Chapter １９

Linda's POV 

I didn't go home after work, I just didn't want to see Diana. I didn't want to see her face at all. I didn't even want to breathe the same air as her. Well, that's below the belt and too much, but yeah, that is my point. 

So I decided to go over to Elena and take a bite at her new dessert. I haven't seen her for a while. I miss her so much. I miss her desserts. I could still remember when I asked her if being a pastry chef was hard. 

She said that from the outside looking in, being a pastry chef seems like a pretty sweet job. From developing and testing new and inventive dessert recipes to sampling some of the world’s finest ingredients, confections, and sweets, there is, admittedly, much to love about a gig like this.

But it’s not all fondant, crepes, and crème brulée. Being a pastry chef is a tough, challenging, and demanding role that only those who are truly dedicated to the craft can survive and thrive in. The restaurant kitchen is a place that tests every milligram of your essence. A perfectly balanced recipe of humility, hubris, and actual skill is needed. 

So instead of me being interested in her career, my interest fell on the ground. I will just stick to what I have. I said that time. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard her voice. 

"Hi, my friend, why do you look sad? Are you unhappy with your new boyfriend? Come and try my latest dessert, which specializes in unhappiness." Elena hugged me and brought me a small cake decorated with several smiling faces, a layer of white cream, which I ate happily. It was sweet but not greasy, and it was still my favorite matcha flavor. She really knows me and I am touched by what she did. I am really lucky to have her as a friend.

"It's delicious, and your craftsmanship is getting better and better. Can I bring more back to eat?" In fact, I don't like dessert much, but what she made is very to my taste. Every new product is very popular among others. I want to take some home and eat it if I am unhappy. I felt like when I ate this, I could at least forget about the monster inside the house. 

"Yes, can you tell me what happened to you now?" Elena asked me.

"I have been living too irritably recently. I can't stand Diana living with me. She doesn't like me. She always thinks of various ways to bully me inexplicably. I haven't slept well for several nights. Donald is not around. What do you think I should do?" Should I try to deal with her, such as giving her rat meat? Put a bunch of reptiles on her bed? It sounds great, but I can't do it. After all, she is still my boyfriend's mother. 

"Is she testing your kindness to her? Or is she bullying you for some purpose? You can also fight back properly!" She just doesn't want to see me. She doesn't want to see me with her son. What else can she do? What should I do? 

"I'm too tired to fight with her every day. It's okay. I'll wait for Donald to come back. Hmm? Why isn't Dylan here, whirring all day, and then he's not here to enliven the atmosphere today." I smiled bitterly and stuffed a big piece of cake into my mouth. Hmm, it's so delicious that I can't stop eating. An Idea popped into my mind and my eyes brightened. 

" Can I take you home? " I asked her and I saw her laugh.

"Hey, I'm serious. Come on. At least, if you are there, you can help me and talk to me or drink with me." I suggested but she didn't pay me any mind. 

"Stop joking. What you are thinking is impossible. I have a job here and I'm not your family. Furthermore, you are just boyfriend and girlfriend now, so you have no say. Even though you will beg him, I will still say no because that is just not appropriate. So stop." She explained, still laughing. I am at a loss. What did she just say? She could just say no but she said a lot of things in a few seconds. 

"And speaking of Dylan, don't mention him. Recently, I saw him go out early and return late. It is estimated that he went to where he worked to hide and work secretly. When I call him out on another day, I will also call you and we will go out together, okay? Cheer up." She comforted me. I'm always so happy to be with them.

Well, thinking about her career, I know that she worked for it. When I asked about it before, what she told me was that a pastry chef is commonly mistaken for a baker; though some tasks are very similar. Duties include baking and mixing ingredients to be used in pastries, pies, cakes, and cookies. They make sure oven temperatures are set correctly for baking and monitor the color of the baked item to judge if any adjustments may be necessary in temperature, humidity or conveyor equipment speeds.

You need to be innovative, creative, detailed oriented, have an artistic eye, and have the ability to lead. They decorate certain pastries with glazing, icing or other ingredients to make them appealing to the customer. They monitor the measurements, shape and cooking time of baked goods to ensure the success of the product and ensure that they are appealing to the eye. However, the main difference between a pastry chef and baker is what they are responsible for. 

The word “chef” is the main difference, it includes management, administrative duties, and leading a team in preparing pastries as well. Therefore they have a Pastry chef who has a greater responsibility in the management and interactions of staff, most of the time with a team of bakers.

Pastry chefs create small quantities and complex desserts. The complexity of these desserts leads them to spend more time decorating and preparing at times. They also work with restaurant chefs to pair desserts with meals being prepared or wines offered each evening. Pastry chefs use recipes or create new ones using their own creativity however, in addition they are still having to maintain records, order food, manage staff, and ensure food safety standards are being met. Most pastry chefs work in fine dining restaurants, bakeries, or bistros. Some even work in hotels and resorts around the country.