Waiting on You-Episode Four

After my first week and major meltdown it seemed to be a bit smoother sailing. Dare I say as smooth as the Captain sails? No. I should have taken a page from his book and just kept my mouth shut. The rule I always fail to acknowledge was the next to bite me in the ass.

I have heard of the saying, "see no evil, hear no evil." So, does that mean if evil can't see you it can't hear you? Apparently not.

Tuesday, as I was brainstorming about Wednesday's crabcake lunch, Chef #2 stopped by. He was Chef #1 by all means, I was just full-time compared to his part-time schedule. He had been working with the X's for over 4 years, the third longest term anyone has spent with them. They really wanted him on their full-time staff but he ran his own restaurant and he wasn't going to give that up to be tortured day and night for less money. As to not lose them as references, he covered the interim between chefs quitting and also when chefs were granted vacation time.

Mrs. X was at the lunch club in the city this particular day so we walked and talked around the estate. We talked about what the X's liked and didn't like. We covered everything from thyme to tattoos. We stopped at each room, patio, atrium, and conservatory that held parties, lunches, dinners, teas, and cocktail hours. He showed me how she liked everything set up and carried out.

We walked to the basement and passed through the chef's linen closet which housed uniforms and table cloths then back to dry storage for utensils and servingware then we hit the freezer chest. He casually threw open the lid and then gasped. "Does Mrs. X know you have all of this fish frozen in here?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," I said. "Office Manager said it would be best if I purchased a bunch and kept it on hand for any curve ball dinner parties thrown my way."

"Marie, she will have your head if she knows you are serving her frozen fish. You should never freeze fish."

I dropped my head because I knew he was right. I only listened to Office Manager against my better judgment because, at the estate, she was a hall-of-famer compared to me. I could only say, "Mrs. X has no idea. She LOVED the lemon sole I served last night. I had to make a second portion for her."

Even still, Chef #2 advised I get the fish out of there before she conducted one of her routine walk-throughs and found it. I said I would.

FLASH FORWARD-Wednesday's crabcake lunch.

Two minutes later she rang.

I gulped down the bite of my sandwich. I gulped it down hard. Everyone at the table turned their eyes to me. I smiled nervously, pushed my chair from the table, stood up and headed towards certain doom. I knocked on her door and was startled (can we say, 'jumpy?') by her voice coming from the library. "In here, MAHRIE." I entered the library. She was concealed behind the Inquirer. I smiled and asked, "Is there something else I can bring for you Mrs. X?" I glanced at her dish and noticed the crabcake smashed around on the plate with the avocado creme fraiche tossed aside like an unwanted thing. "What is for dessert?" she asked, still buried in her paper.

I began to stutter because I could not concentrate with all the thoughts flopping around in my head. I thought, "Did she hate it?" "Is she serious?" "What dessert do I have?" "It's only 1230pm and she wants dessert?" "What the hell am I going to do?" I blurted out, "Coffee ice cream, chocolate pudding, truffles." Before I embarrassed myself and added, "oreos," she cut me off. "I will have three scoops of coffee ice cream with two truffles. And please remove this from my sight. I would rather not eat thawed, time-capsuled food. We prefer freshness over convenience in this house. Thank you!"

Somehow, while she was 30 miles away in the city the previous day, she heard me. I am terrified at the possible scope of her omnipotence. I didn't speak the rest of the day.