tried to decide what we’d have extra of after setting aside supplies for the primary menu. I knew I wanted a soup, a salad, and pasta dish for today’s specials. I made lists of all the excess produce and started orchestrating recipes in my head. It was easier said than done and not because I can’t come up with recipes on the fly. I’d consider that a strength of mine as a chef. No, it was a challenge because every time I tried to imagine butternut squash and American cheese combining in a soup or arugula and cottage cheese combining in a salad, my thoughts drifted toward Cole Saunders.
The entire week had been a struggle while I watched him work on repairs with his crew and saw him goofing around with Kaila or Sonia. Even when he was gone, I was reminded of him. The tables made me think of our ill-advised drinking competition. The kitchen counter reminded me of how he’d fucked me over it. The bar recalled memories of leaning back with a phone in my hand while Cole planted his head between my legs. There was no escaping Cole Saunders in this restaurant and there would be no exorcising the memory of him inside of me.
I was vaguely aware that Francis had arrived. He’d mentioned on Monday that he would try to come by. I guessed I’d been hoping he’d forget or something. Silly me. I spied him hugging and kissing my Mom through the windows in the kitchen doors. They pulled back and gave each other long gazes. Perfect. Cole, Sr. was just as bad as his son. The two of them would romance you any way they could. Looking at him, I was struck by the physical resemblances between him and Cole. They both had powerful jawbones and light eyes. I imagined a younger Francis with Cole’s blonde locks.
“You’re very far away aren’t you?” Sonia had entered the kitchen through the back without my even noticing.
“Jesus.” I jumped a little at the sound of her voice.
“Didn’t mean to scare you. I came from outside. Took the last of the recycling out.”
“It’s ok.” I rubbed my scalp a little in a vain attempt to clear my head. “I’m just spacing out.”
“Oh really.” Sonia gazed out the kitchen doors, attempting to see what I’d been staring at. “And what, pray tell, has you all out of sorts on the day of your big grand opening?”
“Nothing,” I blurted too quickly. “I mean, it’s nothing. I just haven’t been getting enough sleep.”
“Could it have something to do with a certain contractor that you never sealed the deal with? I told you you’d feel better if you’d nailed him.” Sonia sounded like a mother hen. She said this in the same tone that my own mother would use when telling me I’d feel better if I ate my vegetables.
“It is definitely not that.”
“Pity. You two made such a cute couple.”
“We weren’t a couple.”
“Ok.” Sonia gave an elaborate shrug and headed toward the pantry. She threw it open dramatically. “Now, let’s put whatever is eating you behind you and get these specials done.”
We put our heads together, deciding on specials that were equal parts undemanding and impressive. Sonia’s presence was good motivation to focus on the task at hand. The last thing I wanted was to have to contend with her incessant remarks about how I was fantasizing about Cole Saunders. It didn’t matter that she was right. When we were very near the finish, my cell began bleating out a shrill ring from the confines of my purse.
“Who could be calling you now ?” Sonia sighed as she doodled on our specials list.
“It’s probably Kaila explaining why she wasn’t here to help this morning,” I said as I looked to the screen and saw an alien number there. “Or not…huh…Hello?”
“Hello. I’m calling for a Ms. Moneka Hart.”
“This is she.”
“Ms. Hart I’m afraid to inform you that your sister, Mr. Kaila Hart, suffered serious injuries in a car accident and is currently in critical condition at Massachusetts General Hospital.”
I was sitting on
The entire week had been a struggle while I watched him work on repairs with his crew and saw him goofing around with Kaila or Sonia. Even when he was gone, I was reminded of him. The tables made me think of our ill-advised drinking competition. The kitchen counter reminded me of how he’d fucked me over it. The bar recalled memories of leaning back with a phone in my hand while Cole planted his head between my legs. There was no escaping Cole Saunders in this restaurant and there would be no exorcising the memory of him inside of me.
I was vaguely aware that Francis had arrived. He’d mentioned on Monday that he would try to come by. I guessed I’d been hoping he’d forget or something. Silly me. I spied him hugging and kissing my Mom through the windows in the kitchen doors. They pulled back and gave each other long gazes. Perfect. Cole, Sr. was just as bad as his son. The two of them would romance you any way they could. Looking at him, I was struck by the physical resemblances between him and Cole. They both had powerful jawbones and light eyes. I imagined a younger Francis with Cole’s blonde locks.
“You’re very far away aren’t you?” Sonia had entered the kitchen through the back without my even noticing.
“Jesus.” I jumped a little at the sound of her voice.
“Didn’t mean to scare you. I came from outside. Took the last of the recycling out.”
“It’s ok.” I rubbed my scalp a little in a vain attempt to clear my head. “I’m just spacing out.”
“Oh really.” Sonia gazed out the kitchen doors, attempting to see what I’d been staring at. “And what, pray tell, has you all out of sorts on the day of your big grand opening?”
“Nothing,” I blurted too quickly. “I mean, it’s nothing. I just haven’t been getting enough sleep.”
“Could it have something to do with a certain contractor that you never sealed the deal with? I told you you’d feel better if you’d nailed him.” Sonia sounded like a mother hen. She said this in the same tone that my own mother would use when telling me I’d feel better if I ate my vegetables.
“It is definitely not that.”
“Pity. You two made such a cute couple.”
“We weren’t a couple.”
“Ok.” Sonia gave an elaborate shrug and headed toward the pantry. She threw it open dramatically. “Now, let’s put whatever is eating you behind you and get these specials done.”
We put our heads together, deciding on specials that were equal parts undemanding and impressive. Sonia’s presence was good motivation to focus on the task at hand. The last thing I wanted was to have to contend with her incessant remarks about how I was fantasizing about Cole Saunders. It didn’t matter that she was right. When we were very near the finish, my cell began bleating out a shrill ring from the confines of my purse.
“Who could be calling you now ?” Sonia sighed as she doodled on our specials list.
“It’s probably Kaila explaining why she wasn’t here to help this morning,” I said as I looked to the screen and saw an alien number there. “Or not…huh…Hello?”
“Hello. I’m calling for a Ms. Moneka Hart.”
“This is she.”
“Ms. Hart I’m afraid to inform you that your sister, Mr. Kaila Hart, suffered serious injuries in a car accident and is currently in critical condition at Massachusetts General Hospital.”
I was sitting on
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