Chapter eight

" You must work for complete eight hours and inform me before closing ok?" The head chef said that morning as soon as he resumed work. The following day.

Mark, who was fuming with anger that morning, didn't respond. He just nodded his head affirmatively. In his mind he compared the age of the head chef to his. Even from his physical stature, he looked far older than the head chef.

Mark continued with his daily activities at the restaurant that Monday Friday morning. His objective was to leave early that morning so he could go look for an apartment which he could rent for himself and his mum as he had discussed with Jason the previous day as he had discussed earlier on with.

The time was eleven o'clock that morning after they had finished preparing all the dishes which children was on the roaster for that particular Friday. Mark noticed that the orders that were coming from the restaurant were dual of the numbers of the attendants that were there so he decided to leave the kitchen to go assist them as he was idle.

He went to the main hall of the restaurant and approach a man and his girlfriend who came to eat at the restaurant. He drew near them and took down their orders. He went into the kitchen to arrange their orders. When he was done, he carried it on a tray and went out of the kitchen, moving towards the direction of the man and woman who had ordered it. He was so focused on the tray he was caring for that he didn't take notice that he stepped on a young lady who sat with his boyfriend by the side of the walkway in the restaurant and so he continued walking. He had almost gotten to the table where he was to put down the food when someone pulled him by the collar of his shirt. The tray which he had in his hand almost dropped but he held it tightly.

When he turned, it came as a rude shock to him when a rigid slap was plastered on the right side of his face by a chubby lady standing in front of him. He held the tray tightly so it would not drop. With a terrible itching on the right side of his face where he was stepped he turned back and dropped the tray on the table that was by his side.

" Are you blind? You stepped on me and didn't even say sorry. Are you blind? She said furiously, almost wanting to slap him again but was held back by a man standing beside her, drawing her back and holding her hand.

Mark held his face for some seconds as he watched the lady ranting. The slap made tears well up in his face and the right side of his ear made a whizzing sound. He could not hear anything with that ear for some seconds.

"But I didn't know Mrs. I would have apologized." Mark said in a teary tone."

" You didn't do what? Do you know how much this shoe

cost me? This is my first time going out with it and you just stepped on me with your filthy legs. How dear you."

By this time, two of the restaurant attendants including Jason who had directed him to where the trash can was the previous day and the head chef were already present. They were apologising to the woman.

Painfully, Mark joined them in apologising with a mixture of ache and shock for what just happened. Nobody had ever slapped him before. Not even his mum or dad. This was the first time he would face such humiliation from a lady. He had never been this embarrassed in such a way before.

Majority of the people who were also in the restaurant were also watching. Mark joined them in apologizing to the woman. The guy she came with tried to calm her down as they went back to the table they were sitting. Mark handed over the order of the man and woman whom he had gone to get their food before he was slapped. He then returned back to the kitchen.

"Who sent you out there? Why didn't you just face your business here and you would have avoided such an embarrassing situation? Be thankful to God that the boss is not around else. He would have sacked you. Macpherson the Head of chef said in a counterblast tone.

Mark didn't pay any attention to what he was saying. He just nodded his head in remorse and pain. He knew he was not supposed to be working as a chef or working under anyone. But the insufficien situation which he and his mum had found themselves were the course of it.

Before his father died. He knew he was the one who was going to take over his father's company and so arrangements had been made. But unfortunately, the company was taken over by a wealthy man there in Chicago. They had taken the man to court but after the presenting of the legally signed papers indicating that Stephen Austin his father intentionally sold the company to him the case was discharged and they were left with only their house which he had already sold for a distress sale to foot his mum's bill.

As he continued with the kitchen activities while at the same time ignoring the rants of the head chef the boyfriend of the lady whom he had stepped on came to the door of the kitchen led by one of the kitchen attendants.

"Boy I'm really sorry about what happened out there ok?"

He said as soon as he stepped in and saw Mark.

"It's fine sir." Mark replied in a forgiving tone.

"You see she has temper issues and we had something we were arguing about who made her angry and so she vented everything on you. I take that as my fault ok? I just needed to see you before I leave. "

"It's fine sir. It's fine. I'm really sorry about that too." Mark responded.

When the man was done apologising he left and mark

Continued with what he was doing.