With only an hour to make a soup, two main courses and something of his choice, Tynan was severely pressed for time. The recipes looked simple enough to understand and Tynan found everything relatively easily even without Alan's help. Still, it took him a good five minutes to figure everything out in his head.
"Fifty-five more minutes," he breathed and looked around. He would work on the soup first. That would need the most amount of time.
The first recipe was a pumpkin and apple soup. Apparently, this was the restaurant's signature item which would explain the name. The soup was easy to make but the time required was cutting close. Tynan quickly went to preheat the oven as he cut and prepared the pumpkin and green apple slices for roasting on one tray.
Not wasting time while waiting for the oven to reach a good tem
Tynan and Laura couldn't stay depressed for too long as Griffin had other plans for them."Sit down," he told the interviewee and dragged a tall stool over.The dishes were just a formality. It didn't really matter how well it was done, Griffin didn't actually have any high expectations in the first place. He wanted to see if Tynan was capable of learning and how he would react under pressure. The man proved himself worthy when he tried to finish the task despite the burn he got in his haste. Still, his cooking skills were considerably well above average. The restaurant owner foresaw that with a little more training, Tynan could grow into a very skillful chef if he ever wanted to pursue this as a full-time job."How well did you think you did for your first try in the kitchen?" he asked with light amusement in his v
Tynan came to work as usual but the printed letter in his pocket felt a lot heavier than it should. At the same time, the weight in his heart and on his shoulders felt a lot lighter, contributing to the bounce in every step that morning. The manager would be in after lunch and Tynan kept feeling his pocket to check if his letter was still there. He was slightly nervous after presenting his letter to the manager and honestly, the fat man still intimidated him a little."What's up with you today? You're very distracted," Roy nudged him when Tynan was restocking the noodles.The programmer couldn't stop his lips from curving upwards. "I'm quitting."Surprised but happy for the good man, Roy grinned brightly and congratulated him. Tynan rubbed the back of his neck shyly and grinned.
After a relaxing weekend, it was finally time for Tynan to start a new chapter of his life. Reporting to work at Apple Soup Restaurant wasn't the difficult part. Tynan put on his apron and wore something comfortable enough for him to move around in and waited for instructions as he entered the kitchen using the employee's entrance.It was ten in the morning and the restaurant was still closed. It would only open at eleven, according to Alan who greeted him that day. Apple Soup only opened from eleven to three and five to eight daily. Hence, the chefs usually had two shifts with the exception of Griffin who practically lived in the restaurant.Tynan's job was simple. For four days a week, he would work from ten in the morning to four in the afternoon, helping the chefs prepare ingredients for their use during the lunch hour rush and b
Tynan met the family at Apple Soup and just before eleven, he was quickly introduced to the morning team. There were only four men in the kitchen excluding Griffin and Tynan. The team of waiters serving outside under Alan's command was also roughly about the same size but for some reason, the kitchen looked a lot smaller now that all kitchen hands were on deck."Tynan, my boy! Come up here and introduce yourself to the family!" Griffin boomed and the rowdy chefs cheered with an equally loud applause to match the enthusiasm.Shyly, Tynan stammered his weak introduction and the cooks cheered deafeningly, welcoming him on board. As he already met Baston earlier, Tynan only had to familiarise himself with the other three assistant cooks."I hope you don't end up quitting like the other helper," a skinny assistant cook w
In just three weeks, the programmer looked very different from how he was. If his co-workers from the convenience store saw him now, they would be impressed by the arm muscles that the programmer was sporting.Tynan found his lifestyle changing drastically with the new job. Initially, he was always tired whenever he worked but after a while, he realised that there were more pros than cons about the job change.Firstly, Tynan started to get fitter. He also ate healthier simply because he was often told to cook and eat at the restaurant on the days he worked. Griffin would always tell him to bring something back home for dinner on the days he worked and grocery bills were saved that way.Also, Tynan found that his financial health improved greatly, thanks to the better wages that Apple Soup paid. Using that, Tynan dec
The promotion that Laura overheard happened right on a Monday when Tynan reported for work."Hey, twerp! Get over here!" Griffin called just as Tynan was about to start preparing the coleslaw. In fact, all the other chefs were gathered around the menu with papers scattered all over the metal countertop. It was a rare sight and Tynan wondered what was going on.Baston hid the chef's hat behind him. It wasn't the tallest hat around but a hat indicated that one was a qualified cook of the proud Apple Soup restaurant. Tynan was going to be so surprised to know that he was climbing up the ranks in just under a month!The morning and afternoon teams discussed it. Griffin also consulted Alan about staffing for tea time and everyone agreed that there was no harm in trying to introduce a tea menu. Unlike the gruff old
Time passed quickly when life became busier. With the tea menu and new seasonal creations, Tynan found himself quickly swept away by the things he needed to do. Laura did her best to help out at work and they often spent the evenings being quiet, unwinding the long day with some of Tynan's favourite anime. Laura didn't know much about anime initially. Her opinion about it was that they were for children until Tynan introduced her to some hard-boiled sports anime that Laura quickly got hooked on. From then on, it was an endless spiral down the rabbit hole as he introduced her to more genres.Tynan reflected on his week as he zoned out on the episode. Laura was deeply engrossed in the high school love drama and comedy but the programmer had deeper thoughts in the background. After introducing a Christmas seasonal drink named "Mistletoe" made from kiwi, cucumber and mint with Sprite that was garnished with so
The days blurred into weeks and a thin invisible wall started to build itself between Laura and Tynan. While they still enjoyed a good anime marathon and gaming nights, the conversations between them became less carefree as they treaded on thin ice around sensitive topics.One such topic that would make Laura shrink back considerably was the question about her past. It wasn't too obvious but Tynan noticed it anyway as he started to pay her more attention. It was strange how comfortable they'd become when they could talk about things like farting and flushing the toilet but when it came to Laura's hobbies and family, the e-ghost would clam up. She wouldn't even tell him her real name or last name which was odd seeing that Tynan knew the things Laura didn't like to eat in alphabetical order.The hot and cold reaction from his e-ghost crush and the thin invisible