senior and chief chef of their section came in with Isabella, who was going to be punished for coming late. Josie and her co-chefs begged him to forgive her as they knew coming late at the beginning of a new week attracts punishment, but he didn't give in.

“Senior Mason, just let it pass this once. She's definitely not going to repeat it.” Josie pleaded on her behalf.

“That's right, Senior.” Rose added. “There's probably a reason why she came late.”

Sharpening his knife, Frederick cleared his throat. “She got drunk last night, that's why.”

Josie, Rose, and Heidi turned to look at him all of a sudden. “Frederick!” They all exclaimed.

Startled at the way they called him in unison, he dropped the knife he was holding and shot them a stern gaze. “What?” He asked before turning to look at Isabella whose look wasn't different from theirs. “Am I wrong?” he asked her.

“Aishhh, seriously! Can't you pretend to be nice for once?” Rose blurted out.

“Senior, forgive her this once.” Josie pleaded, ignoring them.

Mason Jazz cleared his throat after their whole drama before turning to look at Isabella. “Looks like they all love you.”

“Senior, I'm really sorry. I promise not to repeat it.” Isabella pleaded. “I'm truly and deeply sorry. I won't repeat it. I mean it.”

Rose noticed how silent Noah Bryan was. “But. . . Noah, are you not going to say anything?”

Noah Bryan looked up at her and then at Mason Jazz. “He'll release her if he wants.” He replied before continuing what he was doing before he was called.

“Whoa!” she exclaimed. “As cool as always!”

Ignoring what just happened, they kept on pestering Mason to release her and he had no other option than to release her. Thanking him profusely, they promised to take him out some other time. Giving them a stern look, he proceeded into giving them the information he had for them before Isabella came late.

“From now on,” He started after clearing his throat. “We'll start working in pairs just like those in other sections. Each person will have a partner and whatever work you'll be doing, you two will be doing it together.”

“Really?!” Rose exclaimed happily. “I was wondering when we'll be paired together like others and here is the good news. Finally! Senior, I'll work with Noah!”

“Me too!” Isabella also exclaimed.

Sighing, he ignored them and continued. “From now on, Frederick Hart and Isabella Clark, you two will work together.”

“Eh?!” Frederick and Isabella exclaimed at the same time.

“Why me?! Why do I have to work with Frederick?” She voiced out as it was very clear and obvious that she really disliked Frederick.

“I want another partner.” Frederick also voiced his concern for the wrong pairing.

Nevertheless, Mason ignored them and continued. “Rose!"

“Yes, Senior!”

“You'll be Mason Jazz's partner.”

Smiling, Rose nodded and just then, she opened her eyes wide in surprise. “Eh?!” she exclaimed. “Senior, that's you!”

“Noah Bryan and Heidi Andrew, you two will work together.” Noah and Heidi kept quiet as the others stared at them when they gave no complaint. It was  obvious that Heidi was very lucky to be partnered with Noah.

“Senior," Isabella called, breaking the silence. “It's unfair! I can't work with Frederick!”

“Me too! How can I work with you, Senior.” Rose also pointed out. “Do you even work?”

“Hey! Rose. You're talking to Mason. He's our senior.”

“So what?”

Heidi and Isabella were about hitting Rose when Josie interrupted them. “Hey! Are you going to keep on complaining!” She scolded before turning to Mason. “Senior, you paired everyone and left me out. Who is going to be my partner or am I going to work alone while everyone works with a partner?”

“That's right!” Isabella agreed. “Josie doesn't have a partner.”

“Josie Maran.” Mason called.

“Yes, Senior.”

“You told me you wanted a junior, didn't you?”

Josie cleared her throat. “Well. . . yes, I did. But that was before the whole issue of having a partner came up. Or. . .” she paused moving closer to him. “. . .is there a new person joining us?”

“That's right. We have a new person joining us and starting from today, he'll work under Josie."

Smiling happily, she held his hand tightly. "Really? I get to be a Senior? Oh my! This is actually real! I'm having a junior.”

“Wow! When did Josie meet with you, Senior? I also want a junior!” Isabella said, glancing at Frederick. “That would be better than a partner like him.‟

“We had a private talk.” Josie replied, hitting Isabella's head.

“Hey! That hurts!”

“Private talk?” Rose asked.

“That's enough!” Mason ordered, slamming his hand on the table to get their attention, startling them in the process. "You all should get back to work and start preparation for the lunch course.”

“Yes, Senior!” All exclaimed in unison excluding Noah.

“Rose!” he called.

“Yes?”

“Follow me.”

“Eh?”

Mason left the chefs to work while Rose followed behind. Heidi walked up to Noah to ask what to help him with while Frederick and Isabella gave themselves long and hard stares wondering why they had to be partners. Sighing, Isabella left Frederick and walked up to Josie offering to help her instead.

“You must be lucky.” She commented, helping Josie in washing the vegetables.

Josie picked up a knife to begin her work. “What do you mean?”

“Having someone working under you, and having someone you can order around just like Mason senior, you must be really lucky.”

“I guess.” She sighed. Just then, she remembered what she went through the previous night in Isabella's drunken state. Picking up the wooden spoon in front of her, she hit Isabella on her forehead.

“Hey!” Isabella exclaimed surprised at her action. “What was that for?”

“You!” Josie raised her voice pointing the spoon at her as if to hit her with it again. “Why did you get drunk last night?”

“What?” Isabella asked trying to feign ignorance, but seeing the look on her friend's face, she leaned closer to her. “How did you know?”

Dropping the wooden spoon, she concentrated on cutting the vegetables in front of her. “What do 

you mean by how did I know? You don't remember?” She asked and Isabella shook her head. “I don't expect you to remember with that dull brain of yours.” She added, hitting her head again. “The next time you get drunk and put me through what I went through last night, you'll be in trouble. Anyways, did he prepare hangover soup for you?”

Smiling, she nodded her head. “Uhn. It was really nice. I took it before rushing down here.”

Josie smiled and glanced at Frederick who was cutting meat ribs. “Fred, that guy, he actually listened.”

Isabella gave her a puzzled frown. “What are you saying?”

“You really don't remember?” She asked, looking at her while she shook her head. “You were at Frederick's apartment last night.”

“What! Fred's apartment? How? I can only remember going to your apartment.”

“My brother's apartment.” She corrected.

“How then did I get to Fred's apartment?” she asked still surprised.

“I carried you there when my brother kicked me out because of you!”

“Then why Fred's place! Of all places!"

"Because there was no other place I could think of!” she replied before holding the wooden spoon up again. “Oh oh! See this girl! You should thank me for carrying you all the way there and you should thank him for bearing with you and even preparing you something to take this morning.”

Frederick turned to look at them coincidentally, making Isabella cover her face feeling embarrassed. Isabella was about leaving when Josie called her back.

“Hey! Isabella!”

Pausing, she turned back. “What?”

“Delete his password. My brother's password I mean.”

“From where?” She asked, taken aback.

“Your brain.”

“How am I supposed to do that? I didn't know it was your brother's apartment. You two shouldn't share the same password! How am I supposed to delete it from my memory?”

“I don't know. Just find a way never to remember it.”

“How is a person supposed to forget a simple six digit password just like that? Why don't you ask him to change it instead?”

Just then, Rose rushed in panting like she was being chased. Panting heavily, she called them together. “Guys guys! You can't believe this!”

“What is wrong with you?” Isabella asked her.

“You can't believe this! Director Laura is meeting with the manager of Arizona! I saw them with my eyes when I went with senior!”

“Are you serious?” Josie asked with keen interest.

“Believe me!”

“Are you saying Director Laura has finally agreed for us to participate in the competition?” Frederick asked.

“That's what I'm saying, but I'm not sure of what they were talking about.”

“It's obvious that they'll be talking about the competition.” Heidi replied.

“Oh my!” Isabella exclaimed. “That's going to be great! Josie, this is what you've been waiting for, isn't it?”

Josie stared at her, not wanting to believe what she said. Ever since she started working at Roosevelt Kitchen, participating in the competition with other chefs had always been her priority especially when she knew that Arizona held the competition twice a year. 

However, Director Laura, owner of RK had stopped her chefs from participating in Arizona’s competition. Her reason was because they flawed in their last competition and went home with the third position despite always winning the previous competitions. Josie was later accepted as a chef only to be devastated to learn that RK stopped participating in the competitions which was one of the main reasons she chose RK.

“That's impossible.” She replied as she continued with what she was doing, trying not to show how happy she would be if it were true. “How does she meeting with Arizona's manager mean she has agreed to allow us participate in the competition? Why would Director Laura change her mind all of a sudden?”

“I'm really serious.” Rose defended. “I saw both of them together.”

“Josie is right.” Frederick supported. “Seeing them together doesn't mean Director Laura has agreed to it. Who knows if she turned it down?”

“That's right.” Isabella also agreed.

"Whatever!” Rose dropped the topic with a wave of her hand. “Anyways, the new guy joining us has arrived. He should be coming with Senior anytime soon.”

“A guy?” Isabella asked.

Rose nodded. “He's really tall and handsome.”

“How tall is he?” She asked again.

“Stop saying nonsense and get back to work!” Frederick interrupted.

Ignoring him, Rose looked at him and then at Noah. “He's as tall as Noah.”

Isabella looked at Noah and then at Josie who was very busy with the vegetables in front of her. “Josie, what are you going to do? I'm sure you won't like to give orders to someone you have to look up at.”

“Josie is not that short.” Heidi pointed out.

“But Noah is taller than she is.” Isabella noted.

Just then, Mason came inside and caught them talking. They went dead silent immediately they saw him.

“Are you supposed to be talking or working? Or do you want to spend extra time working?” he scolded while they all replied in unison.

“No!”

“Then do your work well!” Clearing his throat, he looked towards the door as a guy stepped in. 

“Everyone, welcome our newest member.” He said before turning to the guy. “Say hello.”

Isabella, Heidi and Rose stared at him while Frederick and Noah gave him quick glances. Josie raised her head up only to open them wide in surprise. Slamming the knife she was holding on the table angrily, she exclaimed. “You again?!”