~The New Job.~
A month had already gone by and nothing happened. Henry and I had finally settled down in Lina’s apartment. And now our everyday routine was ok for all of us. Lina was leaving the house from early morning to her school, a school bus was coming everyday to pick up Henry for his kindergarten and I was finally going to work.
I had just got off the subway when my phone rang. I pressed to answer without looking at who was calling me:
”Hello?”
”Hey big mama why aren’t you answering my calls?”
”I was in the subway, everything’s good?”
”Yeah, everything is fine! I was just wondering if you have found the place yet…”
”No, not yet… ” I mumbled sad but still excited.
”Well don’t lose hope Loki Lady. Hey, we’ll bring fish and chips back home for lunch, ok?”
”Ok, Alex see you later.”
”Byyee.”
I closed the phone and let the music take me away. It was still early in the morning and I had time to walk around. So I bought some hot coffee and with my headphones on I was looking at the people who were passing by me, wondering how my new job would be like.
I took advantage that I was good at cooking so I found some people who hired me. The truth is that I gave many interviews for jobs but when I was ready to give up my phone rang and when I picked it up I heard the good news! And guess what?! For the first time in my life I was going to work in a team! And not just any team a chef’s team! We were going to take care the part of food in big events, happenings, weddings and in national celebratings.
My team was mostly about the “sweet” and the snacks or finger food part. I looked the address that I had written in my hand to check if I was on the right street. And there it was. A huge building was in front of me, hiding the sun behind it like a giant that had just woke up.
I took a deep breath and kept walking. From the front, the shop had huge windows with violet wooden walls. In the ground floor I could see the pastry chefs and the bakers behind huge benches making all kinds of sweets.
I checked my hair as I passed close to the windows of the shop. I was ready to pull the door but it opened all by itself. I took a step behind and saw two guys walking out from the shop. When they saw me they stopped talking, they smiled to me and I felt like I was blushing. I smiled back and caught the door before it closes.
”Hello…” The one guy with a tattoo on his neck said to me.
”Good morning it is…” The other guy who was wearing a white chef costume said.
”Hi.” I said to them “Jackasses…” I thought and closed the door behind me.
When I got into the laboratory the smells from vanilla, chocolate and cinnamon flooded my nose. I took a deep breath and I walked more inside. Because of the hit in the laboratory I had to take off my scarf. “Play cool, play cool…” I reminded myself as I was looking around. I was feeling so excited but still scared. All the chefs were working hard, I could hear the sounds of mixers, boiling chocolate, baking croissants and small talks.
I saw a girl in the first bench looking at me. I looked back at her.
”Heeyyy!” She said to me and I walked closer to her.
In front of her she had a big bowl and she was mixing up a blend that had the colour of blood.
”Hello I’m Annabel” She said to me as she pushed her glasses closer to her eyes.
”I’m Alice nice to meet you!” I answered happily.
”Nice to meet you too! You must be new here…”
”Yes, it’s my first day at work.”
”Oh, good for you girl! Here taste it.” Annabel said and pushed close to me the bowl. I looked at her and then back to the bowl. “Tell me if it’s ok.” She said and meaningfully she blinked her right eye.
Carefully I sunk just the edge of my finger in the blend and placed it in my mouth. It was like a waterfall of strawberries and cherries was falling on me.
”Mmmm!” I said and looked at her. She smiled.
”Alice?”
I heard a woman’s voice from behind calling my name so I turned as I took my finger off my mouth. Five steps behind me a woman, older than me, was standing and looking at my way. She was wearing a black t-shirt and a white apron around her waist. Her hair was in a tight bun and she was wearing no makeup at all.
”Hello…” I said and smiled.
”My name is Helen I’m the owner of this little shop, you came just in time. Please follow me.” She said and walked away from the laboratory. We were walking in a hall when she opened a door.
It wasn’t her office, more like a changing room.
”Here.” She said and handed me some clothes when we walked in. “The black t-shirt is your suit for when we are going in an event. You have an apron, which you always have to carry with you no matter if we are here or in a job. You can never wear colourful cloths in our job or uniforms. This is the only rule we have. Ok?”
I looked at her without saying anything. She scared me, the way she was talking but everything she just told me was absolutely understood. I nodded my head and smiled.
”Alright!” She said happily. “Please wear your suit because in 10 minutes we are leaving.” She was just about to open the door and get out but I stopped her.
”Going where?” I asked.
”In a job of course.” She said and opened the door. “Now if you excuse me I have to go and inform the other chefs.”
She closed the door behind her, leaving me alone in the room. I placed my new clothes on a sit and took off mine. “Job? What kind of job?” I was asking myself as I was wearing my new t-shirt. When I was ready I looked at the mirror that the lockers had. I smiled, placed my everyday clothes in my bag and I hided my self-phone in my new trousers pocket. I took my apron on my hand and walked out.
I heard noises coming from the laboratory as I was walking back. When I stepped into the room I saw all the chefs talking to each other; everyone had already taken off their aprons and they were holding them in their hands. Some of them were already wearing their coats, others were still holding them. I saw Annabel and walked towards her.
”What is happening?” I asked.
”We are waiting for the snacks to get in the vans and we are leaving.” She answered me.
”And where are we going?”
”On a set of a movie!” She said and smiled to me as her face lighted up. “The producers wanted to work with us so we could cook for all the cast and the people that are working in this movie.”
”REALLY?!” I said excited.
”Yeah! Yeah! Um… Look, I know that you are new here so I because I really like you, I volunteered and said to Helen that I can help you get in the mood of our job.” She said kindly. I was ready to thank her but-
”Attention to all chefs, the foods are in the vans. In two hours I want you all to be in the studio. Let’s do our best people!” I heard Helen shouting in the middle of the room so everyone could hear her.
”Do you know where the studio is?” Annabel asked me.
”No clue…” I answered confused of what was happening.
”That’s ok we’ll take my car.” She said excited and I followed her like a zombie that didn’t know what to do. We walked out of the shop and into the parking.
In the car I got to know more about her. About her life and how did she choose to become a chef. She was a very nice, happy person and that’s why I liked her company a lot. We were for a long time in the car driving to the place that the studio was shooting. And the truth is that we had left London behind us, now we were driving in the countryside.
”Look! There is where we are shooting!” She said to me and pointed a huge castle after one and a half hour of driving.
”Woooow…” I said as I leaned further out of the window to see it clear.
My heart was beating like crazy and sometimes I was feeling like the stress was going to chock me. But still I wouldn’t change a thing. This job was my only chance to earn some money and to work between my two favourite activities. However, I still hadn’t understood what I was supposed to do in the studio. So, I asked.
”Annabel, please explain to me what are we doing here?” I asked her as I sat back on my sit.
”Well since it’s so early we are going to serve breakfast. I’m sure that even if the stars are not here yet, the crew will be starving.”
”WAIT! We are going to see the stars?!” I asked her excited.
”They are humans too, they need to feed.” She answered me and lowered speed to take better a turn.
”Ok, good. So…”
”Let me explain it to you, our job is to keep the food hot and fresh ‘till they eat it all.” She said and we laughed.
”Will other chefs be already there?” I asked her.
”Of course, they will make the stands and they will probably start making the coffees.”
We kept talking till we got in frond of the studio were a crowd of chefs was standing.
”I know it has been too long since we took part in a movie. But it’s not something new for us! I want every chef to have a walkie talkie on him so we can have everything under control.” Helen was saying to all of us.
”Here…” A guy said and handed me my walkie talkie.
”Thanks.” I answered and placed it on my trouser.
”Now I want 10 chefs, 10 bakers and 10 pastry chefs to go on the left.” A big part of us went left, but I stood there. “The people who left behind please follow the leads of Annabel, the rest follow me.” Helen said and with the others she walked to the vans.
”Ok chefs first of all good morning.” Annabel said to us. We were only 5 people left, and I counted me as well. “I know it’s early and you would rather to be in your beds but we have work to do! Our benches are ready, soon Helen’s team will bring the food. I want every bench to have at least one pastry chef. If you face any problem contact us from your walkie talkie.”
We all walked in the open studio; our number one gold was to find a bench. I was feeling confidence and sure about myself. I wasn’t caring what others were saying, it was my first day and I wanted to be as professional as I could. I found a bench and stood behind it.
One thing was sure, I had chosen the one bench that was in the middle of the studio. From were I was standing I could see the cameras and the people that were regulated the lights, I could see the directors talking and some extras walking around. But still no stars had showed up.
I placed my apron around my waist and tight it good. Then I made my hair a fast, lazy bun and start my job. I started the coffee machine making coffee, I turned on the tea makers so they can start warming the water for tea and as long as I was doing that I kept thinking what I was thinking all the past few weeks. Tom.
It was stupid, I know; but I couldn’t take him out of my mind. Even if I hadn’t told anyone there were some nights that I was waking up from my sleep because I was crying. I wish… oh, God I wish I had the chance to see him again for one last time at least.
”Hello Alice.” A chef told me and started placing some covered pans on my bench.
”Heyyyyy…?”
”Timothy.” The guy said as he smiled to me.
”Yes, Timothy… So when I open them?” I asked him curious about what those pans had inside.
”The others will open them in five minutes. Because everyone knows that we are here so they will start coming. If you need anything just talk to me from your woki ok?” Timothy said and smiled as he walked away.
”Got it.” I answered and followed him with my eyes until I lost him in the crowd of people.
After five minutes I uncovered the pans. They had scrambled eggs, French toasts, muffins, cheese rolls and many other things. Because of the fact that I was in the middle of the studio many people from the crew would come to me, so my bench had more foods and drinks than all the others.
Some time later six men approached me slowly. I placed my best and most friendly smile on my face and welcomed them. Right away they smiled back to me and started asking me about what I had on my bench. More people came, we started talking, I served them coffee, tea, even juices, they were all so friendly. They told me their names and asked about me. I felt so comfortable around them.
The crew had even the kindness to inform me about the movie. They said it was called “Henry IV” by Shakespeare. The title excited me and I wanted to know more. So that explained why so many extras were dressed up in old looking costumes.
”Timi I need some more scrambled eggs.” I said to the walkie talkie and from the other side I heard:
”Coming right away Alice!”
”OK PEOPLE 5 MINUTES!” We all heard the director saying.
I was so SO excited that in 5 minutes I would get to see a BBC’s TV-movie filming. Still I kept my smile on and I was helping people choose something quick to eat before the cameras start rolling.
”Here are your eggs Alice.” Tim said to me as he came behind my bench and placed the new pan over the old one.
”Thank youuuuu!!!” I answered to him while I was placing some coffee in a paper cup.
”CAMERAS, LIGHTS?” The director said again.
”Good morning.” I heard someone telling me with cool voice, but I was too busy to look at him.
”Good morning, may I help you?” I asked him as I gave a fork to a lady that had requested.
”Can I have a chocolate muffin?” The man asked me.
”HAS ANYONE SEEN TOM?” The director asked the crew.
”Of course.” I answered as I took one and placed it on a napkin.
I raised my head to look at the man while I handed him what he had asked. And when I saw him I felt like there was no groundunderneath my feet.
”Here you are!” The director said and to the man, as he placed his hand around the man’s shoulders.
”Oh, hey man.” The guy said and they both walked away.
”ALRIGHT PEOPLE WE FOUND HIM! PLACES EVERYONE!” The director said.
”Thanks for the muffin by the way!” The guy turned his head and with a beautiful teeth-full smile on his face he shouted to me so I could hear him.
My eyes pierced trough the underground that surrounded me. Was that a cute opening in between the hills? My panicking self that was called Alice yearned for that howl!! (Where was that stupid rabbit?!) The last I exhaled from my mouth was a question
“Tom…?”
Unfortunately as I learned later it coincided with the ring of the bell that begun the shootings...
