Insomniac

Chapter One

The sound of crinkling plastic was heard coming from behind his desk, and then the source surfaced as he lifted up the hand that was halfway hidden by the desk.

“Good. You came highly recommended from your alma mater, so the management decided to skip your training months and hire you full time. But if we see that you’re not fully ready to handle the pressure, we’ll have to revisit your contract.”

“Understandable.” She nodded.

“Great. I informed the top chef this morning of your supposed arrival so he’s expecting you. We weren’t sure if you would want to start today. Here are your uniforms. And you can let me know of any problems you might face anytime.” He smiled warmly and she nodded, accepting her uniform from his outstretched hand.

“Thank you so much, Balil.”

“Don’t mention it. Here is the contract. You can take it and read through it, before signing this evening. There’s a particular policy that we have which is very strict. We don’t allow dating between co-workers. If it happens, it’s a strike in your file. Two strikes of the same kind lead to immediate termination.”

That’s not going to be a problem.

“No dating. Got it. Is there anything else?”

“A few minor ones here and there, but I’m sure you’ll see them. Also, you have to work at The Restaurant for two months before considering the idea of quitting. In addition to that, we usually encourage our chefs to take the cooks who are interested in doing more under their wing, so that when they leave, their spaces can be occupied temporarily or permanently, depending on their skills and how well they learned. Do you understand?”

“Perfectly. Sounds good.”

His door opened and a pretty girl, dressed in a waitress uniform that she recognized, stepped in. It was the purple dashiki in an apron format, hung over her black shirt and black jeans. “You sent for me?” 

She glanced over at Zelah, but said nothing to her. It was a look of curiosity, she knew it anywhere. She was no psychic but that look hinted at something that was brewing between the girl and Balil. 

Interesting.

“Yes. Please take Zelah to Chef Holden, she’s starting work today. Zelah, this is Michaela, she’s our head waitress here.”

Zelah sent a small smile in her direction, noticing that her countenance became much calmer after the introduction was made. She was not that smart, but she knew women. After all, she was one herself.

 He stood up and extended a hand to Zelah, who shook it firmly. “Welcome to The Restaurant,” Balil said, flashing his dazzling smile that made his eyes crinkle around the corners.

“Thank you, Balil. I’m glad to be here.”

She left with Michaela and they walked down the hallway together. “You need to get changed,” Michaela said, scanning a list on a small notepad that she took out of her jeans back pocket. “Chef Holden is cranky today,” she paused then continued, “actually, he’s in a bad mood every day, so you don’t want to be on the wrong end of it—especially on your first day.” She pointed her in the direction of the changing room as they drew nearer. “How long do you think you’ll be?”