"Thank you for the advice and support from everyone to help make this day happen."
Colette, the 32 years old woman with short black hair in the smart white chef uniform who had just been promoted to be the sous chef said thanking and smiling to her colleagues in the full-functional kitchen of the 5-stars bistro where she worked, all of them respond by joyful cheer and raised their wine glasses in their hands to her.
Everyone sipped their wine after the cheering except Colette as she was for waiting someone, someone that was so important to her in her entire culinary career, then in a few seconds the person she is waiting on walked through the back door after finished talking on his cell phone.
"And thanks you very much sir, Chef Gusteau, thanks for accepting me as an apprentice and the opportunities you have given to me over the last 4 years ago until today, thanks you Sir." Colette said.
That person who was in his late 50's, a fat man with black-grey hair and dressed in a well-tailored white chef outfit. He picked up his glass of wine on the counter and raised it to congratulate her, not saying a thing but only smiled.
The smile made her feel surprised and shocked as well as the other kitchen staffs including the one who was recording the video of the whole celebrating via his smartphone.
The celebration lasted a few hours. Although now Colette was the sous chef it didn't make her too snobbish as in helping other kitchen staff in clearing the kitchen before go back to her apartment, that's why everyone liked her and thought she deserved for this promotion.
"Goodnight Chef Gusteau, see you tomorrow sir." Colette said to her boss after she put two large garbage bags in the dumpster behind the bistro, in the same area of the staff's parking spaces.
"You too Mrs. Lorenz, and again, I'm so glad to have a person who has the talent and cuisine skill like you in our kitchen, see you tomorrow." He replied back with a quite stern face as same as normal, before popping in the driver compartment of his black Renault 25 and drove off the parking space on to the road.
"You are so amazing, Colette." Albert, the slight-chubby middle age man with trim moustache who was the saucier said to her after popping out from the back door with Bonnie, a young girl who was another colleague is the desserts and cold dishes chef.
"For taking the large garbage bags to the dumpster and helping everyone clearing the kitchen, Mr. Anderson?" She replies teasingly in friendly tone.
"No no, we mean...you can make him smile." Bonnie explained.
"I also feel as same as you, this is the first time I have seen him smile since I worked here." Colette said.
"Longer than that lass, this is the first time we have seen him smile in the workplace or may be whole of his time since I worked under his command." What Albert said made her feel more surprised as he had worked here longest of all the recent staff that meant their boss had never smiled for nearly decade.
"Anybody know why?" Colette asked.
"He never said and as long as that's not affecting our work. It may be to private for him to share, we don't want to bring it to a head." Bonnie explained.
"Hmm..Thanks for letting me known that, ok I will go now, see you tomorrow." Colette said sayiny goodbye to her colleagues and walked to her red Geo Storm that was parked nearby.
Knowing about the smiling of her master make her feel so proud, and worthy for herself, Colette never feel so good and happy like this since she graduated from the culinary school, may be since she was born as the orphan girl.
Colette found out she liked cooking and anything about culinary service. One day when she volunteered to work in the mess hall of the orphan house that was her roof since she could remember until she was a teenager. Colette's diligence and industrious nature was awarded with a scholarship from once of the famous boarding culinary school where she graduated with the quite outstanding grades within 4 years.
Then Colette's world started to fail her again, since her graduation as she didn't have any restaurants (although non 5-stars) accept her requirement for apprenticeship or respond to her resumes. Colette had a prep-cook position and then for 2 years she worked as the fast food chain scullion after she graduated. Colette's dream and hopes to become a chef for cooking on the real food was dying slowly.
Until the day when she received the formal letter from Gusteau's that she was accepted to the apprenticeship that she had applied for after sending the requirements and resume few months earlier. Colette was to work under Chef Francis Gusteau command directly and works on the real food in his award-winning restaurant. That made her feels like someone had pulled her out from the dark cave to meet the sunlight again.
She had seen him in some previous culinary art magazines, but when she see him at Gusteau's, the aura of strength and respectability that the fat head chef radiated to her. He was quite strict and had an almost unreadable face all the time when he was on duties and every time she had seen him, but she felt secure and warm every time he was nearby, He was more like a father than master to her (and whole staff), advised, supported, taught, guided everything that's necessary for her to progress in this career as she wished and wanted.
From the feeling of loyalty and respecting Colette become enamored and attracted to her master, the fat head chef who never smiled and was so strict but made her and everyone who worked under his command feel good and secure, his rotund stomach and 350 pound wide body under the chef uniform look so appealing in her eyesight, his pudgy face and double chin look so touchy, his movement on the kitchen duties looked so active and powerful like a sumo wrestler in the ring, his voice was soft but firm, everything in this fat older man make her adore him so much.
That's was only Colette thinking, doing anything that over the line of "boss-employee / apprentice-mentor zone" can turn everything upside down , ruin her career, make her idol look at her as the slut who would climb up the chef rank by using boobs and pussy,
Or perhaps make him think Colette would see him as the perverted old man who promoted her because he wanted to fuck her.
She's not sure if she had proved herself in his kitchen to a degree to have special attention from him, especially something that's more than a working and apprenticeship-thing.
A Month later, the routine in Gusteau's was going on as normal; becoming the sous chef didn't affect Colette's relationship with her colleagues. She didn't mind to help them in working, still hanging out with them in lunch break and sometimes after work, and still working hard and dedicated as in the past. Everyone loved her and was glad to have her as the 2nd in command.
The night was Saturday and the service just closed, Colette and the whole staff were clearing the kitchen and preparing themselves for go back to their homes or hang out late that night because tomorrow was Sunday. Chef Gusteau was still in his office, sitting in the comfy leather chair behind the large oak desk, looking at documents in his meaty hand and was interrupted by the soft knocking on the door.
"Come in." He said to the person who walked through the door was Colette with the folder in her hand.
"The accounts and everything is here Chef Gusteau, today we were given more tips, more than expected." Colette said the fat head of the chef nodded while eying her documents.
Colette was eyeing at something while waiting for her master words, as same as other times in the past when she was in his office, ever since the first day she was here, the picture of the man in chief's uniform who was young well-built like super model in the wooden frame sitting on the desk aside the black old fashionable push-button telephone. The picture may be over 3 decades old from the color- tone quality, Colette only wondered but never asked him, other colleagues also don't know about that. They only predicted that's may be Chef Gusteau in the past or his relative.
"I know you wondering who that handsome man, Mrs. Lorenz?" Chef Gusteau noticed and asked, snapping her back from the wondering.
"..Yes sir," she admitted.
"Er..Please take a seat, Mrs. Lorenz." He invited her to sit like the pupil in the headmaster's office, her master putting down all documents and sighed.
"Exclude Rajit, the previous sous-chef, I have never talked about this pic...that's me when I was 28." Chef Gusteau explained, The answer make the young sous chef eyes open wide and her jaw drop.
"That's the day I worked as the saucier in Grand Deliant Hotel, I also as same as you, I was fond of good foods and culinary arts since a youth. I grew up with only my mom and she's the only one who supported the life and the dream I chose and I promised to her she would see me as the head chef and have my own restaurant in one day, but she never saw it, a car accident took her life only few days after this photo was taken."
The back ground life of her master made Colette feel so stunned and so sad.
"I have become the last Gusteau who's still alive and feel like the whole world has collapsed. I thought more dedication and hard work would whip me out that sad memory, but no, my mom on the mortuary's steel bed and funeral stuck in my mind, and then I found out not only cooking that made me forgot that and feel happy again, but more eating..." Gusteau paused to sip the water in the glass near bye.
"I eat like the glutton pig when I have the opportunities, not only snacks but both from my cooking and any places I can go, every time I bite the food, chew it and swallow it. This is the only time the tired and sadness wiped out from my mind. For nearly five years I did it to relieve my stress and when I felt sad. My weight rose from 170 pounds to 440 pounds and that nearly ruined my life and my entire career. I fainted once day while working and doctor said I should stop eating like I had been if I wanted to see my 50th birthday and in that time I also lost the opportunities to get the promotion for a sous chef position too." Chef Gusteau said, his apprentice still listening but astonished.
"I knuckled down and got back line again as I should have, ate normally but still too much when compared to others. I worked hard with dedication as I should have done until I was promoted to be the head chief and now have the Gusteau's as you see today."
"I'm so glad you have past that worst period quite well." Collette returned in a shaking voice.
"Sorry if some part so bothers you Mrs. Lorenz, I decide to tell you this because since I observed you while working and seen on your resume, some of your background, you're quite foodie and I hope you don't do as same as I done when I was young as you." He paused for another water sip before continuing.
"It's not wrong to have the pleasure with food more than basic need, but not let it take over yourself and ruin your life." Gusteau said in the soft but firmly tone.
