The Start of Summer

The kitchen was filled with aromas, the strong smell

of fish sizzling in the pan mingled gently with the scent of steamed

vegetables. The warm aroma of freshly baked bread alone was enough to fill your

stomach. The background to these smells was the noise of pans banging on the stove tops, and the sweet clatter of knives hitting the wood as they sliced

through vegetables and fish.

Under the blinding light of the overhead lamp, a young

boy was wearing a gray sous-chef's tunic. Despite his serious demeanor, which

seemed out of place given his handsome face and early age, his colleagues let

him work without paying much attention to him; he was almost invisible in that

symphony. His task in the brigade was to prepare desserts.

I hated making desserts; it was the thing I was worst

at! My talent lay in appetizers, and I could manage main courses to some

extent, but desserts were my Achilles' heel. I had to measure every ingredient

perfectly because even a gram more of one ingredient could completely ruin the

flavor of the cream. Tonight, I had to prepare pan di spagna, which was a real

challenge. So many things could go wrong with it that just thinking about it

made me tremble with fear like a child. I checked that the eggs were not cold;

they had to be at room temperature. Then I took a vanilla pod and started

cutting it with a sharp knife to extract the seeds, which needed to be added to

the eggs. I put the mixture under the stand mixer and started working on the

cream in the meantime. I was not behind schedule in the kitchen, but I still

worked with great speed, not taking any time to rest. While finishing one

preparation, my mind was already thinking about what I needed to do next.

I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't even

notice Chef's arrival until he was standing right in front of my workstation.

"Seto, we need to prepare two more Sacher tortes

for tables ten and eleven, and the dining room is asking if you can make the

legendary Forest Cake for table eighteen," the Chef said challengingly. It

was clear that he hated me and didn't bother to hide his envy.

I didn't take his bait. Anyone who works in the

kitchen knows that was too much for one person, and I would never be able to

get the orders out on time.

"Yes, Chef," I yelled in the most neutral

tone I could find. It was useless to challenge his authority; I would have

tried my best, and at most, I would fail. But there is no fear in the heart of

those who fight!

The Chef left with a smirk on his face. If I was on

schedule before, now I was in an infinite delay.

I was preparing the dough for the other cakes while

simultaneously stirring the cream, hoping it wouldn't burn or form lumps.

Unfortunately, the Lord had given me only two hands when I needed eight for this

job. I was about to succumb to total despair when I looked up and saw Chihiro

in front of me.

"Can I help, if you want? The appetizers have

been ready for a while," she said with a smile.

I widened my eyes in disbelief. I pinched my cheeks to

make sure I wasn't dreaming, but apparently, I was wide awake.

"Of course," I replied as I turned the cake.

"Could you check the consistency of the dough for me? Meanwhile, I'll

finish preparing the creams."

I could feel Chef's sharp gaze piercing my back.

With Chihiro's help, the desserts came out smoothly.

When we finished cleaning and polishing the kitchen, I prostrated myself under

my savior.

A not-very-tall girl, however, had curvy hips and

ample breasts, a rare virtue in Japan. She was not originally from Tokyo, from

what I knew, she came from a small agricultural town. She had always been enthusiastic

about cooking. Everyone at work wondered how a woman of such rare beauty had

not yet married, or at least not yet engaged.

"There's no need to throw yourself on the ground

I would be grateful if you got up, Seto, you're just embarrassing me!" she

said, blushing, grabbing me by the arm and forcing me to get up from the

ground.

"I will never thank you enough for tonight,

Chihiro!" I replied.

"You're an angel on earth!" Chihiro sighed

and then started laughing.

"Alright, but after all, you couldn't have done

all those preparations alone, I helped you because we're a family in the

kitchen, and I think it's right to help each other. Besides, I'm sure you would

have done the same if I had been in difficulty."

When we left the restaurant, the moon was already high

in the sky, full and obscuring all the other stars. In the streets, the silent

sound of the wind alternated with the intermittent shouts of drunks. We smoked

a cigarette and chatted about this and that. Our colleagues wanted to go for a

drink, but I politely declined their invitation. Chihiro looked at me as if I

had betrayed her.

"Promise me that you'll come for a drink with us

sooner or later!"

"I'll try!" I replied, smiling.

Walking home, I immersed myself in my stream of

thoughts. The thing that weighed on me the most about working at the restaurant

was that I always left my sister alone for dinner. Unfortunately, since our

mother passed away a few years ago, we've been alone. Fortunately, Yui had

never blamed her for it. She was an extremely conscientious and mature girl for

her age, and I hoped to give her a life that was as normal as possible.

When I arrived home, I tried to be careful not to make

any noise, so as not to wake Yui, who was sleeping peacefully with a serene

expression on her face, illuminated by the moonlight. My futon had already been

prepared. She smiled at the sight of the dishes left to dry, and I wondered if

the dinner I had left her had been appreciated tonight as well. I changed my

clothes, took out a pen and paper, and sat at the small table. I wanted to

check my financial availability for the month, as Yui was supposed to go on a

trip in a month and I had to afford it at all costs. Likewise, I put away the notebooks

once the calculations were done. In theory, if there were no major unexpected

expenses, we could afford her trip without too much sacrifice. Anxiety finally

gave way to the tiredness of the day. I lay down on my futon, and as soon as my

head touched the pillow, my consciousness immersed itself in the world of

dreams.

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