Chains

Chapter 12

There was a point in my life when I knew how to express my feelings in the right and proper way instead of throwing random tantrums like a spoiled brat. I had learned how to control these emotions and package them away deep inside my chest before i could even even feel them. But everyone has a point of breakage.Even the most stable structures have a fragile point and I was no exception. 

Everyone loved it when I was happy so it became my default emotion while  the others were tucked away deep inside me. I deserved to be happy after what had happened two years ago, but the hidden emotions within me weighed me down. 

However, this all came to an end yesterday in the dressing room. The ticking bomb within me finally released all that I fought to contain and it felt good. It felt as though I was a new person and Shakira had noticed this change within me as well. 

"Who are you, and what have you done with my sister" Shakira asked as she began to eat the breakfast I had made for everyone.I chuckled loudly as her curious eyes stared at me with a hint of disbelief.

"I must be dreaming,right" she said in between chews, trying to convince herself. "Right Gerard" she said, nudging the six foot athlete beside her who was too busy devouring his food. He mumbled a quick 'right' before stuffing his mouth once more. Shakira followed Gerard's actions but her gaze never left mine. 

"Well, I'm off to work" I said, making my way out the kitchen. I was almost in the living room when a string of strange sounds caught my attention. I quickly turned around to meet the quizzical stares of Shakira and Gerard.  Their eyes were widen in shock while their mouths hung open as they stared at me. I opted not to question their reaction as I wanted to be the first one to open the bakery this morning. I gave them a quick wave and a cheeky smile then made my way outside to my car.

It took no longer than 15 minutes for me to see the sign "La Dulce Vida".  To my surprise, I was not the first person to open the bakery. Although the 'closed' sign was still on the door, it was evident that there was someone already in there.I opened the door to see a tall male wiping the tables. His ears were plugged with his earbuds as he emotionally belted out whichever song he was listening to. It was obvious that he didn't detect my presence which made me chuckle a bit, despite the fact that I could've been a thief trying to break in and he wouldn't even know. 

 I stood there for a good 5 minutes until his unfamiliar eyes caught mine. I watched as the blood drained from his face, his eyes doubled in size. He quickly removed the earbuds and shoved them in his pocket. His open mouth twitched,wanting to mutter a word but nothing came out.

"Good Morning " I said, giving him a polite smile. He stared at me for a while before a stuttered 'good morning' finally left his lips. He observed me for a few more seconds then he finally managed to utter more than two words.

"¡Ay Dios!" he exclaimed, running his fingers through his hair, "you're my boss aren't you?"  he asked, already knowing the answer to his question. He stomped his foot then made a faint groan.

"First day on the job and i'm already messing everything up" he muttered under his breath but I was still able to hear him. I let out a small chuckle which made him look even more embarrassed . 

"Don't worry, you're not messing up yet. You should be more attentive though, I could've been a robber" I said to him while making my way to the kitchen. I could hear him replying but his response was too faint for me to understand what he was saying from inside the kitchen. I quickly scanned the list of orders to see that we had managed to accomplish all the orders that were due for today. I examined all the cakes to see if they were fit for sale. They all had my approval.Each cake had an impeccable design to fit the complicated orders from our customers. 

There was no doubt that I had somewhat been slacking off at my business as I rarely came in bakery this past week. But my absence didn't affect the quality of work my fellow workers had done which made me both relieved and thankful for the employees I had.  I placed my apron on and began to make some pastries I had been brainstorming these past few weeks. I had used Shakira and Gerard as my test subjects and they both gave be good reviews so I decided it was now time for the public to decide.

The first idea I had was the most simple, a chocolate,hazelnut and banana croissant as well as a raspberry croissant. I gathered all the ingredients needed and began to make the croissant dough. As minutes passed, more of my employees arrived. I greeted them as they entered the kitchen and needless to say they were more than surprised to see that I was actually here.

"Finally, we missed you so much Lou!" Denise said as she wrapped her arms around me. The others decided to join in which turned this whole situation into a group hug. I refrained from hugging back since my hands were all messy with the dough.

"I missed you guys too" I said, giving them all a genuine smile. I really did miss this place and everybody in it.The group hug slowly dissipated as everyone went to their posts to prepare for their jobs as it was almost opening time.

It took no longer than 20 minutes for me to finish the croissants,as well as mini croissants for the employees to try, and place them into the oven. I decided that I would waste no time and began to create some other pastries. As I was working, I overheard some of the girls gossiping about the new employee. I spent all of 30 minutes listening to how they found the young man attractive. How they thought his eyes alone could impregnate them. 

I couldn't help but wonder if it was the same new employee I encountered this morning. My experience with him this morning wasn't anything to rave about, even though I must admit that I didn't observe every detail of him. I was still confused as to why they were so smitten with him but i refrained from questioning them. 

As if on cue, the devil himself popped into the kitchen with a big smile on his face which undoubtedly made the estrogen levels surrounding me skyrocket. He looked less nervous and more confident than he did this morning, or so I thought. As soon as our eyes connected, his 100 watt smile dimmed into a crooked one. It was as if the confidence he had evaporated into thin air. A crimson red crept its way up to his cheeks.  I broke the awkward stare to look back at the batter I was mixing. A few of the girls in here squealed as he passed by them to get to the store room. I chuckled at how they were acting like young school girls  as I began to pour the batter into the baking cups.  The oven timer went off signalling that the croissants were ready. I quickly finished pouring all the batter I had into the baking cups so I could place them in the oven. I quickly made the exchange and examined the finished croissants.

I tasted one of the mini croissants and I most definitely approved. All the other bakers were trying the croissants when the new guy exited the store room.

"Hey!" i exclaimed, signalling him over to where everyone was.His body oozed of nervousness as he approached us. "Try one" i said , pointing to the plate in my hand. He quickly glanced at everyone enjoying the tasty treat then popped one into his mouth. His nervous exterior was replaced by one of content.

"This is really good!" he exclaimed, taking one more. Everyone around him agreed which showed that they all approved of the new addition to the menu. I smiled widely and thanked them all for the feedback. Everyone went back to their previous tasks except a certain newbie.

"What's your name by the way?" I asked him,realizing that i couldn't refer to him as 'newbie' or 'new guy' forever.

"Jencarlos" he replied, offering me a small smile.