The Pinnacle of Life

Jaimee quickly hit the snooze button on the blaring alarm clock. Dread filled her heart, realizing she had to be ready for the HUGE promotional for work today. Although she didn’t work at Baddie’s Burger’s, she did work with the advertising firm who was trying to get their new campaign off and running.

The only thing that kept her nerves from being a total wreck, was the fact that after today, she was going on an EPIC vacation. Heading to Nepal to climb Mount Everest would be the adventure of a lifetime! Many would not believe the adventures she had been on from looking at her. Though she had lost over 100 pounds from her highest weight, she was still overweight and didn't look like the adventurous type. Still, the obstacles she had overcome in her life made her want to explore the world and find new things to do. She would not let anything stop her!

She'd had plenty of excitement. Work, eat, sleep, repeat was mundane enough. Life simply wasn’t worth living without new and unimaginable events creeping in here and there. That’s part of the reason she had become a drug addict 27 years ago. Luckily she had found thrills in other places and been a recovering addict for 12 years now. Finding adventure was better without the scars and pain that drugs left in their wake. Regaining trust from her mother and two sons was an amazing gift she would never return. Being able to make amends to people she loved was a treasure and though she didn't fully follow Narcotics Anonymous, she did want to make up for the unimaginable grief she had caused them in the best way she could. She couldn't linger on those thoughts today. Managing and performing her responsibilities was too important. Reminding herself of the things she had overcome and moving on to today's tasks was motivational. Remembering, also, that her journey was just a day away had her excitement level to the moon!

Today, however, she didn’t have time for adventure. It was all about burgers. She stepped into the shower and prepared for her last busy work day for at least two months! Jaimee had to look her best today. The grand opening was going to be hectic and chaotic, things that put her on her best game.

She had picked out her outfit the night before. Black skirt which came to just above the knees and red top which revealed just enough cleavage to entice, with matching high heels. Red hoop earrings matched the 80's look of the restaurant. She loved the big hair look of the 80's. But she didn't want to go too far, so instead of straightening her hair today, she would simply use leave-in conditioner in her naturally curly hair.

Standing in the mirror, she looked over her pale appearance and shook off her nerves. She had never thought much of her looks. Though she had deep brown eyes and a charming little nose she was overweight and had never fancied her appearance. Her heart made up for her looks in so many ways, if she was given the chance. She was more soul food than eye candy.

Jaimee closed her eyes and said her prayer for the day which included her two sons, Devan and Aaron, her mother, Alice, her man, Sean and his daughters, Abigail and Erica. She prayed that the day was happy and healthy for all of them and that God granted them all His grace and mercy. She prayed that if it was in His master plan, that her event today was exciting and successful! She thanked Him for all He had done for her.

As she approached Baddie’s Burgers in her black Range Rover Velar, the color of her car and ensemble coordinated perfectly with the signs that enveloped the building. The candy apple red, neon Baddie’s Burgers flashed brilliantly across the black background. Let’s get this day started, she thought.

The place was already a mad house. Thank God, she saw Bruce, her assistant in front of the building. He was massive as a truck and trying to control the population that their advertising had already stirred up. Billboards, signs on the sides of city buses and social media ads, just to name a few. Their opening day had finally arrived and the public’s interest was piqued! She pulled up to Bruce and asked him to find someone to park her car. She needed to get inside immediately and find the new business owners, Bradley and Brenda Barton. They had met in high school and found one another to be the cutest things they had ever seen. They both thought the other to be so attractive they called each other ‘baddies’. The ambition they both had, led them to their destined entrepreneurship.

Bruce found someone with the snap of his fingers and immediately went back to soothing the crowd. The restaurant wouldn’t open for another half hour, but the live band, who would be playing, was already setting up inside. She thanked Bruce, and the makeshift valet, and made her way into Baddie’s.

If the Barton’s were nervous, they didn’t show it. They both smiled and walked toward her like eager children greeting Santa. They walked quickly and in sync with one another. Brad's tall, athletic physique towered over Brenda's smaller, yet voluptuous frame.

“You’ve made it!” Exclaimed Brad. “We can’t thank you enough for everything! If things go well, there will be talk all across town. They are lining the parking lot! We are so blessed. Try our first burger!”

From behind Bradley, Brenda walked ahead with a tray holding a plate that had steam rising from it. The burger was enormous, almost covering the entire surface. The brioche bun looked soft and smelled slightly sweet. Brenda placed it on the table top beside them and Jaimee’s manners left her immediately. Though her eyes were huge with anticipation, she had no words yet. She simply sit in front of her meal and stared with incredulity.

She lifted the top bun and saw it had been toasted, lightly with butter, to a nice, golden brown. Underneath was a thick, succulent all beef patty smothered in melted cheddar cheese. The savory smells of garlic, sautéed onions and mushrooms were filling the air, she could see they must be hiding under the cheese which dripped down the bottom bun to the plate below.

On a smaller side plate were Bibb lettuce, tomato and long slices of dill pickles, allowing her to choose which to add to the beautiful piece of beef. Tiny cups of mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard completed the tray, in order to give more variety to her choices. After adding everything, she placed the bun on top and tried to grab the burger but it was too big to hold.Brenda laughed and handed her a fork and knife.

Jaimee sliced off a piece and took a small bite of Heaven. As all the flavors melded together in her mouth, an explosion of juiciness from the wagyu beef along with the crispy crunch of the pickle and all the other flavors made her lean her head back in enjoyment.

Finally, after savoring her first bite, she looked at the beautiful, black couple and was ready to speak.

Before she could say a word, Brad piped in and said, “I believe she liked it Brenda!”

Brenda, with a huge grin, shook her head in agreement. “Yes Brad baby. I think you’re exactly right!”

“You’re both wrong!” Jaimee said, the taste of the burger still lingering on her taste buds. “I didn’t just like it, I thought it was the most amazing burger I’ve ever had in my life!”

“My firm may have drummed up some starting business for you, but your fantastic atmosphere, with live music, large space, and the best damn food around will keep them coming from miles around, for years to come."

The day flew by in a flash with non-stop business until they finally closed the doors. The Barton's kept up with the crowd in an amazing fashion! They never slowed down, or looked tired, one time. Though Jaimee could have left hours ago, she wanted to see the Barton’s succeed so she stayed the entire night and watched how smoothly they ran their new business.

While Brad talked to the band and offered them food and drinks, on the house, Brenda went from table to table asking how their service was and if they enjoyed their food. Jaimee heard zero complaints. Everyone was raving about Baddie's! With a smile, she called Sean to see if he wanted a burger, since it was only going to be them at home tonight. Her boys and his girls were with friends, so she grabbed him a burger and fries and headed home for her last night with him before going to Nepal.